GUSTAV HOLST
THE PLANETS:
5 facts about Holst!
He won a scholarship to the
Royal College of Music,
London.
Holst wanted to be a pianist,
but he a nerve condition that
affected his piano playing, so
he gave up and played the
trombone instead.
Holst was very interested in
old English folk music, and
often uses traditional tunes in
his compositions.
Holst was a music teacher at
St Paul's Girls School in
London, and composed
during the holidays.
When Holst wrote The
Planets, Pluto had not yet
been discovered. Pluto was
discovered in 1930 – over ten
years later.
Mars,
Bringer of War
Gustav Holst was born in England in
1874. His father was Swedish, and all
his family were musicians. As a child,
he learned to play the piano, the organ,
and the trombone. Gustav Holst studied
music composition at the Royal College
of Music in London and later taught
there. He was also a professional
trombonist. When he was a young man,
he travelled in the East, where he
developed his interest in mythology,
mysticism, and Hinduism.
In 1904, he began teaching at St. Paul’s
Girls’ School in London. Because he
was busy teaching, it took him 2 years
to write The Planets, which he
completed in 1916. He was a great
orchestrator, and wrote many pieces for
orchestra, and also for choir, a few operas, and even some ballets.
Holst also composed music for his school students to perform.
The Planets is a Symphonic Suite in seven movements: Mars, Bringer
of War; Venus, Bringer of Peace; Mercury, the Winged Messenger;
Jupiter, Bringer of Jollity; Saturn, Bringer of Old Age; Uranus, the
Magician; Neptune, the Mystic.
Holst’s music is well known for its unconventional use of meter and
haunting melodies, which are especially present in The Planets, and he
chose to base the “musical pictures” of this symphony on the
astrological nature of the planets. The Planets has become a standard
orchestral showpiece, and is famous for the evil-sounding rhythm of the
“Mars” movement.
“Mars” is a mechanized war machine, brutally
crushing everything in its wake. The relentless 5-4
rhythm ('da-da-da da da da-da da') and ruthless
brass sounds create the atmosphere of evil. In
contrast, “Jupiter” is a bustling fairground, full of
good spirits and bouncy folk tunes. At the private
premiere in 1916, the cleaning ladies suddenly put
down their buckets and mops and began dancing to
the string dance in Jupiter!
 Questions to answer!
1. What nationality was Holst? ….................................................................................................
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2. What instrument did Holst play? …..................................................................................
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3. Where did Holst become a teacher? …..............................................................................
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4. What types of music did Holst write? ….............................................................................
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5. When did Holst write “The Planets”? ….........................................................................
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6. How many movements make up “The Planets”? …..............................................................
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7. What is a MOVEMENT? ….................................................................................................
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8. Which seven planets are described in this piece? …..................….................................................
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9. Why did Holst not write a piece of music to describe the planet Pluto? ….......................................
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10. How does Holst give the impression of evil and war in his “Mars” movement?…......................
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Some other great music to explore:

Holst, St Paul's Suite Benjamin Britten, John Williams, Star Wars Suite
Young Person's Guide to the
The St. Paul's Suite for the school This is music composed for the
Orchestra
orchestra is the first composition film, then adapted as a stand-alone
he wrote after becoming Head of this is a set of musical variations composition. There are many
Music at St Paul's School. It was based on a theme by the Old references to Holst's The Planets,
originally written for strings, then English composer, Thomas Tallis. especially the Imperial March.
Holst added wind parts to include Each instrument or section of the
an entire orchestra if necessary. orchestra is introduced in turn,
There are four movements, all then all come together in a
using folk song motifs, including magnificent and exciting fugue.
the famous melody “Greensleeves”
in the last movement.