Classical Music in Pictures Music in Pictures    

Lesson 11: Mars, Bringer of War

by Gustav Holst

Performer: United States Air Force Heritage of America Band

Directions

Study the musical selection for one week.

Over the week:

• Each day, listen to the musical selection.
• Read the synopsis.
• Review the vocabulary terms.
• Read about the composer and practice reciting his or her name and the composition title.
• Complete the enrichment activities.
• Study the review questions.

Synopsis

Gustav Holst's suite, 'The Planets,' contains seven movements that capture the spirit of the seven planets in our solar system, their associated mythological gods, and their astrological signs. Holst composed the suite between 1914 and 1916. Four years before his death, Pluto was discovered and was considered a new planet. But Holst did not want to compose a new work for the new planet (which is no longer considered a planet today). Holst became dismayed with the popularity of this suite, believing it detracted from his other works. Mars is the fourth closest planet to the sun, further out than Earth. Mars is known as the red planet. Its soil is red due to the presence of iron oxide. It is colder on Mars than on Earth, and there is good evidence that Mars has water. Humans have not yet traveled to another planet, but if we do, the planet will likely be Mars. There are current efforts to launch a manned mission to Mars. Temperatures on the Mars equator can reach a comfortable day time temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer. However, even on those relatively balmy days, at night the temperature will plummet back down to negative 100 degrees. Any travelers to Mars will need protection from the cold. The planet is named after Mars, the Roman god of war and agriculture. The Roman god Mars is associated with the woodpecker, the wolf, and the bear. The Roman god Mars is often paired in art with his opposite, Venus, the Roman goddess of love.

Vocabulary

Planet: A celestial body moving in an elliptical orbit around a star.
Solar System: The collection of eight planets and their moons in orbit around the sun.
Mars (planet): The fourth closest planet to the sun in our solar system, known as the red planet.
Mars (Roman god): The Roman god of war and agriculture.
Iron Oxide: A red compound that gives the soil on Mars its red color.

Composer

1. Gustav Holst was born in 1874 in Cheltenham, United Kingdom. See his picture below.

2. Zoom in and find Holst's country of birth (UK) on the map of Europe below.

3. He came from a musical family and was taught as a child to play piano and violin.
4. He suffered from poor health, including asthma and inflammation of his nervous system, which led him to specialize in music composition rather than performance.
5. Holst died at the age of 59 of heart failure following surgery for an ulcer.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Create Your Own Solar System

• Over the 7-week period, as you listen to Holst's musical suite, 'The Planets,' create a huge map of the solar system.
• Each week you'll add a new planet to your solar system.
• At the end of the 7 weeks, hang your solar system up, play the music, and unveil it to your family and friends.
• To make your solar system, either get one large piece of paper (paper on a roll) or tape or glue together several pieces of construction paper.
• This week: Listen to the music, and draw, color, or paint Earth and Mars. Earth is between Venus and Mars. Remember that Mars is the fourth closest planet to the sun and it is known as the red planet. Keep your picture in a safe place until your cosmic unveiling.

Activity 2: Describe the Music

Listen to the music, and close your eyes and let yourself imagine. What do you picture as you listen to the music?

• After listening to the music, describe and discuss what you heard.
• Can you hear the marching of the soldiers and the clashing and booming of their weapons as they fight?

Read the list of adjectives. Select those that describe the music or think up additional adjectives.

• Cheerful
• Mournful
• Soft
• Noisy
• Vivacious
• Soothing
• Eerie
• Threatening
• Surreal
• Whimsical
• Rhythmic
• Grand

Activity 3: Study the Painting of the Roman God Mars

Examine the painting paired with the music.

• After you study the painting, narrate the scene shown in the painting aloud using your own words.
• Describe how the painting relates to the music.

Activity 4: Study the Photograph of the Planet Mars

Examine the photograph of the planet below while listening to the music.

• After you study the photograph, describe the planet's appearance in your own words.
• Describe how the photograph relates to the music.

Review

Question 1

What is the title of the music?

1 / 5

Answer 1

The title is 'The Planets - Mars.'

1 / 5

Question 2

Who composed the music?

2 / 5

Answer 2

The composer is Gustav Holst.

2 / 5

Question 3

Which planet in our solar system is the fourth closest to the sun?

3 / 5

Answer 3

Mars is the fourth closest planet to the sun.

3 / 5

Question 4

Which planet in our solar system has red soil due to the presence of Iron Oxide?

4 / 5

Answer 4

Mars has red soil due to the presence of Iron Oxide.

4 / 5

Question 5

Would you want to live on Mars? Why or why not?

5 / 5

Answer 5

If you had the proper equipment and were adventurous, you might want to live on Mars. Of all the planets other than Earth, Mars is the most habitable for humans. However, it still gets very cold at night. Humans would need a way to stay warm.

5 / 5

❮ ❯

1. What is the title of the music? The title is 'The Planets - Mars.'
2. Who composed the music? The composer is Gustav Holst.
3. Which planet in our solar system is the fourth closest to the sun? Mars is the fourth closest planet to the sun.
4. Which planet in our solar system has red soil due to the presence of Iron Oxide? Mars has red soil due to the presence of Iron Oxide.
5. Would you want to live on Mars? Why or why not? If you had the proper equipment and were adventurous, you might want to live on Mars. Of all the planets other than Earth, Mars is the most habitable for humans. However, it still gets very cold at night. Humans would need a way to stay warm.

References

'Gustav Holst.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.

'The Planets.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.