Congratulations! You have chosen to give your students a great gift. In this day and age it is a rare treat for young people to hear a live symphony orchestra concert much less one in their region performed by a resident professional orchestra. The RSO has performed Youth Concerts for more than 30 years and we are committed to providing this opportunity to young people, exposing them to a wonderful world the world of Classical Music. In 2008 the Adler Planetarium collaborated with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) in a production of The Planets. Astronomer José Francisco Salgado, a member of the Adler staff, created a video including images, animations, and science visualizations from NASA, the European Space Agency, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, as well as historical illustrations from the Adler Planetarium Collection of History of Astronomy. The resulting 50-minute video-choreographed presentation accompanied the performance of The Planets by the CSO, and the RSO is pleased to bring it to our community to accompany this performance. I encourage you to prepare your students for their experience by using these preparation materials. You as the teacher have a complete guide, and your students will have a packet of information that has been tailored to their level. Additionally, we hope that your students become excited about the possibilities that await them in the science and music communities. The RSO would be more than happy to connect you and your students with professional scientists, musicians, and artists throughout the community to talk about careers in these fields. The Planets by Gustav Holst has been a favorite piece with audience members since it was first introduced to the public, and the RSO is excited to share this music and video experience with our community. We look forward to seeing you soon! Welcome Margo Stedman Education and Community Engagement Director The RSO Youth Concert is sponsored generously by: SMITH CHARITABLE FOUNDATION Alfred & Ella Peterson Anderson Family Foundation GLOYD FAMILY FOUNDATION 2
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. Using This Guide This guide contains materials that will help you prepare your students to get the most out of their concert experience at the Coronado Performing Arts Center. To maximize the use of this guide, you will need a free Spotify account to listen to music examples that are referred to throughout. You can open a free account at www.spotify.com. Throughout the guide vocabulary words are bolded. Definitions to these words can be found at the back of your guide. 3
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. Discuss with Students Which instruments can you distinctly hear in 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 4 pe t om bo ne
Sections of the Orchestra The String Family The String family includes the violin, viola, cello, and double bass. String instruments use vibrating strings to make their sound. The strings are stretched across the hollow body of the instrument and plucked or played with a bow. The pitch is changed by shortening or lengthening the string, or by adjusting its thickness, tension, or density. The Woodwind Family The Woodwind family includes the flute, clarinet, oboe, and bassoon. Woodwind instruments are made of long hollow tubes of wood or metal. The sound is made by blowing air through a very thin piece of shaved wood called a reed, or across a mouthpiece. Finger holes along the instrument are opened and closed to change the pitch. Music Theory Moment 4444 Music is written on a staff of five lines: A clef is a symbol placed at the beginning of a line of music that establishes the letter names of the lines and spaces on the staff. Higher notes are written in Treble Clef: The Brass Family The Brass family includes the horn, trumpet, trombone, and tuba. This family of wind instruments is made of metal with a cup-shaped mouthpiece. The player creates a vibrating column of air inside the tube of the instrument by pressing his/her lips together in the mouthpiece and forcing air out between them, as if they are making a raspberry sound. The Percussion Family Percussion instruments are probably the oldest musical instruments and include drums, bells, cymbals, or any instrument that is struck by a hand, mallet, or stick to the make a sound. Because of this definition, the piano is actually included in the percussion family. Some percussion instruments produce a variety of sounds that can be tuned such as marimba, timpani, and xylophone. Others make only one sound that is controlled by the size and shape of the instrument. Percussion instruments are made out of a wide range of materials including wood, metal, and animal skins. Lower notes are written in Bass Clef: Together, the treble and bass staves make up a grand staff: The Conductor An orchestra conductor may or may not also be the orchestra s music director (the person who chooses the music to be performed). Conductors are also musicians themselves, but they do not need to know how to play all the instruments. The conductor spends many hours studying the score, or sheet music played by the musicians. It is his/her responsibility to know how all the instruments music fits together for the performance. The conductor plans rehearsals to practice the music and works with individual musicians who may need special instructions. Using a special conducting stick called a baton, the conductor stands on a podium so that the musicians can easily see his/ her hands. His/her entire body is used to express how the music should sound, how fast it should be played, and when the musicians should start and stop playing. Standards for Fine Arts 26.A.2c Classify musical sound sources into groups (e.g. instrumental families) (4-5) Standards for Language Arts 1A.A Use a variety of resources to determine and clarify meanings of unfamiliar words (4-5) 5
