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This essay may be used in place of essay 2 or 3 one or the other; you are still expected to attend at least one live performance this semester. You may use the outline provided to you for the second and third essays; this is still a performance, albeit a recorded one. You will compare and contrast two movements from The Planets by the English composer Gustav Holst. The recorded performance is by the Philadelphia Orchestra on tour in Germany in 1977 under the direction of Eugene Ormandy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtphY-4xjQw
Specifically, you will contrast the first movement, “Mars, the Bringer of War,” with one of the other movements your choice. Discuss how the composer musically brings to life ideas about the planets. (This piece is a multi-movement tone poem; see the discussion of program music in chapter 12. It would actually be helpful to have read chapters 11-14 to have a background in music of the Romantic style, which did extend into the 20th century for some composers.) Talk about the instrumentation, rhythm, dynamics, tempo, form, texture, and other musical concepts that you have learned thus far. Don’t write that “Mars” sounds militaristic and warlike; we know that already! Tell me what happens in the music to give you that impression. What musical techniques does the composer use to create descriptive effects?
Remember, The Planets is italicized or underlined, while the individual movements are put in quotation marks. Please don’t call The Planets and its movements a song. Use terms like composition, piece, or work. (Song refers to a short composition for voice, often in the popular or folk vein.)
The essay will be 500 words like the others and will be submitted through SafeAssign. Below is link to the Wikipedia article about The Planets; make sure you read the “Background” section. Do not plagiarize from this article; seek help at the AWC Writing Center if unsure what to do.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Planets
Here are the names of the movements and the approximate timings for each.
0:00 Introduction by Eugene Ormandy, speaking in German, expressing what a honor it is to give this performance in Germany.
1:20 Mars, the Bringer of War
8:13 Venus, the Bringer of Peace
16:15 Mercury, the Winged Messenger
20:30 Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity
28:51 Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age
37:20 Uranus, the Magician
42:56 Neptune, the Mystic
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