Pretty sure I remember reading that George Lucas used excerpts from the Planets suite as placeholders for New Hope before Williams eventually composed the soundtrack. Lucas would have screened the movie to Williams with those excerpts in place, so there's no doubt in my mind the resemblance between the Star Wars soundtrack (both A New Hope and the rest of the films) and the Planets suite is more than fortuitous, and possibly even by design.
Writing this in 5/4 was a stroke of genius: the music has the characteristics of a march, but the rhythm should be 2/4 (or 4/4): this is a rhythm for marching feet. Bi-pedal creatures can't march to 5/4 -- and so, in context here, they rhythm suggests something inhuman and bestial about war. Add to that the traditional fanfare in fifths, except falling to the flatted fifth, the tritone, 'diabolus in musica', and Holst has laid down the foundation to a nightmarish vision -- all the more chilling knowing that he wrote this prior to the outbreak of the Great War.
古川 Furukawa Having done a marching show which included Mars, I can tell you it's hard. You can't do a one-bar move, so every set has to be in multiples of ten counts.
This leap to the fifth with a descend to the tritone resembles a lot the viking war cry from the start of Led Zeppelin's Immigrant song. This melodic movement really "screams" war in the ears.
Get involved in our #popupplanets! We want to see you playing your favourite extract of Holst's The Planets and you have a chance to win a pair of tickets to our concert in London on Saturday 1 Oct: ruclips.net/video/9UY29P2CW1o/видео.html
Fantastic orchestra and an excellent guide. I'm studying 'Orchestration a new approach' by Norman Ludwin and these listening guides really bring the material alive - thanks so much for posting :)
Catherine Duc Hi Catherine, we're really glad you're enjoying our listening guides! It's always fascinating to explore new ways of listening to a piece!
Philharmonia Orchestra (London, UK) Thanks for your reply. I'm so jealous of one of my friends who moved to London - they have the best orchestras there :)
They are practically the same thing, and the euphonium is substituted for a true tenor tuba as they are more common. Besides, tenor tubas don't exist anymore, that I'm aware of so a euphonium should be called a tenor tuba.
All the other movements in this Holst series are big and impressive sounding in stereo, but this one is in monaural for some reason. It loses a lot of impact because of that.
Mars was Rome’s war god, but this is was written when World War I was near, for one. Plus, Mars represents passion and drive in astrology. Both go into war, so that’s why its subtitle is “The Bringer of War.”
John Williams was definitely listening to this one when composing the Star Wars ost. Especially the Imperial March.
Don't forget about the Opening of A New Hope.
Pretty sure I remember reading that George Lucas used excerpts from the Planets suite as placeholders for New Hope before Williams eventually composed the soundtrack. Lucas would have screened the movie to Williams with those excerpts in place, so there's no doubt in my mind the resemblance between the Star Wars soundtrack (both A New Hope and the rest of the films) and the Planets suite is more than fortuitous, and possibly even by design.
Writing this in 5/4 was a stroke of genius: the music has the characteristics of a march, but the rhythm should be 2/4 (or 4/4): this is a rhythm for marching feet. Bi-pedal creatures can't march to 5/4 -- and so, in context here, they rhythm suggests something inhuman and bestial about war. Add to that the traditional fanfare in fifths, except falling to the flatted fifth, the tritone, 'diabolus in musica', and Holst has laid down the foundation to a nightmarish vision -- all the more chilling knowing that he wrote this prior to the outbreak of the Great War.
古川 Furukawa Having done a marching show which included Mars, I can tell you it's hard. You can't do a one-bar move, so every set has to be in multiples of ten counts.
Wow! Can't unsee that now
Joshua Sellers lol our marching band used a bit of 5/4
This leap to the fifth with a descend to the tritone resembles a lot the viking war cry from the start of Led Zeppelin's Immigrant song. This melodic movement really "screams" war in the ears.
Straight up, when I listen to this while driving my car I feel like I'm riding a war chariot into battle.
This one was so incredibly inspiring to many...
I'm pretty sure the war part is because Mars is the Roman form of Ares, the Greek God of War
He composed the piece right before WWI but he orchestated it during the war
absoultely excellent!
Get involved in our #popupplanets! We want to see you playing your favourite extract of Holst's The Planets and you have a chance to win a pair of tickets to our concert in London on Saturday 1 Oct: ruclips.net/video/9UY29P2CW1o/видео.html
you can find quite a few examples on this wikipedia page (search for quintuple meter) - Rachmaninov's 'The Isle of the Dead' is a good example!
I would love to have had a cup of tea with Gustav Holst
Wonderful expression
Listening to it.
Fantastic orchestra and an excellent guide. I'm studying 'Orchestration a new approach' by Norman Ludwin and these listening guides really bring the material alive - thanks so much for posting :)
Catherine Duc Hi Catherine, we're really glad you're enjoying our listening guides! It's always fascinating to explore new ways of listening to a piece!
Philharmonia Orchestra (London, UK) Thanks for your reply. I'm so jealous of one of my friends who moved to London - they have the best orchestras there :)
interesting, great stuff!
3:00 yessssss bass oboe!
I cant believe he didnt mention the loud part in the middle of the peice where all the instruments play the ostanado in the song
My favorite in this movement are the french horns!
listen to mars on full volume.
Charley Hibschweiler I’d like to keep my hearing in tact thank you
Any chance someone can recommend me some more music in 5/4 time?
I'm intrigued by the differences.
"Take Five".😀👍🎶🎵
Almost a decade late here, but I highly recommend this piece here that's in 5/4 time!
ruclips.net/video/tEwAS2PKZjE/видео.html
Also try the second movement of Tchaikovsky's 6th symphony
cool
Thanks for the 5 pound box of *DANGER?!*
4:06
I swear this reminds me of the introduction of despicable me and just the whole movie of it😂
How much did Edgar Rice Burroughs' A Princess of Mars have to inspire this?
What about the Euphonium solo? Or the bassoon part?
***** That wasn't my point. My point was the guy in the video didn't address the euphonium solo or the bassoon & contrabassoon part.
Technically its not a euphonium solo, its a tenor tuba solo.
They are practically the same thing, and the euphonium is substituted for a true tenor tuba as they are more common. Besides, tenor tubas don't exist anymore, that I'm aware of so a euphonium should be called a tenor tuba.
Im curious, isnt this one of the very few pieces that its mandatory to have a large orchestra?
genetically trained for a 4/4 feel.....whaaaat??
All the other movements in this Holst series are big and impressive sounding in stereo, but this one is in monaural for some reason. It loses a lot of impact because of that.
5/4 is kind of difficult for me
I dunno why it say 'bringer of the war'?
Mars was Rome’s war god, but this is was written when World War I was near, for one. Plus, Mars represents passion and drive in astrology. Both go into war, so that’s why its subtitle is “The Bringer of War.”
So the planets were named after some gods in Roman Myth and Greek Myth
This played in 1939 when the German Army invaded Poland
ka🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
giornos theme is better
fenhen : Search for Porcupine Tree's song "Blind House" here on RUclips. (:
Quartet I we eq 3 eq 2w w 3 eqeaw 4erevs22texwe eqeqd
Straightforward? I think not...
ok boomer