Non-Planets Holst

[Karl Henning]

Lovely!

[Irons]

A small selection of the 'Holst' photos that will be included in my book (should be out next summer...)

#1 is the lost corner of a field where much of The Planets was written
#2 is in Thaxted Church, a place of enormous significance in Holst's life and music, and, for my book's  purposes, the place where the Four Songs for Voice and Violin was inspired
#3 is the view of the Thames below William Morris's Kelmscott House, where Holst used to attend socialist meetings. This is the river as he depicts it in Hammersmith
#4 is Egdon Heath (I have better photos from this day, but this is the most accurate, if such a thing can be said of a semi-non-existent place

Hammersmith bridge was open to traffic in Holst's day, unlike now. A short distance up-river to Barnes, close to the railway bridge across the Thames a house has a blue plaque with "Holst lived here".

[Luke]

Hammersmith bridge was open to traffic in Holst's day, unlike now. A short distance up-river to Barnes, close to the railway bridge across the Thames a house has a blue plaque with "Holst lived here".

Yes, on Castelnau

[Irons]

Yes, on Castelnau

I was referring to the one at The Terrace, Barnes.

[Irons]

Interesting short article by John France.

https://landofllostcontent.blogspot.com/2024/01/introducing-gustav-holst.html

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Interesting short article by John France.

https://landofllostcontent.blogspot.com/2024/01/introducing-gustav-holst.html

Thank you for posting that link.

A couple of things that crossed my mind:  1)  I remember listening to and enjoying St. Paul's Suite (can't remember where I heard it.  I know that it was part of a radio program).  Any recommendations for a recording of it?  2)  His Hammersmith Prelude and Scherzo is unfamiliar to me.  Any thoughts here?  And any favorite recordings of it?

PD

[Irons]

Hammersmith in west London is where I'm from, or close by. Aged 14 my family moved to Chiswick and most of my working life was centred around Hammersmith and Brook Green (another connection).
Everyday I drove over Hammersmith bridge so Holst's piece means a lot.



I found the article particularly interesting that the orchestration of 'Hammersmith' not an afterthought by the composer. One recording encapsulates the essence of the John France article -

 

St Paul's Suite has of course again strong connections with Hammersmith. My favourite recording being Imogen Holst conducting ECO on Lyrita. 

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Hammersmith in west London is where I'm from, or close by. Aged 14 my family moved to Chiswick and most of my working life was centred around Hammersmith and Brook Green (another connection).
Everyday I drove over Hammersmith bridge so Holst's piece means a lot.



I found the article particularly interesting that the orchestration of 'Hammersmith' not an afterthought by the composer. One recording encapsulates the essence of the John France article -

 

St Paul's Suite has of course again strong connections with Hammersmith. My favourite recording being Imogen Holst conducting ECO on Lyrita. 

Oh, neat! 

I'll do a bit of searching on YT to see if I can find these recordings.

PD

[Karl Henning]

Interesting short article by John France.

https://landofllostcontent.blogspot.com/2024/01/introducing-gustav-holst.html

Nice. I kind of wonder why he chose the orchestral adaptation of Hammersmith over the band [original, right?]

[Roasted Swan]

Oh, neat! 

I'll do a bit of searching on YT to see if I can find these recordings.

PD

+1 for Irons' suggestions - although St. Pauls Suite is not there!  A note about the version of Hammersmith.  Its not clear from the LP cover that the players are The Central Band of the Royal Airforce - so a proper military band line-up as scored not a version for wind band etc.  This version also appears in Warner/EMI's 6-disc Holst The Collector's Edition.  For St. Pauls I rather like the version used as the coupling of Handley's/RPO Planets on Tring

[Karl Henning]

a proper military band line-up as scored not a version for wind band etc. 

Say on, please.

[Karl Henning]

Is this a deviation from the  Military Band scoring?

