Gustav Holsts Influence on Wind Band

David Bacon
Music History
North Central College

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Igor Stravinsky once stated, I am in the present. I cannot know what tomorrow will
bring forth (Griffiths 1993:157). While Stravinskys music certainly epitomized living in the
present by continuing to push musical boundaries, there were many other composers during the
twentieth century that were a part of changing the commonly accepted definition of music. As
the century turned, composers of music began to think of music in many different fashions: some
thought of music as all of the sound around them, others believed that music should omit the
expressiveness coming from the performer. The ideas coming from composers of the century
were radical, rapidly shifting, and changed the way the world thought about music as a whole.
While much of the musical development during the early twentieth century happened in France,
there was also a large shift in music that occurred in England (Rhodes 2007:2). Until the
twentieth century, Englands most notable composers were Henry Purcell and Edward Elgar.
Their compositional style of Purcell and Elgar was more simplistic than other styles that were
heard across Europe at the same time, and that tradition continued into the twentieth century with
Gustav Holst. However, Holst broke musical ground in England by composing significant works
for the wind band, which was an ensemble that did not have much musical notoriety at the time
(Rhodes 2007:2). Within the wind band repertoire, Holst is known for his First Suite for
Military Band in E-Flat and his Second Suite for Military Band in F. He composed two largely
successful pieces for a growing ensemble that featured continuing themes of his countrys
musical style. Gustav Holst shaped the history of wind band music through the use of innovative
melodic ideas and the presence of English folksongs, which is especially prominent in his Suites
for Military Band in E-Flat and F.
Gustav Holst was born in Cheltenham, England on September 21, 1984 to parents
Adolph and Clara Von Holst. Holsts father, Adolph, was an established pianist and taught

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Gustav the piano from a young age-as soon as he could reach the keys. He also played the violin
in his youth. His early musical life was difficult due to his neuritis, an arm impairment that made
it difficult for him to play piano for hours at a time (Lace 2007:1). In addition to his neuritis,
Holst also had poor eyesight and serious asthma that was not a concern to his family. Holsts
mother passed away when Holst was only eight years old, and his father then married one of his
piano students, Mary Thorley Stone. Gustav was sent to Cheltenham Grammar School the same
year that his father remarried and also felt large amounts of pressure from his father to become
an accomplished of a piano player (Cummings 2012:4). However, the pain from his neuritis
interfered with his capability to diligently practice for hours at a time. As he aged, Gustav shifted
his interests from being a performer to becoming a composer, but he could not get scholarships
to the colleges around London to fund his education. In 1892, Gustav composed a two-act
operetta entitled Landstown Castle, which was first performed in the Cheltenham Corn Exchange
in 1893 (Short 1990:16). Through the operetta, Adolph saw his sons compositional potential
and sent him to study at the Royal College of Music with borrowed money (Lace 2007:4).
At the Royal College of Music, Holst studied composition under the direction of Charles
Stanford. Wagner and Bach were especially influential in his early composing (Short 1990:19).
Holst had to quickly give up his idea of playing the piano due to his neuritis, which continued to
worsen as he aged. To continue to make money to support his education and family, Holst chose
to learn the trombone in the hopes of finding an orchestra to play in (Cummings 2012:6). In the
fall of 1895, Holst met Ralph Vaughan Williams, another English composer who would become
one of his lifelong friends (Lace 2007:5). The two composers would bounce ideas off of each
other and play their own compositions for feedback. In addition to being able to discuss

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composing, Holst and Vaughan Williams both loved the poetry of Walt Whitman and used it
often to inspire their compositions (Lace 2007:7).
In 1898, Holst was offered a first trombone position at the Carl Rosa Opera Company,
which he did not necessarily enjoy but continued to do for the sake of an income. He left the
Royal College of Music to pursue a full time performing career, but five short years later Holst
decided to give up playing the trombone and primarily focus on teaching and composing
(Cummings 2012:11). Holst took on a variety of teaching jobs throughout his composing career
to supplement his income, but his compositions eventually became very popular in England. His
compositions began to take a different shape as he moved away from his early influences of
Wagner and Bach. Many of his early pieces have musical content that comes from English folk
songs- Holst was very interested in the simplistic melodies (Short 1990:25). In addition to
focusing on folk songs, England was pushing its composers to create serious literature for the
military band, and it was during that time that Holst composed his First Suite for Military Band
in E-Flat and Second Suite for Military Band in F (Rhodes 2007:3).
While Holst continued to compose large-scale and very successful pieces after the suites
for military band, these pieces are important in their own right because of the changes to English
music that took place. Folk songs were used as a part of a revitalization of English music that
also focused on the music of the Elizabethan era (Rhodes 2007:5). This meant that there was a
radical shift in the music coming from England between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Vaughan Williams and Holst were certainly the leaders in this new movement of music by
introducing music with modal content and folk song melodies (Rhodes 2007:5). The idea of the
folk song was also being used in other parts of the music world as composers such as Bartok,
Grieg, and Kodaly all looked to the roots of their countrys music to contrast the music being

