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Mars: The Bringer of War (Gustav Holst) | Behind the Score (Episode 37) (Patreon)

Published:
2023-03-10 22:16:25
Edited:
2024-06-04 22:31:15
Imported:
2026-06
Tags:

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Content

I'm really excited that this famous orchestral movement has been so strongly requested by the community. I think this is one of the important works of the early 20th century, and we're starting an exploration of The Planets out with the first movement, Mars: The Bringer of War.

I'll guide you through a bit of background information and the instrumentation before looking at a score reduction and full score, featuring recordings by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic.

I hope you enjoy!

Files

Mars: The Bringer of War (Gustav Holst) - Behind the Score | Episode 37

Comments

Jim Reeves

My favorite recording is Zubin Mehta with LA Philharmonic, but I'm so glad you reviewed it!

Jim Reeves

I'm certain (without evidence) that John Williams was inspired by this piece for his Star Wars score.

Peter Tutak

What a *great* piece to listen to the analysis lecture of over a strong cocktail and hors d'oeuvres. I gotta say, back in the day, I thought this was one hell of a fun piece to play for a double bassist (this and the Mendelssohn 4th). (The thing about playing 'col legno' is you have to use your second or third favorite bow.) While the original was created before Pluto was discovered and included as a planet, Colin Matthews, a British composer and Holst scholar, wrote a final section ('Pluto, the Renewer') which was premiered as a final section of the general suite and recorded in 2006 (Halle Orchestra/Mark Elder). It's an interesting postscript, but now that Pluto was demoted to 'minor planet' in 2006, it becomes kind of an oddity. Those final bars still bring to my mind a picture of some poor warrior getting their head bashed in to finality, and the very last chord is the God of War looking around and saying 'Who's Next ?" Thanks, Doug ! GREAT lecture ! Up there with 'Pines' and the Barber String Quartet !

Ray Sincere

If you think Bernstein was fast, you should hear Steinberg. I LOVE that version. Bernstein is great, too. But Steinberg is so fast, so aggressive. It's a Mars that is barreling down on you, and you can't stop it. I love it.

Blinky

I grew up in the Episcopal church, and our local chapter of the Guild of St. Cecilia would put on excellent concerts, secular and sacred. When I was young, the local orchestra put on a performance of the Planets (Minus, I think, Jupiter and Neptune), and as a youngster, Mars blew me away. The timpani rattled the light fixtures out in the narthex, and my imagination couldn't keep up with what I was hearing. Any complex music I've enjoyed since I probably owe to the transcendent experience of having my mind expanded by Holst's Planets. MANY of the pioneers of metal cite Mars as one of the things that inspired what they were going for. Seeing the King Crimson record behind you of course makes me think of their own arrangement of Mars, "The Devil's Triangle" off their "In the Wake of Poseidon" album. The piece DOES lose something being compressed into the much smaller ensemble, but the process of arranging it to be performed by, as far as I'm aware, only 4 people is pretty impressive in-and-of itself.

Lashers
>>103836193

"The Devil's Triangle" was not a straight arrangement. The original lineup performed Mars in their live set, but when they came to record it "Holst’s estate forbade the band from using a straight recording of the piece, so it uses a different staccato riff" (from Genius.com). This is ironic given Fripp's later stance on the use of his music.

Michael Brown

I enjoyed Behind the Score The Planets is one of my favourite suites of music. One question about the interpretation done by conductors.do they ever go back to the original score as composed by Holst and how different it would be if played as written?

doughelvering
>>103911284

That's the thing...they're all working off of the same score. It's simply marked Allegro...which is up to interpretation. Allegro just means 'fast'.

Gerard Dion

Doug, thank you so much for featuring this fantastic piece of music! As pretty much a layman with very little experience in music, yet a great admirer of classical music, you explained it so well that I think pretty much understood most of it! LOL! I really enjoyed this video! Thanks again and please do more ELP! LOL! Cheers!

Jeff Norman

Yeah, "The Devil's Triangle" uses the same ostinato 5/4 rhythm, and a lot of that root-fifth-dim5 movement...but is otherwise dissimilar. And yeah: Holst invented the power chord (that closing big C is nothing but roots and fifths all around)! :-)

Henry Weisenborn

Speaking of tempo, King Crimson did a version that goes to the opposite extreme. When you mentioned tempo I hoped you were going to play theirs.

Allen

I've always enjoyed this composition. Maybe Doug can do the entire "Planets" as an EPL?

Robert Pugh

I just got to listen to this. Thanks, enlightening.

Steeleye 2112
>>104370977

Def, Jupiter particularly I've always found profoundly moving on a level I just can't find the words for, which I guess is the point of music as it transcends concepts which are rooted in language.

Adie

Brilliant! Very fine recording used, extremely helpful score reduction and then full score. Most of all amazing distilation of Doug's deep knowledge to impart a great deal of important information to reach a better understanding and appreciation of this piece. Riveting all the way through - can't wait to watch the other ones for this suite.