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Learning about Holst
and “the Planets”
Name
Form
Gustav Holst is the name of the composer who wrote a piece of music
called “The Planets” for the orchestra that describes Space. There are
seven separate pieces of music in “The Planets”, we call each one of
these pieces a MOVEMENT and together, all seven pieces are called a
SUITE (which literally means a collection of shorter pieces of music
grouped together).
Holst was an English composer who was born in 1874 and died in 1934.
His father was a PIANIST from Sweden and both his Grandfather and his
Great-Grandfather were composers, so he came from a very musical
background. As well as a talented trombonist, Holst was a music teacher
and worked at St. Paul’s Girls School in London. He wrote many pieces
of music including pieces for choir, opera and some ballets.
Holst wrote “The Planets” during 1914-1916. He wrote music to describe seven planets in the
solar system. The Romans named each planet after one of their gods. Holst gives each
movement a sub-title. Mars was the Roman god of war and Holst calls his first piece of music
“Mars, The Bringer of War” and tried to describe this in the music as well as keeping a “spacelike” feel to all of the music in “The Planets”. Remember that this music was written nearly one
hundred years ago!
The SUITE opens with this first MOVEMENT – “Mars, The Bringer of War”, which starts off very
quietly and the DYNAMICS build up as the music progresses – in music, we call this gradually
getting louder a CRESCENDO. The next movement is “Venus, The Bringer of Peace” which is
a complete contrast to Mars and is much softer and gentler. Venus was the Roman goddess of
peace and love.
“Mercury, The Winged Messenger” is next in the suite and describes the Roman messenger
god flying around with his sandals which had wings attached! The music is fast and this is the
shortest movement in “The Planets”. “Jupiter, The Bringer of Jollity” follows and Jupiter was the
King of the Roman gods. “Jollity” is another word for laughing and fun.
“Saturn, The Bringer of Old Age” follows and is slow and serious.
Saturn was the oldest of all the Roman gods and Holst describes
this old age in the music by “plodding”, slow sounds like an old man
staggering along. This is the longest movement in “The Planets”.
“Uranus, The Magician” and “Neptune, The Mystic” complete the
suite. At the end of Neptune, we hear a choir singing to the word
“aaaaaah” which fades away into the distance as we move further
on into outer space……….and into the unknown!
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1.
What does the word COMPOSER mean?
2.
How many different pieces of music make up “The Planets”?
3.
What is the musical name for a set of shorter musical pieces grouped together?
4.
What nationality was Holst?
5.
What instrument does a PIANIST play?
and what instrument does
a TROMBONIST play?
6.
What was so significant about the date that Holst started writing his music “The Planets”?
7.
Holst wrote music to describe seven planets in our solar system. Which two planets did
he not write a piece of music to describe and why do you think he didn’t write a piece of
music for them?
8.
What does a CRESCENDO in music mean?
9.
What are DYNAMICS in music?
10.
Which is the shortest piece of music in “The Planets”?
Which is the longest?
11.
Which is the only piece of music in “The Planets” where voices are used?
12.
Holst used the names that the Romans gave to each planet as a subtitle for each of his
pieces of music. Match the correct subtitle to each of the planets, choosing from the box
below.
Mars
Venus
Mercury
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
The Mystic
The Magician
The Winged Messenger
The Bringer of Jollity
The Bringer of War
The Bringer of Peace
The Bringer of Old Age
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