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produced by the likes of Schoenberg and Stravinsky. There is a common idea of melodic
simplicity and tonality between the composers who were experimenting with folk song in their
compositions, which differs from the steps that others were taking away from tonality and
melodic content.
Holsts Suites for Military Band reflected the changes taking place in English music, and
they also helped to change the perception of the military band. As previously stated, England
had a desire for composers to come up with music for the military band that was more serious
than what they were known for at the time (Mitchell 1990:45). The military band, featuring both
woodwinds and brass, arose out of the popular nineteenth century Brass Band. As the popularity
of the military band increased, their literature also needed to be created to highlight their various
tone colors and technical abilities; Holst was a large contributor to featuring the military band in
a way that was different from the orchestra. The orchestration of Holsts suites was considered
revolutionary because military bands were known for playing repertoire that was severely
lacking in technical accuracy (Rhodes 2007:7). Transcriptions of orchestral works for military
band are not always conducive to the wind instruments, and Holst recognized those pitfalls
through his years as a trombonist. This helped him to write pieces for the military band that
should be performed by expert players, but are economical for the instrument.
When approached about composing a piece for military band because of his connections
at Kneller Hall-Britains military band school-Holst used his wind band expertise and created his
First Suite for Military Band in E-Flat in 1909 (Mitchell 1990:38). This piece was noticeably
different than the period pieces, transcriptions and marches that military bands performed at the
time. The piece was first performed on June 23, 1920, which was eleven years after the
composition was finished. However, it received numerous performances over the following

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concert season and due to this, the popularity of the piece grew. It was later published for
instrumentation that fit American bands of the time and is now considered a cornerstone in wind
band literature (Mitchell 1990:49). The piece itself contains three movements- Chaconne,
Intermezzo, and March-that have melodic content that is created from Holsts opening phrase in
the first movement (Matthews 2011:4).
The first movement, Chaconne, is Holsts adaptation of the Baroque chaconne, which
was a musical form that was usually in three-quarter time and was characterized by variations on
a melody or harmonic progression (Rapp 2005:23). Holst revolutionizes the Baroque chaconne
by having the first melodic material heard throughout not only the first movement, but also the
entire piece (Appendix B). The listener can first hear this melodic material in the first eight
measures of the piece. The melody starts at a soft dynamic and is played by the low brass. At
the end of measure four and eight, Holst leaves the phrase ending on a B-flat to make the phrase
feel continuous in tonality and note length. The long note at the end of the phrase also helps to
connect the different variations that Holst will present. The first eight measures have no real
harmonic material because the instruments are playing in unison, but this phrase will continue to
contribute to the shape of the entire suite harmonically and melodically.
In measure 9-16, the theme is repeated with a slight variation; Holst used two
contrapuntal lines to embellish the original unison line. Holst also utilizes upper brass to
continue to build the ensemble timbrally from the bottom up. The trombones restate the original
melodic material in these eight measures. The third variation of the original theme occurs in the
next eight measures of the piece, but is placed in the woodwind family as opposed to the
previously heard brass family. The melody continues to sound in the bass instruments of the
ensemble: in this case, the melody can be heard in the bass clarinet, tenor sax, bassoon, and

