AN ANALYSIS OF MOTIVIC CONNECTIONS IN

GUSTAV HOLST’S FIRST SUITE IN E-FLAT

Corey Seapy

In his revolutionary First Suite in E-Flat for Military Band, Gustav Holst

generates continuity between three contrasting movements by deriving melodic material

from the well-known opening theme of the first movement. Many connections to this

theme’s initial motive lie beneath vivid aesthetic differences throughout the Chaconne,

Intermezzo, and March. Each movement contains original melodies that evoke the

English folksong style, beginning with the unaccompanied statement of the Chaconne

theme at the outset of the piece. Examining the subsequent settings of this theme in the

first movement and its relationship to melodies in the succeeding movements reveals

numerous correlations to the theme’s opening motive. Its intervallic structure and basic

architecture permeate the contrapuntal material that surrounds the theme’s repetitions in

the Chaconne and the thematic transformation that occurs midway through this

movement. The Intermezzo and March each feature two themes, all four of which are also

intrinsically linked to the initial motive. Finally, this motive influences an important local

harmonic progression at the end of the Chaconne and key areas over the course of the

entire work.

The first movement Chaconne is a continuous variation form that consists of

sixteen surface-level statements of the 8-bar theme shown in Example 1.1

Example 1: Unaccompanied Chaconne theme featuring opening motive (Mvmt. 1, mm. 1-8)

euph,  tuba,  bass  

1   5  

 

After this initial iteration, which implies Eb major, eight consecutive variations take place

featuring strict thematic repetitions in Eb major (mm. 9-72). The ninth and tenth

variations (mm.73-88), in C minor and C Aeolian respectively, contain the primary theme

in inversion and mark a distinct change in character. When the Chaconne theme regains

its original profile, it arrives in the trombones up a major third (G Phrygian; mm. 89-96)

before returning to Eb major and strict repetitions for variations 12-14 (mm. 97-121). The

final variation (mm. 122-131) transcends the home key to appear in Bb Mixolydian and

includes a concluding cadential extension.

The repetition of the theme in its original form (mm. 9-72) provides a structural

basis for continuity within the movement, as expected in a chaconne, while presenting

many possibilities for motivic connections on the surface level. One such example occurs

in the first variation (mm. 9-16), in which the countermelody draws heavily upon the

opening motive of the Chaconne theme (Eb-F-C-Bb; highlighted in Example 1). As

Example 2 demonstrates, the primary contrapuntal voice (1st cornet) contains two

structural suspensions (G-F, Bb-Ab) and a metrically accented escape tone (Bb-Eb).

Example 2: Primary countermelody over chaconne theme (Mvmt. 1, mm. 9-16)

The first suspension resolves stepwise down to F, reflecting the inversion of the

theme’s opening interval, while the second suspension begins on the Bb that the opening

motive achieves, and resolves by step again. These two suspensions are separated by the

very Eb-F that begins the theme, all of which reinforces the importance of the Chaconne

theme’s initial stepwise motion. In lieu of a third suspension, Holst resolves the cornet’s

2nd/3rd  tbn  

1st  cornet  

9   13  

 

lingering Bb in mm. 12-13 down a fifth to the tonic Eb, reflecting the inversion of the

middle interval of the thematic motive (F-C) and the motive’s overall motion from Eb to

Bb. Thus, in the work’s first three structural contrapuntal motives, Holst utilizes the three

intervals contained in the theme’s initial motive (second, fifth, second), rearranging their

order and employing inversion to accomplish effective voice leading.

An expanded version of this countermelody reappears in the triumphant

fourteenth variation (Maestoso; mm. 114-121), as shown in Example 3. It begins with the

same G-F suspension, followed this time by a structural chord tone Eb that moves

stepwise to D and through a passing C to the Bb escape tone. The Bb resolves again by

descending fifth (and ascending fourth in the lower 1st cornet part) to Eb before the

countermelody concludes with a suspended Eb moving to D.

Example 3: Primary countermelody over chaconne theme (Mvmt. 1, mm. 114-120)

Here descending seconds and a fifth drive the counterpoint again, but this time the

entire opening motive is also embedded in the structural pitches of the countermelody.