Gustav Holst Standards for Language Arts 1B.B1 Read fiction and non-fiction for specific purposes (4-5) 1B.B7 Locate answers to age-appropriate questions before, during and after reading to clarify understanding Music, being identical with heaven, isn t a thing of momentary thrills, or even hourly ones. It s a condition of eternity. - Gustav Holst, 1916 Gustav Theodore Holst (born Gustavus Theodore von Holst; September 21, 1874 May 25, 1934) was an English composer, arranger, and teacher. Best known for his orchestral suite The Planets, he composed a large number of other works across a range of genres, although none achieved comparable success. There were professional musicians in the previous three generations of Holst's family, and it was clear from his early years that he would follow the same calling. He hoped to become a pianist, but was prevented by neuritis in his right arm. Despite his father's reservations, he pursued a career as a composer, studying at the Royal College of Music under Charles Villiers Stanford. Unable to support himself by his compositions, Holst played the trombone professionally and later became a teacher a great one, according to his colleague Ralph Vaughan Williams. Among other teaching activities he built up a strong tradition of performance at Morley College, where he served as musical director from 1907 until 1924. He also pioneered music education for women at St. Paul's Girls' School, where he taught from 1905 until his death in 1934, raising standards and so laying the foundation for several professional musicians. Holst's works were played frequently in the early years of the 20th century, but it was not until the international success of The Planets in the years immediately after the First World War that he became a well-known figure. A shy man, he did not welcome this fame, and preferred to be left in peace to compose and teach. In his later years his uncompromising personal style of composition struck many music lovers as too austere, and his brief popularity declined. Nevertheless, he was a significant influence on a number of younger English composers, including Edmund Rubbra, Michael Tippett, and Benjamin Britten. Apart from The Planets and a handful of other works, his music was generally neglected until the 1980s, when recordings of much of his output became available. Holst lived the majority of his adult life in London, spending weekends and school holidays at his home in Thaxted, Essex. He married Isobel Harrison in 1901, and their marriage lasted until his death. Together they had one daughter, Imogen Clare Holst born in 1907, who championed Holst s music after his death. Holst died in London on May 25, 1934, at the young age of 59. His ashes were interred at Chichester Cathedral in Sussex, close to the memorial to Thomas Weelkes, his favorite Tudor composer. 6 Music Theory Moment When writing music composers use different kinds of notes to indicate how long a pitch should be held. These different types of notes include: Whole Note Half Note Quarter Note Eighth Note Sixteenth Note w h q e s The time signature of a piece of music determines the duration of each type of note in relation to other notes. Some examples include: The lower digit indicates a basic note value: 2 signifies a half note, 4 refers to a quarter note, 8 to an eighth note, and so forth. The upper digit indicates the number of basic note values per measure.
Historical Context: 1914-1920 Standards for Social Science 16A.B1 Place a series of events from a chronology in their proper places on a timeline. (1-5) 16A.D7/F7 Locate a website for the study of history on the World Wide Web (1-12) 16A.F2 Identify times when significant events intersected using a series of chronologies (6-12) Gustav Holst wrote The Planets while World War I was taking place throughout Europe. Below is a simple timeline comparing Holst s composition of The Planets with world events to help place the musical work in a broader context. Researching additional events is a great way to go deeper if you d like to focus more on history. Composition of The Planets 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 September 29, 1918 First private performance of The Planets given in London February 27, 1919 First public performance of The Planets given, minus Venus and Neptune World Events 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 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 June 28, 1919 The Treaty of Versailles is signed November 15, 1920 First full public performance of The Planets Classroom 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 Go Deeper Timeline with more in-depth explanations for WWI: http://herb.ashp.cuny.edu/items/show/1906 Research other popular musicians and music of the time (ex: Irving Berlin) 7
