Gustav Holst : The Planets

Gustav HOLST The Planets, Op. 32. Selections (1914-1916)

Mars, the Bringer of War - Venus, the Bringer of Peace - Uranus, the Magician - Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age - Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity

Given that his father, grandfather and great grandfather were all professional musicians, it's neither surprising that English composer, conductor, trombonist, organist and teacher Gustav Holst likewise entered "the family business," nor that he passed it on to his only child (and chief biographer), Imogen. But it might be surprising to realize that the composer of The Planets also wrote over 200 other works.

If you're Episcopalian -- or have watched a PBS holiday special -- you no doubt are familiar with Holst's Christmas hymn, In the Bleak Midwinter. If by smaller chance you've found yourself in the midst of a symphonic band you might have heard his Suites for Military Band, Op. 28 (1909-11), which, without hyperbole, elevated and revolutionized band music as a genre. Otherwise, The Planets is pretty much Holst's only work that gets serious exposure.

Holst's original title for his suite was Seven Pieces for Large Orchestra, the pieces being: 1. Mars, the Bringer of War; 2. Venus, the Bringer of Peace; 3. Mercury, the Winged Messenger; 4. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity; 5. Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age; 6. Uranus, the Magician; and, 7. Neptune, the Mystic. Just before the first performance Holst renamed the suite The Planets, making it clearer that his music relates to the zodiac, not to Roman mythology. (FYI: "Earth" was omitted because it has no astrological significance. "Pluto" wasn't omitted--it wasn't discovered until 1930, although its presence as "Planet X" had been theorized; ironically, and to the relief of Holst fans, in 2006 Pluto was down-graded to "ex-planet.")

Thanks to the generosity of composer and impresario Balfour Gardiner, the first performance of The Planets was during a private concert on September 29, 1918. World War I had been raging for four painful years, so when Holst's Mars, the Bringer of War came barreling over the listeners they must have felt that the composer was responding to the horror consuming them. But the Mars movement actually had been finished by Easter 1914, before war was declared in August, and the genesis can be traced back even a year earlier. As the story goes, in the spring of 1913 Balfour took Gustav on a trip to Majorca along with the Bax brothers: composer Arnold and writer Clifford. Clifford introduced Gustav to astrology, which became Holst's "pet vice," as well as the inspiration for the seven-movement suite that brought the composer international recognition.

Concerning the five movements featured here, Mars, the Bringer of War is dominated by a relentless rhythmic pattern in 5/4 time, and illustrates the brutal "stupidity" of war, as Holst put it. In complete contrast, Venus, the Bringer of Peace paints a picture of serene tranquility, forgoing blaring brass and beating drums for delicate woodwinds and solo strings interlaced with harp and celesta. Uranus, the Magician is a boisterous scherzo reminiscent of the sometimes menacing magic of Dukas' The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Moving like solemn clockwork, in Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age we find ourselves dragged along by the inevitable passage of time, eventually emerging from anxious confusion into resignation and acceptance; among all the movements Saturn was Holst's personal favorite. The favorite of nearly everyone else is Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity, which enters like a generous Santa bearing gifts of folk-like tunes, with a big, very English hymn in the middle.

When The Planets became a worldwide sensation Holst became an international celebrity, something the shy composer was ill-equipped to handle. Holst came to resent the work that eclipsed the rest of his output--but boo-hoo. Most composers would give their tutti for a work still popular a hundred years after it's written, and that gets them mentioned in Music History 101. Rather than complaining, Holst really should have thanked his Lucky Stars.