Though it resolves a local suspension, the countermelody’s F in m. 114 can be heard as

an abrupt departure from the tonic Eb chord that has been anticipated by a dominant Bb

pedal spanning the entirety of the twelfth and thirteenth variations that precede this

section (mm. 97-113). The Eb from the opening motive appears out of order in the

countermelody, but can be heard as a distinct arrival, emphasized by the leap in register

and the fact that it represents new material when compared to the parallel countermelody

1st  cornet  

low  brass/ww   114   117  

 

in mm. 9-16. After the countermelody descends to D, prolonged by a neighboring C as

anticipated according to its sequential nature, it unexpectedly moves through C to get to

its destination Bb. This C marks an important departure, breaking the sequence (a half

note D would be expected) in order to arrive at the Bb via stepwise descent. This Bb is

also reinforced as a strong arrival through voicing (the extreme high register of the

piccolo, flute, and trumpet) and octave doubling. It completes its local function as an

escape tone by skipping down a fifth to Eb, which will become a suspension at the end of

this countermelody and a pedal tone under the final variation.

Throughout these two parallel countermelodies, Holst relies on the basic

architecture of the opening motive (and much of the Chaconne theme), alternating

stepwise motion with dramatic skips, to achieve his contrapuntal goals. Moreover, he

manipulates the motive’s intervallic content, seconds and a fifth, to relate the

countermelodies back to the motive from which they are derived and over which they are

layered. In the expanded countermelody that occurs during the penultimate Chaconne

variation, he integrates the pitches of the initial motive and preserves their basic

functions: departure to F, arrival of Eb (displaced), departure from C, and arrival of Bb.

The structural importance of the opening motive is also revealed in the

Chaconne’s ninth and tenth variations (mm. 73-88), both of which feature the theme in

inversion as shown in Example 4. They arrive in sharp relief, following nine

uninterrupted strict iterations of the Chaconne theme (mm. 1-72) and the work’s first

closed cadence in Eb (mm. 71-72). Variation nine occurs in C minor and introduces the

new melodic contour, while variation ten sounds in C Aeolian over a plodding hemiola

bass line, concluding with the first rhythmic modification to the theme.

 

Example 4: Inverted chaconne theme (Mvmt. 1, mm. 73-80)

These diatonic inversions begin on Eb and maintain the exact intervallic

relationships of the original theme until the final skip: a descending 5th instead of the

expected 4th. By modifying this interval only, Holst derives a new melody that begins and

ends with the same succession of intervals found in the opening Chaconne motive

(second, fifth). The two resulting patterns, Eb-D-G and C-D-G highlighted in Example 4,

have important implications.

The pattern that concludes this melody arrives on a G (m. 79 and m. 87) that

serves multiple connective purposes. Most immediately it functions as the root of the

dominant chord in the local C minor, moving authentically to the C minor chord that

initiates the second inverted statement in C Aeolian (mm. 79-80). At the end of this

variation, the same G functions as a common tone with the first pitch of the subsequent

melody: the chaconne theme, no longer inverted, in G Phrygian, as shown in Example 5.

Example 5: Common tone G connecting Variations 10 and 11 (Mvmt. 1, mm. 85-90)

Variation 11 (mm. 89-96), with G as its starting point and tonal center, resumes

the non-inverted contour of the original theme and concludes on D, which leads easily

back to Eb by step (mm. 95-96). Thus, by modifying the final interval of the inverted

variations to reflect the intervals in the opening motive of the Chaconne theme, Holst

1st/3rd  cl,  alto  sax,  1st/2nd  horn  

cornet,  euph  

tbns  

73   76  

85   89  

 

generates seamless transitions within the contrasting middle section of the first movement.

In doing so, he further reinforces the pervasive influence of the motive’s intervallic

content and its initial gesture, a second followed by a fifth.

The structural implications of the inverted theme’s opening three notes (Eb-D-G

in mm. 72-73 and mm. 80-81) are no less significant, but an exploration involves moving

beyond the Chaconne. The introduction to the final movement, March, includes this

motive three consecutive times, sounding one octave lower each time, as displayed in

Example 6.

Example 6: Introduction and beginning of first theme (Mvmt. 3, mm. 1-8)

The jarring bass drum solo that punctuates the introduction is followed by the first

of two main themes in the movement: a pronounced C minor melody in the 1st cornet that

begins G-F-C (mm. 4-5). This initiation relates to the introduction on the surface, and to

the Chaconne inversion, due to its familiar architecture of a descending step followed by

a descending skip. Further investigation reveals direct tonal connections to the original

Chaconne motive as well. Like the motive, the March melody moves from its anacrusis

(in this case G) to F then C, while the bass line and corresponding harmony move from

Eb to F before arriving on Bb in m. 6, as highlighted above in Example 6. In a short span,

Holst sets a new theme in motion while relating it to both the inverted and original

versions of the Chaconne motive.

cornet,  tpt  

horn,  tbn  

low  brass   bd  

1st  cornet    

tuba  

1   5  

 

Comparing the two primary themes of the Intermezzo and the Trio in the March

to the opening Chaconne theme reveals some of the suite’s most easily heard and

meaningful motivic connections. The Intermezzo begins abruptly in C minor, yet the first

tune starts exactly as the Chaconne motive does, with a pickup Eb ascending to F, then C,

only to arrive eventually at Bb, as emphasized in Example 7.