The Planets Standards for Science 12F.C1 Apply scientific inquiries or technological designs to compare the main bodies of the solar system (4-5) 12F.G2 Apply scientific designs to explore the solar system (6-8) Standards for Fine Arts 25A.2C Identify elements and expressive qualities such as tone color, harmony, melody, form, rhythm/meter, and dynamics in a variety of musical styles (4-5) 25A.3c Identify and describe changes in elements and expressive qualities in music (6-12) The Planets, written between 1914 and 1916, is a seven-part musical suite for orchestra, with each section representing a planet in the solar system. It is one of the most enduring works in the canon of classical music. In 1914, Holst said: As a rule I only study things that suggest music to me...then recently the character of each planet suggested lots to me, and I have been studying astrology fairly closely. On the next few pages, you ll be studying astronomy by learning a little about each planet. Astronomy is the study of the universe and its contents outside of Earth s atmosphere. Astronomers examine the positions, motions, and properties of celestial objects. In the quote above, Holst talks about astrology. Astrology attempts to study how the positions, motions, and properties of the planets affect people and events on Earth. His study of astrology was an influencing factor in his composition of 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: 8) Neptune Earth is not included in Holst s piece. Classroom Activities As you and your students read about and listen to each movement of The Planets, you can engage them more deeply by: Having your students illustrate stories they hear in the music what do they picture when they are listening to the music? Having your students write about what they think about and picture when listening to the music. Have the students illustrate the stories that are included in the narratives about each movement on the following pages. Spend some time listening to The Planets as you read about each movement on the following pages. You can listen to a custom Spotify playlist of the music at http://tinyurl.com/rsotheplanets. 8
About the Planet Mars: The Bringer of War Fourth planet from the Sun Seventh largest planet One of the four terrestrial planets composed primarily of rock and metal with a relatively high density, slow rotation, solid surfaces, and no rings Named after the Roman God of War About the Movement Read the title again: 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. The most remarkable part of Mars, the Bringer of War can be heard in the very first moments. Although the music starts very quietly, you can hear a very insistent, repetitive rhythm played on a single pitch by timpani and strings. A repeated rhythmic or melodic pattern like this is called an ostinato (from the same Latin word that gives us obstinate ). 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 (or their multiples, four, six, nine or twelve). Usually, 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: This certainly isn t a march. Marches are written at a brisk walking speed, like soldiers in a parade. This is faster, and it feels like heavily-armed warriors running towards a battle. Almost immediately you hear the very low brass quietly at first, then becoming louder and louder as they move higher and higher. The music is in a minor key, and feels both ominous and unstoppable as it seems to come closer and closer. The trumpets, like military bugles in olden times, sound the call to battle. Woodwinds and strings scurry madly, and an enormous explosion brings everything to a stop. When the music resumes, it seems to be in slow motion, played very quietly, starting in the low strings and bassoons. Little by little, more instruments join, climbing higher and louder. Suddenly, the 5/4 march resumes, with the ostinato rhythm hammered out in unison by the entire orchestra. At the climax, Holst writes sustained, painfully dissonant harmonies to be played not forte, not fortissimo, but fortissississimo ffff! A brief scurrying passage returns, and the movement ends with the brass and percussion victoriously proclaiming the dissonant harmonies on the gradually slowing ostinato rhythm. 9
About the Planet Venus: The Bringer of Peace Second planet from the Sun Sixth largest planet One of the four terrestrial planets Named after the Roman Goddess of Love and Beauty: it may have been named for the most beautiful deity of her pantheon because it shone the brightest of the five planets known to ancient astronomers. About the Movement 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. Two melodic ideas appear at the start. The solo French horn plays a four note, rising scale passage, answered in harmony by woodwinds playing a five-note descending melody. A solo violin begins a new section, joined by the rest of the violins and the other strings. As the opening melodies return, 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. Mercury: The Winged Messenger About the Planet Closest planet to the Sun Smallest of the planets One of the four terrestrial planets: in many ways similar to the Moon - its surface is heavily cratered and very old. It additionally has regions of relatively smooth plains. About the Movement 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 trickery! 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. 10
