Set of parts
3d1,2+1,3+1,2+1 4,3,3,1 Timp. 3Perc. Harp, Celeste, Strings (8,7,6,5,4)
Corrected edition.
Bax wrote his overture to a Picaresque Comedy in 1930. Legend has it he did it response to a bet he could not outdo Richard Strauss. Whilst there is no evidence the part about the bet is true, Bax certainly takes plenty of tongue-in-cheek, good-natured pokes at Strauss in this vivacious piece. In addition, Bax referred to it as his Douglas Fairbanks Overture and there is more than a hint of the swashbuckling action Fairbanks was famous for.
An A4 size full score can be found here. FMP 10042401
A large B4 size full score is also available FMP 10042401b4