The Planets, Op. 32
Composer: Gustav Holst
Date of Publication: 1917
Depressed from his unsuccessful career as a composer, Holst decided to take a vacation to Spain in spring of 1913, where his friend Clifford Bad introduced him to astrology. Shortly afterward, Holst became obsessed with space and horoscopes. Because of his newfound hobby, he composed a piece dedicated to the planets — their astrological "personalities" rather than their astronomical properties. Holst first began composing The Planets for a duet of two pianos in his room at St Paul's Girls School and at his home in Thaxted, Britain. However, it was his colleagues at St Paul's, Vally Lasker and Nora Day, who scored the piece for him, since he suffered from frequent pain in his right hand. On their score, Holst left indications and notes which helped his assistants (mostly Jane Joseph) to eventually transcribe the piece for orchestra. The Planets' first performance would take place on September 29, 1918 inside the Queen's Hall in London during the final weeks of WWI. Its premiere was conducted by Adrian Boult at Holst's request and organized as a farewell gift by Balfour Gardiner to Holst, who was leaving Britain for Salonika to teach music to the English troops as part of the war effort. However, the Queen's Hall Orchestra did not perform the whole suite, since due to short notice they had only received the completed score 2 hours before their performance. Later in 1920, the London Symphony Orchestra gave the piece its first full and proper performance.
Fun Fact: Much like Rachmaninoff and his Prelude in C#, Holst eventually became tired of hearing his "The Planets" because it was performed so much and overshadowed all of his other works. He also refused to make an addendum to his piece after Pluto was discovered on February 18, 1930.
Suites:
I. Mars, the Bringer of War (1914) – A representation of the Roman god of war with a militaristic style using very obvious pulses and drums.
II. Venus, the Bringer of Peace (1914) – In contrast to Mars, Venus has a slower mood created by a calm flute and harp melody. The delicate soli violin passages represent the goddess of love.
III. Mercury, the Winged Messenger (1916) – Representative of the messenger god Mercury, this movement is brisk and energetic, using a high-pitched harp and flute to characterize the god and his work.
IV. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity (1914) – Based off of the Roman god Jupiter, this suite uses very grand and majestic themes, created by the swelling of the brass and waltzes.
V. Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age (1915) – Holst's favorite suite, it begins with slow and unsettling tones before progressing into a grand march
VI. Uranus, the Magician (1915) – Based off the Greek deity of the sky, this movement starts with four whole notes played by the brass (G Eb A B) and progresses into an energetic gallop.
VII. Neptune, the Mystic (1915) – The first movement that Holst used anything besides the piano for — he decided on using a harp because he thought the piano could not convey the mysterious and ominous tones he wanted for Neptune.
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