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double bass. This variation is similar to the one that preceded it; both variations are very legato
in style and have a lower instrument color sounding the main melody. Measures 25-32 consist of
the next variation, in which Holst again uses the lower sounding instruments of the ensemble to
play the main melody. However, over the main line, Holst has the upper woodwinds playing a
rhythmic ostinato that has ascending pitches. The next variation Holst uses has similar material
to the previous variation. In measures 33-40, he continues to have the low brass primarily sound
the melody, while upper instruments repeat the same rhythm for the variation, harmonizing the
bass line below them.
The next two variations mark the beginning of the B section in the movement. The first
variation is the first time that the entire ensemble is playing at the same time. In measures 41-48,
Holst changes the contour of his lower main melody: the melody is sounded by a staccato note
on each of the previous entrances of the notes. During measures 47 and 48, the sustained B-flat
is held out like all previous variations. Over this staccato theme, the upper woodwinds have a
series of running sixteenth notes that harmonize with the main melody. The next eight measures,
measures 49-56, have a brass section focus. Holst hands the melody off to the trumpets and
cornets while the bass line that has mostly played the melody plays heavy eighth notes
throughout the duration of the eight measures. It is important to note that Holst has continued to
have the initial theme heard in the first eight measures present throughout all of the variations
(Huddleston 1969:3). This helps to emphasize that Holst really derives other melodic material
from the first eight measure passage because other material is built upon the specific pitches that
he used in the first eight measures.
The next three variations are all classified in the C section of the piece: these variations
have reduced scoring compared to the previous material but still revolve around the theme set by

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Holst in the first eight measures. These variations also feature more legato material than in the B
section. Measures 57-64 have the melody stated in the lower third clarinet and also in the horn,
which contributes timbrally to the rich sounds that Holst produces in this legato section. Even
though the material is different, Holst uses some similar techniques as he did previously by
having the melody in the lower voices of the ensemble and having material floating above with
more rhythmic movement (Rapp 2005:28). The next eight measures, measures 65-72, introduce
the melody in the English horn. Most of the parts in this variation indicate one person on a part,
which produces a very light and thin texture for the amount of harmonic material presented.
Similar to previous variations, the flute and clarinet have higher-pitched and rhythmically faster
parts that lie above the melody.
Measures 73-80 are also different than any variation previously heard: for the first time,
Holst inverts the main melody in the clarinet, alto saxophone, and horn (Huddleston 1969:5).
There is flute and upper clarinet movement above the main inverted melody. This variation in
particular is a transition to the more serious D section of the movement.

The D section lasts for

sixteen measures, measures 81-96, and features tonalities that stray from the major themes heard
thus far. This shift in tonalities helps to alert the listener of the change in the melody even
though it does not stop permeating the piece. These two inversions both feature the brass
sections and also have new rhythmic material in the accompaniment. The new rhythmic material
is hemiola, and it helps to contribute to the unsettling feeling that Holst is producing with the
minor tonality and the inverted melodic material (Matthews 2011:9).
The final two sections of the first movement-labeled E and F-contain the harmonic and
dynamic build to the climax of the piece and the climax itself. The E section has two variations
that build in instrumentation and reintroduce the melody in its original state, not inverted. The

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first variation is quiet in dynamic and very thin in texture, and the second variation is where the
real build to the climax occurs. Holst continues to add to the ensemble until he achieves a thick
texture and a full dynamic (Huddleston 1969:11). After these two variations, the F section is the
climax of the piece, which has the loudest dynamic and fullest texture of the piece. Holst uses
the higher ranges of all of the instruments in the ensemble during this musical moment, which
contrasts from the richer and darker tones heard throughout the piece until this variation. The
low winds section reclaims the main melody while most of the upper voices play a
harmonization above them for the first eight measures. Afterward, the theme is transposed up a
major fifth and is heard clearly in the trombones (Matthews 2011:10). The rest of the ensemble
provides harmonic support and also has a series of accents on the second beat, which is another
new concept that Holst presents. The last chord of the movement is an E-flat major chord that
rests high in the ranges for many the instruments, especially the upper winds and brass. A
charted analysis of this movement is presented in the appendix (Appendix A).
The second movement of the piece is the Intermezzo, which is meant to serve as interlude
between the first and last movements (Rapp 2005:34). This fits the character that Holst gives to
the movement: it is in two-quarter time and has a much quicker beat than the previous
movement. The texture of this movement sounds lighter because of the articulation and
instrument pairings. This movement also moves to the relative minor E-flat major, which is c
minor (Matthews 2011:12). The first twenty-four measures of the piece state the two ideas of the
A theme in the first cornet and solo clarinet. There are staccato eighth notes running under the
melody for the duration of the A theme that continue to be important for both the style and
tonality of the piece. It is also important to note the melodic similarities between the melody in
the chaconne and the first melody introduced in the intermezzo: Holst continues to transfer key

