Holst, part 2!

Since I didn't quite get my fix from the last post, here's more about Gustav Holst! I will limit myself to one or two things I like about every piece I mention. I left off with the brief version of my First Suite in Eb speech, and I wanted to say a little about the Second Suite in F. Instead of an original melody that grows through each movement, Holst uses actual folk melodies as well as some original ones. What it lacks for me is that sense of unity from the first to the last. Still, it is a great piece, and his setting of the 6/8 Dargason effortlessly counterpointing the 3/4 Greensleeves in the fourth movement is one of the most rousing works I have ever heard. I also like the Song of the Blacksmith. It is more difficult to play than it sounds. It has so much rhythmic interest that listeners don't really know where the downbeat is for far too long. Before I spend too long on that, I want to gush about the Planets. My favorite movement is Jupiter, and I know that puts me with 90% of all other people, but its an amazing piece and the most fun to play. One thing that makes this piece so amazing to me is his use of percussion. The very end with timpani accenting the trombones makes me feel that shock down my spine. He also is able to use the percussion with such a light touch to make a line shine. After the first large cymbal crash and pause, he has a new melody introduced by violas and horns. In the reiteration of this melody, he puts it in a high register and uses the lightest woodwind voices. as they play the melody, the first three notes of every phrase are accompanied by bells. It can escape notice because the bells do not play the entire melody, but the fact that they strengthen the opening gesture and leave the pitch hanging makes the entire line sparkle. I hope if anyone reads this that they will listen to Holst with an ear for the instruments providing "background effect." He used them extremely well, and even though they wouldn't make it onto a Schenker graph (important fundamental things only), they matter. We often miss the point that anyone who knows the rules can write a fundamental and functional piece. The composition masters are great for studying that because it's all there, and we all acknowledge the beauty in their craft of melody, counterpoint, and harmony that made them special, but the tiniest things can often be what makes a piece really special.