Volume I, Number 1 / Fall 2005
We may not be able to define precisely what makes a work basic,” but we know it when we hear it. It helps if it is well known, but even that is not a necessity. What is important is that it must be music we’d like to hear, or perform, more than once, because it has more to offer with each hearing.
One such work is Gustav Holst’s The Planets (1916). Many assume this exquisite tone poem for orchestra is a musical description of the physical planets in our solar system (it would seem that Holst may have missed something then!); instead, it is based on the astrological associations of the seven then- known planets. The first movement “Mars,” for example, is subtitled “Bringer of War.”
So evocative is The Planets that composer John Williams adapted the rhythmic pulse from “Mars” for Darth Vader’s theme in the original Star Wars film (Episode IV: “A New Hope”).
The Planets is available from E.F. Kalmus in a new Critical Edition (Nieweg/Vaught), both complete and with four movements—“Mars,” “Venus,” “Mercury,” and “Jupiter”—available separately. In addition, composer/arranger Clark McAlister (see “Featured Writer” on page 2) has created a special edition of “Mars” for Masters Music’s ConcertMasters series, making it available to orchestras lacking the sheer forces to play the original.
| Catalog | Title (Instrumentation) | Price (Score & Parts) |
| M9875 | The Planets–Mars | $70.00 |
| (Edited by Clark McAlister) | ||
| 2+1/2,2+1/2; 4/4/3/1; timp., perc., strings | ||
| A8208 | The Planets (Complete/Critical) | Inquire |
| 4d2/bs fl/3d bs ob+1/3+1/3+1; 6/4/3/2; | ||
| 2timp., 2hp, cel, org; strings; women’s chor | ||
| A8201 | 1. Mars, Bringer of War | Inquire |
| 4d2/3d bs ob+1/3+1/3+1; 6/4/3/2; | ||
| 2timp., 2hp, cel, org; strings | ||
| A8430 | 2. Venus, Bringer of Peace | Inquire |
| 4/bs fl/3+1/3+1; 6/0/0/0; perc., 2hp, cel, strings | ||
| A8431 | 3. Mercury, the Winged Messenger | Inquire |
| 2+2/2+1+bs/3+1/3+1; 4/2/0/0; timp., perc., 2hp, cel, strings | ||
| A8202 | 4. Jupiter, Bringer of Jollity | Inquire |
| 2+2/3+1/3+1/3+1; 6/4/3/1; 2timp., perc., 2hp, strings |
This is issue #1 of Orchestra Newsletter, so there are no letters to the editor. But we’ve reserved this space for you.
We will print and respond to at least one letter per issue. Remember, the more general the question or comment, the more likely someone else will find it (and our responses) useful.
Contact us at:
Steven L. Rosenhaus, Editor
Promotion Department, E.F. Kalmus & Co.
P.O. Box 750458
Forest Hills, NY 11375-0458