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pitches from his first melody into the melody of this movement. In the chaconne, the first three
concert pitches were E-flat, F, and C, which are the exact same three pitches first used in this
melody (Appendix B). His initial ideas continue to permeate the entire piece. The tambourine,
flutes, and piccolo join into the main melody after the first eighteen measures but only play for
six measures until new material is introduced. These added instruments continue to reinforce the
same material as the trumpet and clarinet, but add timbral contrast.
The B theme happens from measure 25-42 and Holst showcases just how well he can
write for woodwind instruments. One previous challenge that the military band needed to
overcome was the fact that their music was not written well for their instrument- more often than
not, it was being transcribed from an orchestra part (Rhodes 2007:8). After spending time
playing the trombone and learning about the instruments in the military band, Holst was quite
successful in putting together passages that are not only physically comfortable for the player to
execute, but have quite a bit of interest for the listener as well. Similar to the first section, Holst
has two measures of introductory material before the clarinet melody comes in (Huddleston
1969:13). This gives the listener an opportunity to hear how the articulations of the bass line
contribute to the tonality and character of the movement. This section ends with a woodwind
flourish and leads back into the A theme, which has the same sixteen measures of clarinet and
trumpet features followed by eight measures of upper woodwinds joining the melody. Holst then
uses another two measures to transition into the C theme that continues to feature the clarinet but
with an entirely new melodic idea.
After measure sixty-six, the piece moves from two-quarter time to common time and the
C theme is initially heard in the solo clarinet. While the melodic material may be different, Holst
continues to use the pitch sequence from the first movement in this melody. The clarinet plays a

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concert E-flat, F, and C within few notes of the new theme, which continues to reinforce the
ideas presented by Holst in the chaconne (Huddleston 1969:14). While other notes in the melody
are varied, Holst is being deliberate in placing those three concert pitch notes within the melodies
in the same sequence (Appendix B). The clarinet solo has harmonization under it from lower
clarinets and reed voices. A solo flute joins the clarinet solo after eight measures while the new
material is still being introduced, adding timbral variety.
As the soli between the clarinet and flute fades, the upper woodwinds begin to move into
moving eight notes, which provide the background for the entrance of a trumpet and euphonium
soli, which repeats the same melody that clarinet and flute stated. After sixteen measures of the
trumpet and euphonium repeating the new melodic line, Holst moves the intermezzo back to
two-quarter time and reintroduces the A theme with a bit of variation: for eight measures, the
euphonium holds the melody with some slight changes to a section of the A theme. However,
the A theme holds strong in the accompaniment by continuing to have staccato eighth notes that
shift melodically with the melody. The next eight measures have exact melodic material from
the earlier A theme, but instead of transitioning into the B theme as Holst previously did, he
moves to combine all three of his themes at one time to end this movement (Rapp 2005:40).
In this new section, Holst moves harmonically from c minor to C Major and then inserts
fragments of each previously heard melody in the A theme, B theme, and C theme into what
could be considered the D theme. Although there is a harmonic shift, the style of the piece
continues to stay the same due to the staccato eighth notes being played by the bass line.
Specific groups of instruments tend to play specific themes: for example, the B theme can be
heard in the lower clarinets while the C theme can be heard in the low reed voices (Huddleston
1969:15). As the movement continues to come to a close, the dynamic and texture continue to

