About the RSO The Rockford Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1934 and was incorporated nine seasons later. The RSO s first Music Director and Manager, Arthur Zack, led the orchestra for the next 27 years, during which the Rockford Area Youth Symphony Orchestra (now Rockford Symphony Youth Orchestra) was established. Now in its 80th season, the Rockford Symphony Orchestra is more committed than ever to fulfilling its mission: to lead in the creation of vibrant music experiences that enlighten, educate, and entertain. The Rockford Symphony Orchestra is comprised of more than 65 professional musicians from the greater Rockford and Chicago area. There will be more than 50 musicians on stage for The Planets the number of musicians on stage depends on the instrumentation needed for a specific concert. Music Director and Conductor Steven Larsen has led the Symphony since 1991. Under his direction the RSO has grown artistically, expanding the orchestra s repertoire and attracting musicians of the highest caliber. Youth education and community outreach programs have also been expanded during his tenure, increasing the RSO s presence in the lives of Rockford area residents. Maestro Larsen also plays the cello and enjoys woodworking, reading, and traveling. His accomplishments have been recognized through numerous awards, including the Illinois Council of Orchestras 2006 Conductor of the Year. About the Coronado The historic Coronado Performing Arts Center opened as a silent movie palace in 1927. Following a community-wide restoration effort, the theater reopened in 2001. Since that time, the Coronado has been the performance home for the Rockford Symphony Orchestra and serves as the premiere performing arts venue for visiting world-class entertainers. Considered by many in the community as the crown jewel of Rockford, the theater is operated independently under the auspices of the City of Rockford. The RSO Youth Concert is sponsored generously by: SMITH CHARITABLE FOUNDATION Alfred & Ella Peterson Anderson Family Foundation GLOYD FAMILY FOUNDATION 2
Sections of the Orchestra The orchestra is made up of four sections, each with a family of instruments that are related. Blended together the four sections create a unique and rich sound that we know as a symphony orchestra. Which instruments can you distinctly hear on which movements of The Planets? Horn Tr um Tr Viola Tuba Cello Violin Flute Clarinet Bassoon Piano Harp Drums Bells Marimba Timpani Triangle Gong Oboe 3 pe t om bo ne
Gustav Holst Music, being identical with heaven, isn t a thing of momentary thrills, or even hourly ones. It s a condition of eternity. Gustav Theodore Holst was born on September 21, 1874 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. He was a composer and teacher of music. Holst is most famous for his work for orchestra, The Planets. He composed many other works throughout his life, but none ever became as popular as The Planets. Holst had lots of musicians in his family. When he was young it was clear that he would be a musician, too. He wanted to be a pianist, but couldn t because of a problem with his right arm. Even though his father didn t want him to, Gustav Holst went on to study composition, or how to write music, at Royal College of Music in London, England. Holst could not make enough money just writing music, so he played the trombone and also taught music at Morley College and St. Paul's Girls' School. In 1901, Holst got married to Isobel Harrison. They had a daughter named Imogen Clare Holst. She was born in 1907. England is a country on the continent of Europe. Holst died in London on May 25, 1934. He was only 59 years old. He is buried at Chichester Cathedral in Sussex. My Notes: 4
Historical Context: 1914-1920 Gustav Holst wrote The Planets while World War I was taking place throughout Europe. Use this simple timeline below to learn more about what was going on in the world as Holst composed. Composition of The Planets World Events Before August 1914 composition of Mars Autumn 1914 composition of Venus Late 1914 composition of Jupiter Summer 1915 composition of Saturn By August 1915 composition of Uranus Autumn 1915 composition of Neptune Early 1916 composition of Mercury August 1, 1914 Germany declares war on Russia February 18, 1915 Germany begins submarine blockade of Britain May 23, 1915 Italy declares war on Germany and Austria September 29, 1918 First private performance of The Planets given in London April 6, 1917 United States enters the war January 8, 1918 President Wilson announces his Fourteen Points plan November 11, 1918 Germany signs Armistice with Allies February 27, 1919 First public performance of The Planets given, minus Venus and Neptune November 15, 1920 First full public performance of The Planets June 28, 1919 The Treaty of Versailles is signed Activity Place the following events on the above timeline in correct chronological order: May 1914 Mother s Day was declared an official holiday in the United States November 1916 Jeanette Rankin was the first woman elected to the U.S. Congress Go Deeper: What house did Ms. Rankin serve in and what state did she represent? January 1919 The Eighteenth Amendment was ratified, establishing Prohibition 5