[Ian]

Yes, on Castelnau

Really? Do you know what number? My grandfather owned 105 Castlenau. Unfortunately my mother sold it when he passed away.

[Luke]

Sorry to disappoint, I was relying on a faulty memory there - it wasn't Holst, it was Herbert Howells. Not a bad neighbour to have, mind you. He lived at Flat 44

[Roasted Swan]

Say on, please.

Karl - I'm sure you will know what constitutes a Wind Band and/or an American Concert Band better than me.  My understanding is that this scoring by Holst for British Military Band is subtley different;

C flute/picc
D flat flute/picc
Oboes
E flat clarinet
3 B flat clarinets
B flat bass clarinet
Bassoons
E flat alto sax
B flat tenor sax
E flat baritone sax
B flat bass sax / contra bass sax
2 B flat cornets
B flat trumpets
Flugel horns
4 E flat horns
3 trombones
Euphonium
String bass
percussion

Of course the difference may be more in the execution than the instrumentation.  Certainly there is quite a different sound between - say - the Airforce band version mentioned above and this favourite (of mine) version) by what might be called a London Orchesra "All-Stars" performance under Denis Wick from the late 70's;



That list of players is a real who's-who of the top wind and brass players of that period in London.

[Ian]

Sorry to disappoint, I was relying on a faulty memory there - it wasn't Holst, it was Herbert Howells. Not a bad neighbour to have, mind you. He lived at Flat 44

Indeed, thanks for the info. Jon Pertwee (3rd Dr Who) was another neighbour.

[Irons]

+1 for Irons' suggestions - although St. Pauls Suite is not there!  A note about the version of Hammersmith.  Its not clear from the LP cover that the players are The Central Band of the Royal Airforce - so a proper military band line-up as scored not a version for wind band etc.  This version also appears in Warner/EMI's 6-disc Holst The Collector's Edition.  For St. Pauls I rather like the version used as the coupling of Handley's/RPO Planets on Tring

Yes, Hammersmith, with The Central Band of the Royal Air Force conducted by Wing Commander J.L. Wallace.
You have gone some way in clearing up some confusion as puzzled why Hammersmith on David Lloyd-Jones Naxos CD is described in notes as played here in the wind-band instrumentation which is nothing like military band.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

+1 for Irons' suggestions - although St. Pauls Suite is not there!  A note about the version of Hammersmith.  Its not clear from the LP cover that the players are The Central Band of the Royal Airforce - so a proper military band line-up as scored not a version for wind band etc.  This version also appears in Warner/EMI's 6-disc Holst The Collector's Edition.  For St. Pauls I rather like the version used as the coupling of Handley's/RPO Planets on Tring

Thank you for the suggestion and the clarification.

I don't believe that I've ever heard of Tring before now.  Will have to look into it.

PD

[Karl Henning]

Karl - I'm sure you will know what constitutes a Wind Band and/or an American Concert Band better than me.  My understanding is that this scoring by Holst for British Military Band is subtley different;

C flute/picc
D flat flute/picc
Oboes
E flat clarinet
3 B flat clarinets
B flat bass clarinet
Bassoons
E flat alto sax
B flat tenor sax
E flat baritone sax
B flat bass sax / contra bass sax
2 B flat cornets
B flat trumpets
Flugel horns
4 E flat horns
3 trombones
Euphonium
String bass
percussion

Of course the difference may be more in the execution than the instrumentation.  Certainly there is quite a different sound between - say - the Airforce band version mentioned above and this favourite (of mine) version) by what might be called a London Orchesra "All-Stars" performance under Denis Wick from the late 70's;



That list of players is a real who's-who of the top wind and brass players of that period in London.

Thanks. In our day, horn players use a Horn in F. I am not a horn expert, so it may be that in Holst's day it was just a matter of the player inserting a different crook. In terms of (say) the times I have played in the piece in High School, the only clear deviation would have been, were there flugelhorns available? They were not in my High School band but may have been in the Region Band.