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. Mercury s theme is simple but daring: the three pitches of a B-flat major triad, followed by the three pitches of an E major triad. In music theory, these two triads are as far apart as is possible, and don t exist together in any key, but here they are bound together in a unit. They are like two identical poles of a magnet they try to push each other apart, but can t because they are fused together. This musical idea flits swiftly back and forth among the lightest and nimblest instruments of the orchestra violins, woodwinds, harps scurrying in all directions, never coming to rest. It disappears for a moment, replaced by a very high, repeated rhythm played very softly by the first violins. It is like Morse code. What is Morse code, and what does it have to do with Mercury? In the 1830s, an American artist named Samuel Morse helped develop an electric telegraph system for communication across vast distances. He created a code of short and long pulses, one for each letter and number, which could be transmitted over electrical wires. Have you ever used Google to search on the internet? Here is Google in Morse code: Even after the invention of radio, Morse code was widely used to communicate, especially to transmit written messages which were called telegrams. In Gustav Holst s day, Morse code was the fastest way to send messages, and Mercury could well have been the god of the telegraph! The Morse code is transferred to the glockenspiel (high bells), and a solo violin introduces a new melodic idea that is gradually taken up by the entire orchestra. The quicksilver theme from the beginning returns, and Mercury finally disappears from view. Jupiter: The Bringer of Jollity About the Planet Fifth planet from the Sun By far the largest planet: Jupiter is more than twice as massive as all the other planets combined (the mass of Jupiter is 318 times that of Earth) One of the four gaseous planets: the gas planets do not have solid surfaces, their gaseous material simply gets denser with depth. What we see when looking at these planets is the tops of clouds high in their atmospheres. Jupiter is about 90% hydrogen and 10% helium. About the Movement 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. And jovial the music certainly is, marked Allegro giocoso (a playful Allegro) in 2/4 time. The violins begin, brightly outlining the key of C major with a tapestry of sparkling sixteenth notes. The low brasses 11
play a syncopated, rhythmically vigorous introduction leading to a joyous outburst by the full orchestra, played fff. After a brief pause to regroup, the horns and strings play the main theme in unison, which is then stated in harmony by the woodwinds. Suddenly, a new melody emerges in 3/4 time as an energetic waltz. The horns introduce it, then play an exuberant counterpoint as the other instruments enthusiastically join the dance. At the height of the activity, the key suddenly changes and the brass interrupt, insistently returning the meter to 2/4 with a strong rhythm played on a single chord. They have been given the duty of summoning the partyers to a more important event, and with echoes of the movement s first theme, the orchestra gathers to focus attention on a new section. Marked Andante maestoso (majestic Andante) and in stately 3/4 time, a new melody is heard, first in the unison strings. It is like a hymn tune that is both serious and joyful; solemn, yet happy. And in fact, this tune was 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. After a full-throated chorus by the entire orchestra, the music from the first part of the movement returns. This time, the waltz whirls into a Lento maestoso (majestic and slow) which recalls some of the patriotic song, leading to a breathtaking closing Presto, propelled by the full brass section. *Listen to this hymn on The Planets Spotify playlist About the Planet Saturn: The Bringer of Old Age Sixth planet from the Sun Second largest planet One of the four gaseous planets: Saturn is the least dense of the planets. Saturn is about 75% hydrogen and 25% helium with traces of water, methane, ammonia and rock. Saturn's interior is hot and Saturn radiates more energy into space than it receives from the Sun. About the Movement For astrologers, Saturn is the opposite of Jupiter (and in fact, its sign is Jupiter s upside-down!). 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 with three woodwinds and the harps rocking back and forth on an uneasy, dissonant chord. Out of the depths the double basses introduce an idea that seems more a complaint than a melody. The horns enter and stop the rocking with a sustained chord that still feels unstable, and pizzicato basses and cellos begin a four note ostinato pattern. Now the trombones solemnly intone a gloomy chorale in B minor which is passed on to the trumpets, woodwinds, and other strings. 12
Soon this leads to a somber funeral march, starting quietly in the flutes and building in intensity as other instruments join. As it reaches its peak, frantic clanging dissonances interrupt like an alarm bell, changing the tempo to Animato (animated, or lively). Musically, it represents a last-minute, desperate, and unsuccessful attempt to fight off death. The complaining double bass melody re-appears and becomes more assertive. The music resolves into a tranquil C major Andante, and the entire string section sings the melody, pp, in comforting serenity. Uranus: The Magician About the Planet Seventh planet from the Sun Third largest planet. A gaseous planet composed primarily of rock and various ices. First planet discovered during modern times William Herschel discovered it while he was systematically searching the sky with his telescope on March 13, 1781. It had actually been seen many times before but ignored as simply another star (the earliest recorded sighting was in 1690 when John Flamsteed cataloged it as 34 Tauri). Herschel named it "the Georgium Sidus" (the Georgian Planet) in honor of his patron, the infamous (to Americans) King George III of England; others called it "Herschel". The name "Uranus" was first proposed by Bode in conformity with the