The month of March is named for the Roman god of war – Mars. And of course, Mars is the planet where the aliens in “War of the Worlds” came from. Don’t worry, though, we’ll conquer those aliens and colonize Mars soon enough.

Mars is awesome. There, I said it. Gustav Holst (1874-1934) must have thought so, too, because he wrote a kick-ass piece of music about it. This selection comes from a larger work called “The Planets” (what a bizarre name for a suite of pieces about Roman gods.) Seriously though, despite the astronomical name, the piece is more about astrological matters – think horoscopes. Each planet, er, god, has its own personality.[/twocol_one_last]

And I’m pretty sure that the great composer John Williams stole borrowed from this piece when he wrote the film score to Star Wars.

Q: What’s the definition of musical snobbery?
A: Hearing the “William Tell Overture” without thinking of the Lone Ranger.

This is one of those pieces that everybody just knows. You can’t avoid it – it’s in cartoons, commercials, video games. Gioachino Rossini knows how to write ’em; everything is clear and easy to follow – no tricks or games. It begins with a gentle melody that blows up about 2:45.

And go ahead … think of the Lone Ranger, and ride a pretend horse around your house, the office, or even around town. If anybody turns up their nose at you, just “neigh” at them and move on.

This is one you probably already know. Maybe you heard it in a famous war movie, or maybe you heard it in this triumph of human achievement.

Don’t let anything stand in your way this week! Turn the volume up and RIDE ON! (with special thanks to Richard Wagner)

(But don’t do this while driving. You will probably get a speeding ticket. Trust me. I’ve been there.)