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Comparing Holst's Song 'Mars And John Williams' Imperial March

916 Words4 Pages

THE CONTINUITY AND CHANGE HOLST’s MARCH AND HOW IT INFLUENCED JOHN WILLIAM’s IMPERIAL MARCH The romantic era is the same era that musicians like Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky were brought up in, and there is no doubt that this was a pioneering turning point in the universal development of music. In particular, Gustav Holst had an influence on the production of John William’s Star Wars soundtrack, specifically the song titles ‘Imperial March’. This will be analysed through comparison and analysis of a classical era piece called Mars, by Holst in a series of scores called ‘The Planets’ and The famous sound of Star-Wars (in particular, the score called “Star Wars - Imperial march”) There is no doubt that John Williams, the composer of the ‘Star Wars’ …show more content…

This rhythm remains consistent throughout most of both tracks, while cutting out for the middle section of ‘Mars’. This straight, driving rhythm consists of a triplet followed by two crotchets and 2 quavers. This is particularly effective because the notes don't resolve. The rhythm in the Imperial March has an unusual modulation in bar 60 where it follows an off-beat pattern until bar 64 to provide some …show more content…

This playes for the first two bars and then an inversion of the E flat minor is played to add some variation. Within the first 4 bars of the Imperial March, the main famous trumpet line comes in which is what the whole piece is structured around. This articulated melody line goes against the ostinato to fill the spaces when the ostinato isn’t being played. Bar 37 brings in the first ‘half step modulation’ up to B flat minor. Bar 44 has the next ‘half step modulation’ to B harmonic minor and at bar 46, bringin it up again to C harmonic minor and then a resolving modulation up to G minor. As for Gustav Holst’s Mars, The majority of the piece has a constantly varying melody line over the top which is backed by three main melodic movements. The first pattern being the primitive rhythm with an irregular 5 /4 meter on the note G which appears at the beginning of the piece (this was discussed in the rhythm section). The second pattern is the first real melody which appears in tenor tuba. ( See Example 3.) It moves from m.43 in 5 /4 meter to m.65. The second time the pattern appears is in 5/2 meter from m.96 to m. 109. The pattern returns to the 5 /4 meter in its last appearance from m. 143 to m.

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