Gustav Holst (1874-1934)
British
Mars - The Bringer of War
Gustav Holst was a British composer best known for his orchestral suite ‘The Planets’. A suite is a group of individual pieces. There are seven pieces in ‘The Planets’ and ‘Mars, the Bringer of War’ is the first one. In ancient Roman religion Mars was the god of war. Holst composed this piece in anticipation of the outbreak of World War One. It’s a march but an unusual one. Normally a march has 4 beats in a bar so you can say “left, right, left, right” but Mars has 5 beats in a bar; tricky to march to! Listen out for the opening two harps, strings playing with the wood of the bow, timpani using very hard-headed sticks and the gong. There’s also a solo from the euphonium.
Notation for Beginners:
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Notation for Grades 1 & 2:
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