Touring the Solar System with Holst's The Planets
The Best Moments
The Planets, Op. 32
I'm Gustav Holst, and I'm glad to welcome you to the best moments of my suite The Planets. Here you'll hear Mars begin in a hush and grow into a crushing climax, Venus settle into calm, and Neptune fade away into a silence of distant voices. My fellow composers and I also teach you on this site to recognize our pieces when you hear them, so come and give the Trainer a go .
---
A Polite Knock Before the Battle
I begin Mars very quietly, with the strings tapping on their strings with the wood of the bow while a harp and percussion creep in, so the god of war arrives like a neighbour who has come to complain about the noise. The beat comes in groups of five, which is an awkward number to march to, and I wrote it in mid-1914 before the war began, so please don't credit me with predicting anything.
The Library of the Gods
I open Venus with a solo horn calling out a theme, and the flutes and oboes answer it as politely as people whispering in a library. After all the stomping in Mars, a solo violin then takes up a second theme, and I promise that nobody in this movement raises their voice.
A Messenger With No Time to Chat
I wrote Mercury last, in early 1916, and it turned out to be the shortest movement of the lot, so the messenger has barely time to say hello. The music plays B-flat major and E major against each other, which is a bit like a courier who can't decide which door to knock on, while the solo violin, high harp, flute and glockenspiel flutter about.
Everybody Is Invited
I open Jupiter at a brisk, playful pace marked Allegro giocoso, which is simply a fancy way of saying fast and cheerful. Further on comes a grand, slow tune that I turned into the hymn tune "Thaxted" in 1921, but at the very start the mood is that of a crowd that has just heard the party is on.
A Clock That Is Never Late
I start Saturn with flutes, bassoons and harps ticking away steadily, like a clock that has never once been late for anything. Then the trombones bring in a solemn melody, and Saturn is said to be my favourite movement of the suite, which I will neither confirm nor deny.
The Magician Clears His Throat
I open Uranus with a four-note shout from the brass, a bit like a magician clearing his throat before the trick. What follows is a clumsy dance that gets more and more out of hand, and anyone who knows Dukas's The Sorcerer's Apprentice will recognise a spell that is going wrong.
Please Close the Door Behind You
I open Neptune very quietly, with the brass sounding E minor and G-sharp minor chords together, so you're never quite sure where you are. Later, women's voices without words drift in from a room next door, and at the very end the door is gradually closed, as if the music has politely asked not to be followed.
---
Did you enjoy learning about the best moments of The Planets with me? I hope you did, because writing this music was something I did in the margins of a busy life, mostly at weekends and on holidays, between my teaching at St Paul's Girls' School and Morley College. Looking back, I'm still a little surprised that a suite which began as a set of seven pieces for a large orchestra has found so many listeners. I never expected the success it had, and I'll admit I didn't always welcome it. Still, there is something moving in the thought that the quiet ending of Neptune, with the voices fading as a door slowly closes, can still leave a room silent. Of course, we've only touched a few of the moments that make this suite what it is. There is much more to explore in The Planets, from the way I chose the order of the movements to the stories of its first performances and the people who helped bring it to life. There is also the question of how the music has travelled since, into hymns, film scores and recordings far beyond anything I could have imagined. If your curiosity has been stirred, I invite you to click on the links provided and carry on exploring The Planets at your own pace. Listen again with fresh ears, and see what new corners of the sky open up for you.
Recording: United States Air Force Band, Public domain
BackstoryListen Guide 1: I. Mars, the Bringer of WarListen Guide 2: II. Venus, the Bringer of PeaceListen Guide 3: III. Mercury, the Winged MessengerListen Guide 4: IV. Jupiter, the Bringer of JollityListen Guide 5: V. Saturn, the Bringer of Old AgeListen Guide 6: VI. Uranus, the MagicianListen Guide 7: VII. Neptune, the MysticMore about HolstLearn to recognize it when you hear it