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decrease until the end of the movement where there is a string of eighth notes played by a variety
of instruments that ends with one final C Major chord on a single eighth note.
The third and final movement of Holsts First Suite in E-Flat is entitled March. This
movement returns to the original key of E Flat major and was written in cut time. Continuing
them theme of going back to an earlier period of English music, Holst uses a traditional A-B-A
form in this piece with clear melodic presences in each part of the form (Matthews 2011:20).
The movement starts with four measures of a furious upper woodwind trill from a G to an A Flat,
but it is what lies underneath that powerful trill that contributes to the greatness of this piece:
Holst continues to use his three note theme from the beginning of the chaconne, but instead of
having the three note idea rise in pitch, it is inverted to fall in pitch (Huddleston 1969:18).
Measures 5-36 present the A theme, during which the listener also hears a smaller A-B-A form
inside of the larger idea. The first idea of the A theme is heard in measures 5-12 in the upper
trumpets. Holst primarily uses brass instruments in this section as an opportunity to showcase
what many listeners at the time knew as the Brass Band. The second part of the A theme is first
heard in measures 13-28 and goes through a small sequence of tonal shifts before arriving back
at the previously heard A theme for measures 29-35. After the E-flat chord on last beat of the A
section, the March takes on a trio feel and moves to A-flat major as marches do in the trio section
(Matthews 2011:23).
The B section of the piece mainly occurs in the subdominant, A-flat major. The trio
melody is first stated in the clarinets, saxophones, and horns. Holst continues to model his
melodies after the chaconne by having the same first three intervals appear in the trio melody.
Whereas the pitches in the chaconne were E-flat, F and C, Holst writes an A-flat, B-flat and F,
which is transposed up a fourth from its original notation (Huddleston 1969:25). The trio of the

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march also contrasts texturally with what was heard in the A theme: Holst uses decidedly
warmer tones in this section and the melody has quite a bit of room to rise and fall due to its
legato feel. Holst continues to develop the trio throughout measures 41-71, and then
reintroduces a smaller piece of the trio theme in a changed instrumentation from measures 72-88.
He then features the woodwinds in a thinly scored reprise of the A theme with no brass
accompaniment from measures 89-96. Beginning at measure 98, the piece moves into a state of
transition.
From measures 99 through 122, Holst leads the ensemble through a number of tonal
shifts and one key change. Even though the tonality is rapidly shifting, Holst keeps the listener
rooted through familiar rhythmic patterns that come from the A theme (Matthews 2011:26). The
movement builds until there is a moment similar to the end of the second movement where Holst
combines his two themes of this movement: the upper woodwinds and high cornet are playing a
slightly varied A theme while the other trumpets and low brass restate the trio theme in the new
key of E-flat major. The bass, similar to the first movement, plays both tonic and dominant
pedal points under the movement of the upper parts. Holst then brings back a brief reprise of the
trio theme that is mainly heard in the trumpet and then moves the piece toward its conclusion.
The piece then picks up for the final bars and ends with the woodwinds flourishing into one final
E-flat major chord.
Two years after finishing his First Suite in E-Flat and during Holsts revival of the folk
song, he created a second work for wind band that revolved more exclusively around the folk
songs of his native England. His Second Suite in F features six different folk songs within the
four movements of the piece (Williams 2008:3). This piece does not utilize the traditions of the
English composers of the Elizabethan era as his First Suite in E-Flat does, but this piece was

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equally popular among the military bands of the time. It also is more technically difficult for the
player than the first suite, but still very accessible because of how it is written. It was premiered
to the public on June 22, 1922, which was eleven years after it was originally finished (Holst
1938:49). It is said that while Holsts First Suite in E-Flat was saved for a purpose, he simply
forgot about his Second Suite in F until such a time came where it could be played because of the
need for military band compositions (Holst 1938:51). The piece contains four movements:
March, Song Without Words, Song of the Blacksmith, and Fantasia on the Dargason.
Holsts first movement of his Second Suite is a march that includes three different folk
songs: Morris Dance, Swansea Town, and Claudy Banks (Williams 2008:6). The March of the
Second Suite begins with a simple five note motif in the low brass and high woodwinds that
outlines tonality of F Major that Holst uses for the first folk song, Morris Dance. The listener
first hears the Morris Dance in the form of a traditional British Brass Band march (Rhodes
2007:3). Holst tries to pull the listener in with a blend of the Brass Band that they are
accustomed to but quickly transitions to stating the Morris Dance in the entire band. After a brief
climax with the entire band playing at the same time, the second strain begins with a glorious
euphonium solo. With a steady pulse set by the tuba, the euphonium plays the second folk tune
in this movement, Swansea Town. This folk song continues to play in the original F Major and
is stylistically very different from what the listener has previously heard. Where as the Morris
Dance was very light and separated, Holst gives the euphonium solo in Swansea Town room to
be very expressive with the sweeping lines he creates (Williams 2008:7). The band again
regroups and plays the final repeat of Swansea Town before the trio. Again, Holst does not
over-complicate the melodic idea with a challenging accompaniment; rather, much of the