The Planets Planets in order from the Sun: 1) Mercury 1) Mars 2) Venus 2) Venus 3) Earth 3) Mercury 4) Mars 4) Jupiter 5) Jupiter 5) Saturn 6) Saturn 6) Uranus 7) Uranus 7) Neptune Planets in movement order from Holst s work: Spend some time listening to The Planets as you read about each movement on the following pages. You can access a playlist of all the music on Spotify with a custom playlist created just for you! http://tinyurl.com/rsotheplanets. As you listen and read, write down any notes in the My Notes sections about how the music makes you feel, what you hear, or questions you may have. 8) Neptune Earth is not included in Holst s piece. Using the above table that gives the planets in order from the Sun, write the name of each planet next to it. Sun 6
Mars: The Bringer of War Mars is named after the Roman God of War. Holst named this movement: Mars, the Bringer of War. Mars is not simply the God of War, but brings war to the world. In this movement, you can hear Mars approach with his unwanted gift. What do you hear in this movement that makes you think of war? Do you hear the repetitive rhythm at the beginning? A repeated rhythmic or melodic pattern like this is called an ostinato. Tap the beats and count them they are in groups of five, and this is very unusual! Music usually is organized into patterns of two or three beats. Often, when composers use 5/4 time it is only for one or two measures, but Holst uses it for the entire movement! It has an unbalanced, uncomfortable feeling. Try learning the rhythm (and some astronomy) in 5/4 time by saying this: Venus: The Bringer of Peace This movement is the complete opposite of Mars. No warlike brass or noisy percussion are heard here; only soothing French horns, woodwinds, two harps, and gentle strings. The tempo is marked Adagio, which means Slowly. Everyone plays quite softly. As you listen to Venus, listen for harmonies that rock back and forth between two chords. Towards the end a keyboard instrument called the celeste enters. In French, its name means heavenly, and how appropriate for this movement! Having brought us peace, Venus ends on high, shimmering chords played by flutes and violins. What is a celeste? A celeste is a keyboard instrument invented in 1886 by Parisian Auguste Mustel. It is played like a piano, but has a bell-like sound, similar to a music box. It was first used in an orchestra by Tchiakovsky in his ballet The Nutcracker to represent the Sugar Plum Fairy. My Notes: 7
Mercury: The Winged Messenger In Roman mythology, the god Mercury is portrayed wearing a winged hat and winged shoes, both of which assisted him in flying swiftly from place to place delivering messages. He was also the god of playing tricks! Mercury is also the name of the chemical element known as quicksilver. It is a bright, silvery metal that is liquid at room temperature. If you spill some, it scatters everywhere. In your imagination, combine the image of Mercury, the god of messages and trickery, zipping around on winged shoes, together with shiny, elusive quicksilver. This will give you a good image of Holst s music here. Jupiter: The Bringer of Jollity Why would the solar system s largest planet make us jolly? The planet Jupiter was named after the king of the Roman gods, who was also the god of sky and thunder. Another name for Jupiter was Jove, and astrologers believed that people born under the sign of Jupiter/ Jove were jolly and optimistic jovial, for short. The music in Jupiter is fast and happy. The slower theme at the end of the movement became quite popular. So popular that Holst put the words of a patriotic poem to it, and in 1921 it was published as I Vow to Thee, My Country. It continues to this day to be an important patriotic song for citizens of the United Kingdom. Saturn: The Bringer of Old Age For astrologers, Saturn is the opposite of Jupiter. Older people sometimes look back wistfully at their youth, when they had few responsibilities and duties, and more time to play. Saturn is said to bring limits, boundaries, and restrictions to life, and therefore the burdens of age. As people age, they slow down. Very old people move very slowly, and so does Saturn. The movement opens very softly, then becomes a sad sounding funeral march, and ends with the strings playing a pretty and soft melody. 8
Uranus: The Magician When magicians are doing magic they are really doing tricks working with special props and by drawing our eyes away from what they doing. Holst s Uranus is a flashy showman who would be at home on the stage of a traveling carnival and he s also a little creepy. He announces himself with four loud, sustained brass notes, and after getting everyone s attention, proceeds to razzle-dazzle you with a series of sensational tricks. His patter the speech magicians use to focus your attention to where they want it is introduced by the three bassoons. Soon he has won over the crowd, and everyone joins to sing the Magician s theme song with great gusto. But suddenly, the crowd falls silent. The Magician has stunned his audience with a trick that left them gaping in amazement, and perhaps in fear. Uranus roars his four-note theme in triumph, and the music fades into tense silence. My Notes: Neptune: The Mystic Mystic is often used interchangeably with mystical, and mystical is also used as a synonym for mysterious. In Holst s day, Neptune was the last planet in the solar system, the farthest from the sun. Astronomers knew almost nothing about it, and that certainly made it mysterious. Neptune s music reflects that mystery. Holst uses several special instrumental techniques to create a strange, other-worldly effect. The two harps, celeste, and high strings sweep up and down on quiet arpeggios, which are broken chords played up and down from lowest to highest and back again. The strings play tremolo, with very fast, short bow strokes producing a shimmering sound. Gradually, all the arpeggios and tremolos fade away, leaving a quiet, unsettled chord sustained in the strings. One by one and still in that dead pianissimo (very soft) tone the woodwinds and then the French horns contribute fragments of a rising scale. For the first time in this movement, two melodies stand out slightly above the sound of the other, dead instruments, played by solo clarinet and solo violin. They may have actually caught your attention so much that you didn t notice the human voices that are now soaring above the instruments! Holst has brought in a female chorus that take over the scales from the woodwinds and finally fade away. 9
