Composer Spotlight: Gustav Holst
From Moorside to Mars: Exploring the Work of Gustav Holst
Although best known for ‘The Planets Suite', Gustav Holst is probably most loved in the brass band world for his ‘A Moorside Suite’.
Gustav Holst is one of my favourite composers of all time, having penned one of my favourite pieces of music, in general, I Vow to Thee My Country (or Thaxted, taken from ‘Jupiter’) and one of my favourite brass band works of all time, 'A Moorside Suite'. As the musical world celebrated his 150th birthday on 21st September 2024, I thought I would take a look into Holst’s musical legacy and how he created one of the most iconic brass band test pieces.
Who was Gustav Holst?
Born on 24th September 1874 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, Gustav Holst was an English composer, music teacher and trombonist who has created some of the most recognisable melodies in the musical world.
A gifted musician, Holst was a student at the Royal College of Music in London where he met his life-long friend and fellow composer, Ralph Vaughn Williams. Following his studies, he made a living as a trombone player in the Carl Rosa Opera Company and in various orchestras for some years. Holst then went on to become the music master at St. Paul’s Girls’ School in 1905 and Director of Music at Morley College in 1907.
Holst's work spans settings for orchestras, military band, brass band and opera. He was influenced by exotic cultures, such as Hindu literature and the Rig Veda hymns and he took musical inspiration from folk-songs and the styles of European composers, such as Stravinsky. Although his works for both brass band and orchestra are well-known and recognised all over the world today, it wasn’t until Holst was in his forties before his rise to prominence.
It was the debut of ‘The Planets Suite' in September 1918 that started Holst’s rise to international success. 10 years later, he was commissioned to write one of the most iconic and beloved brass band test pieces of all time - 'A Moorside Suite'.
In a Nutshell: A Moorside Suite for Brass Band
‘A Moorside Suite’ was commissioned in 1927 by the BBC and the National Brass Band Festival Committee for the 1928 National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain held at the Crystal Palace. Although he had written works for military band, this piece was Holst’s first and only work specifically written for brass band. It was the Black Dyke Band conducted by William Halliwell that was victorious at this competition. Holst's work was met with a positive reception and has since gone on to become a staple piece of brass band repertoire.
‘A Moorside Suite’ combines the folk-song influences of his earlier works, with the more sophisticated, mature writing he had developed over the years leading up to writing ‘The Planets’. The piece is made up of three movements - a vigorous scherzo, a tranquil nocturne and a resolute march.
Scherzo
The first movement of the work distinctly encompasses the personality of a scherzo - light and playful. The opening theme is a jaunty affair that is full of character. It’s the type of music that you could score a ‘The Snowman’-style animation to. You can pick out the folk influence, although it is subtle, it just adds just a touch of whimsy - a nod to Holst’s earlier styles. I particularly love the writing for the lower end of the band - from the four note motif played by the basses underpinning the energetic cornet line to the sturdy supporting lines from euphonium.
Nocturne
As the name suggests, this movement brings a complete change of pace to the work. It’s a delicate, lilting movement that is just simply stunning. The piece opens with a sweet cornet solo supported by horn and flugel. The movement demonstrates masterful writing, utilising the warmth and lyricism our medium can provide to incredible effect. It appears to be simplistic writing, but it places demands on both soloists and ensemble from a dynamic, intonation, interval perspective, as well as the precision for all moving parts to move rhythmically accurately to create the desired chorale effect. It is a real test of musicality for all soloists to make these seemingly simple lines truly sing. The exposed nature of the solos also offer a test for nerves! When it is played well, it is just a delight.
March
The peace created from the second movement is disrupted by a fanfare cornets. You can really hear Holst’s experience of writing music for military bands in this section. His ability to combine the resolute rhythm of a march with playful melodic writing elevates the march medium into a movement of contrasts. A crash of cymbals leads us into a majestic final theme that ends with a final triumphant kick of a last chord.
I remember listening to a recording of this when I was 20 and became obsessed with it. I can only imagine how incredible this must have sounded to the audience when heard for the first time in the hall of the Crystal Palace.
How the Theme of a Planet Scored the Vow of a Country
There have been quite a few of Holst’s works arranged for brass band, including his carols and First Suite in Eb that was written for military band. However, if we have to pick just one of his works that work so well for brass band, it has to be ‘The Planets Suite’. Although not originally written for brass band, various movements of the work have been arranged for our medium by composers such as Philip Littlemore and Stephen Roberts.
Holst’s ‘The Planets’ is made up of seven movements:
Mars, the Bringer of War: a relentless, dark rhythmic movement with a dramatic use of dissonance that creates a feel of terror and destruction
Venus, the Bringer of Peace: a tranquil antidote to the aggression of the first movement with a romantic melodic moments and flowing ensemble work
Mercury, the Winged Messenger: a spirited shorter movement filled with fragmented melodies
Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity: a piece of two contrasting moods - a jaunty, lively melody that leads into that recognisable, majestic tune that went on to become the patriotic hymn, ‘I Vow to Thee My Country
Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age: the composer’s favourite movement is a, solemn slow processional.
Uranus, the Magician: a novel, characterful movement that shares a few similar characteristics with Dukas’ ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ (the piece used in the famous scene with Mickey Mouse and an army of enchanted brooms in Disney’s Fantasia.
Neptune, the Mystic: a lilting movement filled with mystery and a cold dissonance
I Vow to Thee My Country
‘A Moorside Suite’ was one of the reasons I wanted to feature Gustav Holst for the first Composer Spotlight on the blog, and ‘I Vow to Thee My Country’ was the other. I can’t quite remember the exact moment I fell in love with this piece or why exactly it means so much to me. If you believe in past lives, I believe that this piece must have been prominent in the life of a previous incarnation of me, as the emotional response this evokes for me is something else!
Set to the words of a poem by Sir Cecil Spring Rice, Gustav Holst took the majestic melody from Jupiter and transformed it into the stirring patriotic hymn we know today as , ‘I Vow to Thee My Country’. After it’s debut in the early 1920s, it was then published as a hymn in 1926. Although the lyrics remained unchanged, Holst renamed the tune, ‘Thaxted’ after the village where he lived for many years of his life. The song has become a staple piece of music in Armistice memorial ceremonies.
Both ‘The Planets’ and ‘I Vow to Thee My Country’ are still popular with brass bands today, with the latter often played at Remembrance Day concerts.
A Well-Earned Legacy
Although Holst only wrote one piece for our medium - when you write a piece as incredible as ‘A Moorside Suite’ and works that lend themselves, so well to brass band arrangements - that’s enough to earn your spot within our musical heritage. The success of his ‘A Moorside Suite’ encouraged further commissions, such as Arthur Bliss’ ‘Kenilworth’ and John Ireland’s ‘A Downland Suite’. So, without Holst’s incredible talent with his own commission, we may not have had those wonderful works either!
He may have wrote ‘The Planets’, but Holst has definitely earned his place amongst the stars of brass band writing.
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