The Naiades Overture, Op. 15, IWB. 13 – William Sterndale Bennett

The Naiades Overture, Op. 15, IWB. 13 by William Sterndale Bennett

British composer William Sterndale Bennett completed this short overture for orchestra in 1836, with the premiere performance being given in January of 1837 in London. The work is dedicated not to a person, but to the Royal Academy of Music in London, an institution to which Bennett was admitted to at the young age of 10.

Bennett would remain at the Royal Academy for 10 years, departing in 1836. During his time at the academy, Bennett would become friends with J. W Davison, who would go on to become a music critic and journalist with ‘The Times’. After graduating from the academy, Bennett and Davison travelled to Prussia with a goal of attending the Lower Rhenish Music festival. Their journey would go along the river Rhine. It would be this trip along the river that inspired Bennett to compose ‘The Naiades’ (Naiades are nymphs of rivers streams and other waterways from Greek mythology).

This work is comprised of a single movement.