Yo Cosmic Planet Tour of Holst's The Planets
The Best Moments
The Planets, Op. 32
Yo yo yo, fam, I'm Holst, and these right here are the best moments of The Planets, no cap, deadass! You're gonna catch Neptune's wordless women's choruses driftin' in from a room next door, and then the door creeps shut till everything melts into silence, goosebumps city, bruh! On this site, me and my fellow composers teach ya to recognize our pieces the second they come on, so go smash the Trainer and flex, fam, ayo!
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Tap-Tap-Tap Goes My Brain
Yo yo yo, fam, I kick off Mars so quiet and sneaky that your grandma's fuzzy slippers are louder, no cap, deadass! It's a relentless 5/4 stomp, with percussion, harp plucks and strings tappin' the wood of the bow, col legno, like a skeleton drummin' on your front door, and then it swells up to a quadruple-forte wall of nasty clashin' notes, and I wrote the whole thing in mid-1914, before the war even started, wild, right?!
Nap Time For The Whole Galaxy
Ayo, chill, chill, chill, I swapped the war vibe for a straight-up nap zone in Venus, ya feel me, fam?! A solo horn hollers out the first tune in Adagio, flutes and oboes text back like 'sure thing, boss,' then a solo violin slides in with a second tune smoother than butter on a hot skillet, and the whole thing's so tranquil it's basically a spa day with a celesta, bruh!
Pigeon On Espresso
Okay okay okay, listen up, 'cause I wrote Mercury last, in early 1916, and my brain was zoomin' like a pigeon on a triple espresso, no joke! It's the shortest one, like three and a half to four minutes of Vivace in 6/8, with bits of B-flat major and E major shoved together, which is called bitonality, and that's like wearin' a tux and flip-flops at the same time, while the solo violin, high harp, flute and glockenspiel zip around like gossip at a lunch table, lowkey hilarious!
Puppy Meets Pizza
Aight, bust a move, 'cause I open Jupiter Allegro giocoso in 2/4, which means fast and playful, like a puppy that just found out about pizza, for real, for real! A second tune pops in at 3/4 like a party crasher with snacks, then the middle goes Andante maestoso at half the speed, and in 1921 I turned that big tune into the hymn tune "Thaxted" for "I Vow to Thee, My Country," so now whole crowds belt it out in church, crazy, huh?!
Tick Tock, Old Timer
Alright, gather round, 'cause I open Saturn with flutes, bassoons and harps tickin' like a clock with zero chill, and it's reportedly my favourite movement of the whole suite, no kiddin'! That Adagio in 4/4 creeps along tick, tick, tick, then the trombones roll in with a solemn tune heavier than your uncle's ancient couch, and it all builds to a triple-forte blast with tubular bells before fadin' out quiet, like grandpa dozin' off at the cookout, whoa!
Wizard Clears His Throat
Yo, I'm tellin' ya, I open Uranus with four brass notes that go BAM-BAM-BAM-BAAM like a wizard clearin' his throat, no doubt! Then a clumsy dance stumbles in, Allegro, and gets more outta hand every second, like a mop party gone wrong in the spirit of Dukas's The Sorcerer's Apprentice, and it blows up in a quadruple-forte organ glissando before it sinks to a pianissimo Lento, bye-bye, poof!
Ghosts In The Next Room
Bruh, I wrote Neptune with no tempo marking at all, quiet the whole way, swayin' in a wonky metre like a boat with a hangover, I kid ya not! The brass drop E minor and G-sharp minor chords together, so the ending's tonally uncertain, then two three-part women's choruses sing wordless from a room next door while the door gets slowly shut, till the voices melt into silence, ghost-DJ vibes, straight up spooky!
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Whoa, hold up, big dog, we just cruised through the whole galaxy together, and my head's still spinnin' like a dryer full of sneakers! Seven movements of pure cosmic chaos, and I'm out here gettin' all misty like a softie at a graduation, lowkey! So, real talk, did ya enjoy checkin' out the best moments of The Planets? Don't go thinkin' that's the whole buffet, 'cause there's way more cookin' in this suite, bro, and I'm talkin' heaps, stacks, mountains! Smash those links right there and keep diggin', ya heard? Go on, my dude, blast off, and say hi to Neptune for me, peace out, catch ya on the flip side!
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 know it the second you hear it