David BaconAnnotated Bibliography

Thesis: It is widely agreed upon that Gustav Holst composed two suites that are some of the best wind band composing to this day. His two suites, in E-flat and F respectively, were written for military bands in the early 1900s. These are two of the very few works that have been transcribed from band to orchestra, and were revolutionary at the time. In my paper, I will discuss Holst’s personal biography as well as the history behind his two suites and their impact on the wind band. I will also provide a musical analysis of the movements that are contained in each piece. I feel that this topic is interesting because in music history, much of the musical credit goes to composers of pieces for orchestra, voice, and piano. However, because of my musical experience, I find wind band to be equally interesting and aesthetically pleasing. I wish to share knowledge about wind band-Holst specifically- and how his music shaped the musical world.

Sources:Cummings, Robert. "Holst, Gustav 1874-1934." Oxford Music Online, 2012. Accessed

November 8, 2014.

The Oxford Online Music Database has an extensive collection of recordings, biographies, and scores to look at for a large list of composers. This source not only had accurate biographies, but I also found many recordings to listen to that gave me a further understanding of the analysis of the piece. More specifically, I found that this source enlightened me to a lot of Holst’s early life including his childhood and early works. It also alluded to how he came up with some of his materials, including a section on his folksong influence that came from the English Vaughan-Williams.

Garofalo, Robert Joseph. Folk Songs and Dances in Second Suite in F by Gustav Holst. Silver Spring, Md.: Whirlwind Music, 2011.

In this source, the author uncovered some of the English influence that Holst uses in his second suite. He iterates that dances and folksongs are appearing throughout Holst’s piece to create contrast between movements as well as to bring a familiar element to the English listener. This source was helpful in seeing how Holst grew from his English influences. This source was also much more specific than my other sources, which have a broader context of Holst as a person. I appreciated the author’s insight into the deeper elements of the piece rather than just surface comments and plan to allude to those in my paper.

Holst, Gustav. First Suite in E-Flat, Op. 28, No. 1. Edwardsvile, IL: Serenissima Music, 2012.

This recording of Holst’s first suite was helpful to my research because I was

able to pinpoint many of the folksongs and English characteristics that I read about in my other sources. While this is not the only recording I have heard of this piece, this is the recording that I used for analyzing the piece, and I believe that based on what I have read, this recording is very accurate to what Holst wanted accomplished with his piece.

Holst, Gustav. Second Suite in F, Op. 28, No. 2. Edwardsvile, IL: Serenissima Music, 2012.

Similar to the recording of the first suite, this recording was helpful in my research because I was able to hear many of the folksongs and dances that are present within the movements of this piece. This ensemble was able to retain a lot of Holst’s original intent with the music, and within that, I have been able to correlate my knowledge of the piece with an actual performance of the piece. For my paper, this will be helpful for analysis purposes as well as identifying specific folk songs and dances that are heard throughout the piece.

Holst, Imogen. Gustav Holst. London: Oxford University Press, 1938.

Imogen Holst is Gustav Holst’s daughter. Her biography on him was more personal than the other biographies that are included in my bibliography. I appreciated the personal notes because they revealed another aspect of who Holst was as a father. This source will be useful in comparing information from my various biographies to make sure that all of the information matches. This source also included inspirations for pieces, and went into depth about Holst’s love of the folksong. That will be useful to include in my analyses of his two suites, both of which include the use of folksong.

Huddleston, Howard.  “Holst’s First Suite in Eb for Military Band:  An Analysis.” Kansas State University.  1969. Web.  8 Nov 2014.

This source has been helpful because it contains references to sources that I have previously used for my own research. Mr. Huddleston and I have shared similar sources, which has made the condensing of my biographical information simpler. I also think that this source is useful because it goes further in depth into his first suite, which balances out with my previous source about the second suite. While I have done my own listening and analyses, it has been helpful to see what other scholars have heard in Holst’s pieces.

Lace, Ian. "A Biography of Gustav Holst." The Gustav Holst Website. 2007. Accessed

November 21, 2014.

While this website might not have the same scholarly value as my others, I felt that it was worthy of including because of the biographical information that Mr. Lace gave to his readers. I felt that it was extremely in depth on Holst as a person and as a composer. There was a plethora of information on other pieces

that Holst wrote as well as his family life, career, and what made him a name in history. Similarly, I will use this source to consolidate as much accurate biographical information as I can before I turn my focus to his two suites. As I see information re-appearing in sources, I have been able to decide which parts of his biography are very important to include.

Matthews, Colin. “Analyses- Gustav Holst, First Suite in E Flat, Op. 28a (1909).” Oklahoma City University.  2011. Web.  8 Nov 2014.

I appreciated this source for the musical analysis that was provided of Holst’s first suite. It discusses a lot of in-depth materials such as chord structure, repeated melodies that are inverted, return of melodic material, and form. While my other source on the first suite had references to other sources, this author has come up with the majority of his materials on his own, which has added a new perspective to my research. I plan to read his thoughts on an analysis of the piece once I have solidified my own analytical thougths.

Mitchell, Jon C. From Kneller Hall to Hammersmith: The Band Works of Gustav Holst. Tutzing: Verlegt Bei Hans Schneider, 1990.

This source, similar to others, contains a significant amount of background information on Holst as a person. Where this source differs is the emphasis that it places on his band compositions. I especially liked how this source highlights the importance of Holst’s compositional process for band. Unlike many composers at the time, Holst did not try to achieve an orchestral sound with a wind band. He went in a different direction and created something that would set the standard of whatever came after it. I have used this source to compile more information on the finer points of Holst’s career as a band composer.

Rapp, Will. The Wind Band Masterworks of Holst, Vaughan Williams, and Grainger. Galesville, MD: Meredith Music Publications, 2005.

Similar to the previous source by Mitchell, this source offers more information on the English style of band composition that came from Vaughan Williams, Grainger, and Holst. There is significant overlap in how these composers used materials, especially folk songs, and I believe that the information that the author presents about that is very important for understanding Holst’s two suites. While my paper will solely be about Holst, learning about the style of the other composers has helped me to see a trend of wind band composers at this time. I plan to discuss that in my paper and highlight the importance of their common compositional characteristics.

Short, Michael. Gustav Holst: The Man and His Music. London: Oxford University Press, 1990.

Short presents a biography focused on both Holst as a man and as a composer. I

liked this biography for the dual perspectives that it revealed. Like others on my list, I appreciated how there was a contrast between who Holst was apart from his music. In my research, gaining many biographical perspectives gives me the best ideas of what Holst’s life was really like, which makes it possible for me to put together an accurate representation of his life and compositions. This book also includes updated information from what was found in the biography that Holst’s daughter Imogen wrote. It was helpful for me to have a fresher perspective for research purposes.

Williams, Ralph, and David Manning. Vaughan Williams on Music. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008.

While the title of this book might imply that Host is not discussed, this book actually contains some of Vaughan Williams’ perspective on music. Within the book, he discusses Holst extensively and sheds light on to the similarities between the two composers. This can be useful in my research because it further highlights the English characteristics of music that both Vaughan Williams and Holst utilized in their compositions.