other planetary names from classical mythology but didn't come into common use until 1850. Music Theory Moment An interval is the relationship between two tones. In Western music, the half step is the smallest interval used. A scale is a collection of pitches in ascending and descending order. Musicians use scales as a convenient way of displaying the notes used in a melody or harmony. A major scale is a made up of seven different pitches with half steps between the third and fourth and seventh and eighth scale degrees and whole steps between all other scale degrees. Music written in keys with major scales tend to sound happy. A minor scale is made up of seven different pitches while whole steps separating adjacent tones except for half steps between the second and third degrees and between the fifth and sixth degrees. Music written in keys with minor scales tend to sound sad. About the Movement We all know that magicians don t really do magic; they are illusionists, who practice sleight-of-hand tricks working with special props and by drawing our eyes away from what they are doing. Holst s Uranus is a brash, 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 a bouncing pattern in 6/4 time introduced by the three bassoons. Traditionally, bassoons are viewed as the clowns of the orchestra, and because of Paul Dukas The Sorcerer s Apprentice*, many listeners associate the sound of the bassoons with magic (doesn t ring a bell? Remember Mickey Mouse with the magic broom?). 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. *Listen to this piece on The Planets Spotify playlist 13
Neptune: The Mystic About the Planet Farthest planet from the Sun Fourth largest planet (by diameter) - Neptune is smaller in diameter but larger in mass than Uranus Neptune's composition is probably similar to Uranus': various ices and rock with about 15% hydrogen and a little helium. Like a typical gas planet, Neptune has rapid winds confined to bands of latitude and large storms or vortices. Neptune's winds are the fastest in the solar system, reaching 2000 km/hour. About the Movement 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. It begins very quietly with only a flute and the bass flute playing together. They rock slowly between E minor and G sharp minor harmonies, and are answered by oboes, piccolo, and somber trombones. The harps add a chilly, crystalline backdrop, and sometimes the harmonies join together to form a dense dissonance. In a footnote to the musical score, Holst instructs the orchestra to always play pp with a dead tone. No warmth, no expression. The meter is the same lopsided 5/4 time as Mars, but much slower (Andante). More instruments join the harmonies, but everyone plays pianissimo with a cold, dead sound. 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, brittle sound, and Holst instructs them to play ponticello, which means playing with the bow very close to the instrument s bridge. Ponticello bowing makes a hollow, spooky sound that will give you goosebumps! 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 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 disembodied, wordless, unseen, and heard as if from a great distance which he indicates should be placed in a room near the stage, but should not be seen. They take over the scales from the woodwinds and finally fade away, as if into infinite space, as the music disappears. Neptune, already so far away as to be barely visible even through telescopes, has now disappeared. 14
adagio allegro andante animato arpeggio astrology astronomy beat chord Quite slow Fast, cheerful Moderately slow or walking pace Animated 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 counterpoint The art or technique of setting, writing, or playing a melody or melodies in conjunction with another, according to fixed rules dissonance forte fortissimo harmony Combination of tones that sounds discordant and unstable, in need of resolution Loud Very loud The simultaneous combination of notes and the ensuing relationships of intervals and chords largo lento melody meter movement mythology neuritis ostinato pianissimo piano pizzicato presto rhythm syncopated tempo tremolo Broad; very slow Slow A pleasing series of musical notes that form the main part of a song or piece of music Organization of rhythm in time; the grouping of beats into larger, regular patterns, notated as measures 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 Continuous pain in a nerve, associated with paralysis and sensory disturbances A continually repeated musical phrase or rhythm Very soft Soft, when referring to a dynamic (volume) marking in music Plucking the strings of a violin or other stringed instrument with one's finger Very fast The beat of music; the regular pattern of long and short notes To place the accents on beats that are normally unaccented The speed at which a passage of music is or should be played Rapid repetition of a note, creating a trembling effect Standard for Language Arts 1A.C Use a variety of resources (e.g., dictionaries, thesauruses, indices, glossaries, internet, interviews, available technology) to clarify meanings of unfamiliar words. (4-5) Your students have either a word search (3-5) or crossword puzzle (6-12) in their booklet. 15
A Final Note To help your students know more about what to expect, here are some 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/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. Pictures 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 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 16