adagio arpeggio astrology astronomy beat chord dissonance melody movement mythology ostinato rhythm tempo tremolo Quite slow Vocabulary A musical technique where notes in a chord are played or sung in sequence, one after the other, rather than ringing out simultaneously The study of the supposed influences of the stars on human affairs by their positions in relation to each other The science of the heavenly bodies and of their sizes, motions, and composition Regular pulsation; a basic unit of length in musical time Simultaneous combination of three or more tones that constitute a single block of harmony Combination of tones that sounds discordant and unstable, in need of resolution A pleasing series of musical notes that form the main part of a song or piece of music Complete, self-contained part within a larger musical work A set of stories, traditions, or beliefs associated with a particular group or the history of an event, arising naturally or deliberately fostered A continually repeated musical phrase or rhythm The beat of music; the regular pattern of long and short notes The speed at which a passage of music is or should be played Rapid repetition of a note, creating a trembling effect Q D Z I X M R S G T A K O X E H P T H C W M K L Y S A E O H X T O T P X X M L O E D H L X L D P S R Y M B E L H A O T D N T K Q A T A N I W B E A T U L M C E X Y M O N O R T S A T T W F D W N P K Y T 10 Find the following words in the puzzle on the left. Each letter is used only once. ASTRONOMY BEAT Word Search CHORD HOLST MELODY PLANET RHYTHM TEMPO Created by Puzzlemaker at DiscoveryEducation.com
Astronomy Day April 25 National Astronomy Day is April 25, and you can celebrate at the Discovery Center in Rockford, IL! Learn even more about the Planets with free planetarium shows, star maps, and glittery star crafts. Check out the inner workings of a telescope and take a close-up look at our star the Sun with the Rockford Amateur Astronomy Club. Included in museum admission fee. Sat., Apr. 25; 11:00 am 4:00 pm Discovery Center Museum discovercentermuseum.org The RSO will be performing The Planets, with the full presentation of astronomical images collected by the Adler Planetarium, at the Coronado Performing Arts Center on April 25 at 7:30pm. Music by Sir William Walton and Maurice Ravel will also be on the program. Tickets and more info: visit www.rockfordsymphony.com or call 815.965.0049 11
A Final Note Whether the Youth Concert is your first time hearing a live symphony orchestra performance, or your first time in the Coronado Performing Arts Center, we hope you have a wonderful time! We also hope you will want to come again, either to hear the Rockford Symphony Orchestra, the Rockford Symphony Youth Orchestra, or another orchestra performance. So that you ll know more about what to expect, here are some FAQs frequently asked questions 1. What do I wear to a concert? Well, many years ago people got quite dressed up when they came to a concert. These days people dress more casually. Dress comfortably, but keep in mind that it is a somewhat serious performance so you may want to dress up a little more than you normally would on a school day. 2. Where do I sit? When you arrive at the theater an usher will help your class find the section of seats assigned to your group. If you come to a regular evening performance you may be assigned a seat, but for the Youth Concert you ll just sit in a section of seats. 3. When is the right time to clap? Applause is something that the musicians definitely appreciate! They like knowing that they are playing something you enjoy. A good way to know when to applaud is to watch the conductor. When his or her arms go down by their sides at the end of a piece, it usually means it is finished. 4. What if I need to use the restroom during the concert? It is certainly a good idea to use the restroom before the concert. The Youth Concert is about 50 minutes long and there isn t an intermission. Getting up in the middle of the performance is distracting to other audience members, but if you have to do so, please make sure you let your teacher know. 5. Can I take pictures of the musicians? We think it s great that you might want to remember your experience! However, using a camera or cell phone to take pictures during the performance, especially if the flash goes off, is very disturbing to the musicians who are concentrating very hard. So photos are not allowed. Sources This Study Guide was compiled by the RSO Staff and includes original content as well as information from a variety of sources including: Classicsforkids.com DiscoveryEducation.com ImageArcade.com Nineplanets.org Skyandtelescope.com TheTeachersCorner.net Wikipedia.com Notes on each movement of The Planets written by RSO Music Director Steven Larsen Gustav Holst: A Biography, by Imogen Holst Oxford University Press, 1969 Holst: The Planets, by Richard Greene Cambridge University Press, 1995 Music In Theory and Practice, Volume I Bruce Benward and Gary White The McGraw Hill Companies, 1997 12