The Irish Washerwoman (from the Irish Suite)

The Irish Washerwoman, the first movement of Leroy Anderson’s Irish Suite, combines folk material with the composer’s own whimsicality. The score was commissioned by the Eire Society of Boston and carries a dedication to Arthur Fiedler, who conducted its first performance on June 6, 1947 at Symphony Hall in Boston. The complete suite includes six melodies which range from the nostalgic to the humorous, from the plainly sentimental to the purely exuberant. Although the melodies come from overseas, the brilliant Irish Suite is typical of Anderson’s nimble orchestration, ingenious charm, and happy inventiveness. This opening movement is a jig; brisk in tempo and gay in mood. This new edition has been freshly re-engraved with a full-score for the first time, permitting articulation uniformity throughout the work.