Partita was written in May 1967 and dedicated to Neil Dixon who was the bass trombonist in the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. The Partita is cast in four short movements – Fanfare, Scherzo, Air, and Dactyl. The flourish of the first, the country-dance feel of the second, the nostalgic wistfulness of the third, and the thrusting rhythm of the final are designed to achieve a vernacular elation in tone. After all, Fanfare was originally written for the World Ploughing Championships held in Christchurch in 1967, and Ritchie aptly inserts (at m.28) a snippet from 'The Plough Boy', a popular folk-like song from William Shield's opera The Farmer (1787). The Partita is written with a clean ear and a fresh eye, and its mood is as heady as apple cider.

Recordings of the work are by the New Zealand Brass Quintet (1983) and New Zealand Chamber Brass (2006).