Metric and Pitch Tension in Gustav Holst's 'Mars, the Bringer of War'

Although authors recognize the war-like nature of rhythm and meter in "Mars," their observations are mostly superficial. For example, Richard Greene briefly suggests the 5/4 ostinato is a metaphor for battle, but he does not detail the extent of this metaphor. Michael Short prescribes the...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Indiana theory review 2023-03, Vol.38 (1), p.36-71
Main Author: Smith, Jayson
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Although authors recognize the war-like nature of rhythm and meter in "Mars," their observations are mostly superficial. For example, Richard Greene briefly suggests the 5/4 ostinato is a metaphor for battle, but he does not detail the extent of this metaphor. Michael Short prescribes the persistent 5/4 meter as the movement's "most striking feature" and briefly mentions the hemiola created by the superposition of 5/2 over two bars of 5/4, but he does not detail the metric features of "Mars" any further. Dickinson and Gibbs claim the quintuple meter "precludes a dull monotony and makes a firm basis for theme and counter-theme." They point to musical features that deserve more attention, including "twisting trochees, trumpeted declamation, and uneven bar-rhythm."
ISSN:0271-8022
2474-7777
2474-7777
DOI:10.2979/itr.2023.a892246