Example 7: Introduction and beginning of first theme (Mvmt. 2, mm. 1-6)

Holst masks this relationship by immediately establishing C minor to contrast

with the implied Eb tonality at the outset of the Chaconne and the definitive return of Eb

major that concludes it. It is interesting to note that his autograph score requests that

performers play the suite “right through without a break” because “each movement is

founded on the same phrase”.2 Following this instruction seems to further accentuate the

abrupt shift in tonality, meter, tempo, articulation style, and orchestration when the

Intermezzo arrives, all of which obscure the quotation of the motive that begins the new

melody. It is only the pitches themselves, the first three of which are played with accents

and reinforced by tambourine, that recall the Chaconne motive.

The lyrical second theme in the Intermezzo (L’istesso tempo; mm. 67-98) is also

related to the Chaconne motive. Like the first theme, it shares the Eb-F-C initiation and a

delayed arrival on Bb, as shown in Example 8.

Example 8: Beginning of second theme (Mvmt. 2, mm. 67-71)

brass  

Eb  cl  

oboe,  1st  cornet  1   4  

67   70  

solo  cl  

 

This legato melody has more in common with the Chaconne stylistically, but Holst

conceals its motivic connection when it is first heard by adding two additional pickup

notes that precede the Eb (C and D in mm. 67) and rearticulating the F before the

ascending fifth to C. The Bb is also delayed even longer than it is in the first theme by a

scalar passage that prolongs C. Ensuing statements omit the extra pickups and begin with

the Eb that recalls the Chaconne motive more directly.

Holst’s crafting of this theme, loosely based on the English folk tune “I Love My

Love”, bears further investigation. The sixteen-bar tune is evenly divided into four

phrases of four measures each: A-Ai-B-Aii. The three ‘A’ phrases begin with the Eb-F-C

motive shown in Example 9, and are derived from the Chaconne motive in this regard.

The ‘B’ phrase also relates to the motive, containing its second-fifth interval succession,

followed immediately by a step-skip-step line featuring the familiar pitches Eb-F-C-Bb,

as revealed in Example 10.

Example 9: Third phrase of second theme (Mvmt. 2, mm. 75-79)

The final melody to appear in the suite bears the most striking resemblance to the

original Chaconne theme. The trio of the March arrives at the pickup to mm. 41 and

unfolds gently over the next thirty-one measures, facilitating both the return of a lyrical

style and the primary motive in its original, non-inverted form. Example 11 shows the

similarities between the beginning of the trio (transposed from Ab into Eb for the sake of

comparison) and the Chaconne theme, which include the opening motive along with a

similar descent to Bb, contour, and phrase groupings.

75   78  

solo  fl  

 

Example 10: Second theme - Trio (Mvmt. 3, mm. 40-47) and Chaconne theme (Mvmt. 1, mm. 1-8)

One of the most masterful moments of the piece occurs at m. 123 of the March,

where Holst layers the trio theme (now in Eb major) under the initial March tune, as

shown in Example 11. Doing so reveals that the two melodies are well-suited

contrapuntal compliments due to their motivic similarities and mutual derivation from the

Chaconne motive. Contrary and oblique motions prevail because the first theme is based

on the inverted Chaconne motive while the trio theme is based on its original profile.

Parallel phrase structure and arrival moments also contribute to the effectiveness of this

juxtaposition.

Example 11: Juxtaposition of first and second themes (Mvmt. 3, mm. 123-131)

Before this section, in mm. 89-108, Holst passes an ascending second-fifth motive

between the horn, euphonium, and trombone beneath the reappearance of the first March

theme in flute, clarinet, and trumpet, propelling this transition section foreshadowing the

merger of the two themes at m. 123. In mm. 111-112, he recalls the introduction and a

descending second-fifth motive in the horns and low brass before expanding it into a

second-sixth motive to build tension that leads up to the simultaneous arrival of both

cl,  bsn,  sax,  horn  

euph,  tuba,  bass  

40   45  

1 5

123   127  

fl,  cl,  1st  cornet  

bari  sax,  2nd  cornet,  tpt,  tbn,  euph  

 

themes. The two melodies finally coalesce in m. 153, as the second half of the trio theme

sounds in grand chorale fashion in the home key of Eb.

