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The wind band world has been blessed with many fine, original compositions for the medium, written by some of the most successful and prominent composers in music. Gustav Holst and Ottorino Respighi, with Hammersmith: Prelude and Scherzo, Op. 52 and Huntingtawer (Ballad for Band), respectively, are just two among the many included in this category. Through their respect and vision for the medium, they helped pave the way for other fine works to follow. The parallelisms between these two gems for band are many, including the year each piece was commissioned and written; the same concert in which each was premiered; that both pieces were written from an earthly inspiration; that each work's formal structure is quite similar; among others. What follows is a brief history of each composer and his respective piece, a descriptive analysis of each work and some of the parallel similarities that connect each piece to the other.
Gustav Holst: A Biographical Sketch
Born in 1874 in Cheltenham, England, Gustavus Theodore Hoist was the first child of Clara and Adolph von Holst. Gustav was encouraged to learn the piano at an early age and later began to study the violin and trombone, of which the latter was more of an attempt to help cure Gustav's asthma.i As his instrumental performances grew in number, Hoist developed an interest in composition and began to write short pieces that his father, the organist at All Saints' Church, would perform. As more works were written and his performances garnered higher acclaim, Hoist applied to the Royal College of Music in London and began studying there in 1893.2
Although Hoist studied harmony and counterpoint with Charles Stanford, instrumentation with Georg Jacobi, and music history with Hubert Parry, his development was relatively slow and a clear, distinctive style of his own would take several years.3 Holst's youthful works were greatly influenced by Wagner and only when his growing interest in English folk music tempered his early chromaticism did Hoist begin to form his own musical personality. Exotic influences became apparent in his music because of his interest in Hindu literature and thought, music of the Orient, and astrology.4 This last interest would be a major influence in his 1916 orchestral suite, The Planets, which established Hoist...