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accompaniment revolves around F Major and throughout the first two folk songs, there is a
significant amount of doubling parts in both the melody and accompaniment (Garofalo 2011:10).
After a final F chord, Holst modulates to the sub-dominant minor, or B-flat minor. The
third theme, called Claudy Banks, is heard in a mid-low woodwind soli. Again, Holst changes
the mood very quickly between folk songs. This time, however, he is most effective in doing so
by changing the time signature to a compound meter. The woodwind soli is in unison the entire
time, which agrees with his earlier practices of simplify the melody and accompaniment to let the
folk song shine through. Similar to the first two folk songs in this movement, Holst then brings
in the entire band for a climax at the end of the stating of the folk song (Garofalo 2011:15). He
doubles many of the woodwind parts and accompaniment parts to create a thicker texture while
keeping the material the same as it was in the soli. Then the entire piece to the Fine is repeated
da capo, which gives the listener an opportunity to hear the Morris Dance and Swansea Town
another time. Holst expertly shifts styles between all three folk songs of this movement and also
does something that is un-traditional by beginning the piece with a march. As previously
discusses, Holst ends his First Suite with a march; this was the common practice of the time
(Williams 2008:9). Regardless, Holst ends the first movement on a F-Major chord and precedes
to the second movement, Song Without Words.
The second movement is a huge contrast in transition from the quick March. It begins
very quietly in the parallel minor of f minor. This movement is broken down into the statement
of a theme, a restatement of that theme, and then a coda (Garofalo 2011:18). An oboe/clarinet
solo swims around the rest of the bands thin accompaniment, and is joined by the flute, and
trumpet. Similar to the euphonium solo in Swansea Town, Holst provides the clarinet and oboe
solo with many opportunies for expressive phrasing within the first setting of the folk song.

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When the clarinet and oboe solo is completed, Holst begins an accompaniment of lower reed
instruments that have a constrant stream of eighth notes, similar to his accompaniment in the
intermezzo of his First Suite. This provides a flowing line which the new solo voices, flute and
trumpet, can base their own dynamics off of. The folk song the movement is based on, I Love
My Love, depicts the story of a woman waiting for her lover to return because he was sent out to
sea (Garofalo 2011:19). Holst depicts the sea in the second statement of the folk song through
the accompaniment voices. After the folk song melody is heard a complete second time, the
piece fades away with a running eighth note line beginning in the upper winds and ending with
the low brass. The movement is short in comparison to the first movement of the suite, but
contains a significant amount of emotional writing in its short length (Garofalo 2011:20).
The third movement of Holsts Second Suite in F holds another rapid change for the
listener between movements. The Song of the Blacksmith is the first movement that Holst
introduces shifting time signatures between measures instead of keeping the time signature
consistent. In addition to the shifting meter, Holst also has many accented passages on beats that
are not commonly accented, which complicates the movement even further (Williams 2008:11).
When combining those compositional techniques with a moderate and majestic tempo, Holst
creates a movement that has a lot of energy and requires focus from its players. Holst moves
back to the key of F Major and begins this movement with another Brass Band setting; however,
the listener will not know that this passage is meant to serve as a countermelody until the true
folk song melody comes in at the sixth measure of the piece.
Once the melody comes in at measure six, it is clearer that the countermelody being
played by the bass line is actually on off beats. The primary melody can be heard in the
clarinets, saxophones and horns, which creates the rich timbre that Holst is known for achieving.

