Monday, February 28, 2005

The Planets. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity

Gustav Holst
London Symphony Orchestra

The piece begins with a very dense, fast rhythm in the high winds of all sixteenths on the same alternating intervals. This rhythm accompanies many of the motives of this section, and functions as a way to establish tempo, and add depth to the expository line. The phrasing and metric accents establish a simple quadruple time signature. The first two measures of the wind rhythm serves as a way to also introduce the expository line, and signal throughout the section that it is returning back to the original theme. The expository line in the brass starts with a syncopated rhythm of eighth quarter quarter eighth quarter. The solfege of the line is something like fi-sol-mi-la-sol . . . and is effective due to the close steps except for the jump in mi. after four measures the phrase ends in an IAC. The same motive is then repeated after adding more voices and a crescendo, ending on an IAC. The piece then enters more of a transistional section, it is less dense, without syncopation and the accompanient line. The section eventually leads to a new expository line in the strings. The new line is very lite, deffinitly reflecting the joyous theme. It then transistions into another new motive in the brass, in three eight. The rhythm is just quarters, with the first note jump up to emphasize one. The motive is very effective because of the simplicity of it, especially because of what the listener is used to hearing. One is also emphasized by the low string down beats on one. The next phrase carries the motive to the strings, and the brass take the accompanient. The brass accompanient is a half note starting on two, and rephrases the emphasis of one with ti-do. This theme especially contrasts with the beginning sections because of its stablility in rhythm, tonality, and density. As the rhythm is continually repeated, it starts to transistion back to the original theme through the sixteenths heard in the beginning. It then decrescendos and enters another new motive, this time in the strings. This is my favorite motive in the piece, due to the deep register in the strings and pull the rhythm creates on do. The solfege is something like: mi-fa-sol-sol-do-ti-la-do-re-do-ti- . . . The first period of this motive ends in a PAC. The motive is especially shaped by the descending scalar bass line. The section ends in a PAC, and transistions abruptly back to the original theme; definitly a rounded binary form. This last function goes from developmental to terminal. One thing I really liked about the piece is the effective contrast of motifs. The first one was very dense, and energetic. The second one was more lite and joyous, and the third very sad and beautiful. Part of that contrast is due to the difference in phrasing and especially cadences. The first section signaled cadences more through dynamics and rhythm, while the third one used that tension from the pull of five to one. All the motives are somewhat contrasted, at the same time they are very well blended in a way to highlight their better qualities. They each manage to create some sort of pulse that keeps it moving all the way to the end.

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