The primary material of the ensuing coda (mm.169-179) consists of the familiar

ascending Eb-F-C motive in the trombone and euphonium, a descending step-skip answer

in the trumpet, and a final gesture in the trombone and euphonium that descends (step-

skip) then ascends to the penultimate Eb chord via one final second-fifth motive in the

first trombone. Connections to the Chaconne motive are apparent even in these melodic

fragments throughout the transition and conclusion of the last movement.

The pervasive influence of the Chaconne motive also extends into the harmonic

realm. It guides the harmony in the first movement as it repeats, often in a predictable

manner with each pitch functioning as the root of a diatonic triad (I-ii-vi-V as in mm.

114-115). The climactic ending of the first movement, however, features a unique

harmonic progression with a hidden connection to the motive. The cornet and trombone

begin the final statement of the theme on Bb in the Mixolydian mode (with one altered

pitch, a Db in m. 123) over a pedal Eb. The tension generated by the transposed theme

against the tonic pedal is resolved through a three-measure cadential extension (mm. 128-

130) as shown in Example 12.

Example 12: Harmonic motion at the end of the Chaconne (Mvmt. 1, mm. 126-131*) *Some octaves omitted in example for clarity

126   130  

ww,  horn  

low  ww,  euph,  tuba  

tbn,  1st  cornet  

cornet tutti

melody:            unison                      thirds                        cm7    fm                        Bb      Ab                                          dø7 Eb                                                                                                                                        pedal  Eb  

ANT  APP  

 

Six measures before the end of the movement, Holst employs the entire ensemble

on the pedal Eb with the exception of the cornet and trombone sections. While the Eb is

represented in six octaves, the thematic material builds from unison in m. 126, to parallel

thirds in m. 127, to four-part harmony in m. 128 with the return of the 2nd cornet. This

moment also marks the beginning of the cadential extension, coinciding with the

expected end of the Chaconne theme. However, instead of immediately arriving at Eb,

Holst moves through a C minor seventh chord and an F minor chord in mm. 128, framed

on either side by massive accented re-articulations of the pedal Eb. In doing so, he works

backwards through the Chaconne motive (originally Eb-F-C-Bb, now Bb-C-F-Eb) to

move from the thematic statement based on Bb to the Eb resolution in the last measure.

The movement concludes with a dramatic V-IV-viiø7-I cadence over the tonic pedal, but it

is the unique vi7-ii progression in m. 128 that initiates this extension and provides

harmonic intrigue.

Finally, connections can be made between the Chaconne motive and key area

relationships throughout the work. The first movement features tonal centers of Eb (m. 1),

C (m. 73), G (m. 89), Eb (m. 97) and Bb (m. 122). Its overall journey from Eb to Bb

reflects not only the scope of the Eb-F-C-Bb motive, but also that of the entire Chaconne

theme. The Intermezzo begins in C minor and ends in C major, while its secondary theme

appears in F Dorian (mm. 67-98). Over the first two movements of the suite, the primary

tonal centers in order of duration are Eb, C, F, and Bb, again reflecting the Chaconne

motive. The March is primarily in Eb major and C minor with the exception of the trio

(mm. 37-88), which occurs in its customary subdominant key (Ab in this case). Though

Ab has no connection to the motive, it is interesting to note that it is the only diatonic

 

pitch that does not appear in the original Chaconne theme. The resounding arrival of the

trio melody in the tonic key at the pickup to m. 123, however, begins with the four

familiar pitches of the Chaconne motive.

The widespread and deeply integrated prevalence of the Eb-F-C-Bb Chaconne

motive unifies the First Suite in Eb, affecting much of the melodic and harmonic content

that follows these first four notes. Holst uses the motive to derive countermelodies and

new themes, then presents and combines them in an ever-evolving manner that propels

the piece forward. Connections to the Chaconne motive are embedded beneath changes

in tonality, orchestration, tempo, meter, and style over the course of three unique

movements. The motive appears frequently in inversion and occasionally in retrograde or

a scrambled order, further disguising its influence. The intricate manner in which Holst

establishes connections to the Chaconne motive amidst contrast and variety on the

surface throughout the First Suite in Eb for Military Band is one of the salient features of

this great work.

Notes

1. Holst, Gustav. First Suite in Eb for Military Band, Op. 28a, No. 1: Revised Full

Score based on the autograph manuscript. ed. Colin Matthews. London: Boosey

& Hawkes, 1984. All excerpts in this analysis are taken from this score.

2. Holst, Gustav. First Suite in Eb for Military Band, Op. 28a, No. 1. Autograph

manuscript score, 1909. British Library, London.