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When the melody is combined with the countermelody, the result is very unsettling rhythmically
(Garofalo 2011:22). The melody leaves the middle voices and then moves to the solo trumpet
while the bass line continues to provide the rhythmically unsettling countermelody. The solo
trumpet restates a fragment of the initial theme and is then joined by the clarinet and oboe.
While those instruments continue to restate the melody, Holst introduces a new fanfare-like
declaration in the trombones. These lines continue to grow in volume and intensity until the
anvil joins them and the piece is lead to the climax. The anvil drives home the imagery of the
blacksmith forging in a workshop, which is what the folk song is trying to communicate
(Mitchell 1990:53). Holst states the main melody with the countermelody one more time at a
triple forte dynamic without adding any new melodic material. This agrees with the idea of the
simplistic folk song that Holst has been using in this suite. Where there could be possibilities to
add more complex melodies and harmonies to the movements, Holst chooses to keep the melodic
ideas simple.
The final movement of Holsts Second Suite in F is the Song of the Dargason. The
dargason is a sixteenth century country-dance that lasts for eight bars and is very circular,
meaning that it is repeated many times. This movement is also in F Major and has a quick
moving compound meter. The form of the piece is A-B-A-B-A with a brief coda at the end of
the piece (Garofalo 2011:33). The statement of the primary melody is only eight measures long
-fitting in with the dargason- and never strays from the key of F. Holst continues to add
variations of the same melodic material while primarily changing the instrumentation and
rhythmic harmony.
The B sections of this movement features a shift in time signature for some members of
the ensemble: Holst uses a mix of three-quarter time with the previously used compound time to

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blend two different folk songs. The dargason continues in the background, but it is the
euphonium solo that takes precedent in these sections because of the new melodic material. The
euphonium can be heard playing the popular folk song Greensleeves in the new key of g minor.
This shift in folk song helps to break up some of the multiple variations that Holst presents of the
dargason, but also offers a unique arrangement of a folk song that is familiar to many (Garofalo
2011:39). After Holst varies both the Greensleeves theme and the dargason theme, he chooses to
end this piece with a fall in dynamics during the coda, which is the opposite of what he chose to
do in his First Suite. He also offers a very thin texture with a musical conversation between the
tuba and the piccolo until a final full ensemble chord rings out in the key of F major.
Gustav Holst is remembered for having a variety of compositional styles, but in the world
of the wind band, there are few pieces that are more memorable and significant than Holsts First
Suite in E-Flat and Second Suite in F. In his First Suite, he modernized many of the
compositional techniques that were used in Elizabethan-era English music: he utilizes Baroque
musical ideas and continues to transform one main melodic idea throughout the entire three
movement suite (Rhodes 2007:2). In his Second Suite, Holst revitalized a significant number of
English folk songs and kept the melodic material simplistic enough to showcase the true nature
of the folk song in each movement (Rhodes 2007:2). These two compositions, along with those
by Ralph Vaughan Williams and Percy Grainger, changed the seriousness of the military band
repertoire. There were pieces specifically composed for the timbres, ranges and technicalities of
each wind and brass instrument (Short 1990:41). This lead to a shift in the perception of the
wind band, and in the following years, there were many pieces created with Holsts ideas in
mind. These pieces are still performed with modern wind bands and still have a significant
impact on composers and wind band performers alike.

Bacon 18
Appendix
Example A: Chaconne of First Suite
Theme
Variation
Measure
Number
Number
1
1-8

Description of Music

9-16

17-24

25-32

Original melody stated in the low brass, important

three note opening phrase (e-flat, f, c)
Melody continues in low brass, contrapuntal lines
occurring in trumpets
Introduces woodwind choir, melody continues in
lower voices while upper voices provide other
melodic material
Low brass melodic line with upper woodwind

33-40

rhythmic line
Low brass melodic line with repetitive woodwind and

41-48

brass
Staccato melody in brass while woodwinds have

wuswj

6
B

running
7

49-56

57-64

65-72

10

73-80

11

81-88

d
s

Primarily a brass choir with running

in low brass
and few low winds
Melody in lower clarinet and horn with moving lines
above melodic material
Very thin woodwind choir with melody in English
horn
First example of inverted melody in lower clarinet
and horn, continuing to have supporting material
above melody
Brass reintroduced with somber inverted melody in

12

89-96

13

97-104

trumpets, bass line with running

Similar material to variation 11, melody is in
trombones instead of trumpet
Melody becomes re-inverted, stated in trumpets with

abeginning in woodwinds
Crescendo to climax with running sin woodwinds,
running

14

105-113

15

114-121

16

122-131

melody in a variety of woodwinds and brass

Melody in low winds and brass, contrapuntal lines in
all other voices
Melody stated a fifth above original pitches in
trombone, all other voices affirming key of E-flat

Bacon 19
Example B: Intermezzo Connections to Chaconne
Chaconne Theme:

A Theme of Intermezzo:

B Theme of Intermezzo:

Bacon 20
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