Not only is this movement calm and tranquil, but if offers a rest and an answer against the war. The second movement, Venus, provides us with an incredible contrast to the previous movement. The frantic scramble at the end of the movement leads up to the massive stabs at the end, which bring the whole orchestra together to create an exciting and powerful end to this movement. Throughout this whole movement, the music usually comes back to the first ostinato that was heard, this creates some stability. Perhaps not, but it does however encapsulate the tormenting and thunderous feelings of war and the devastating consequences. This movement was written in 1914, which does make you wonder whether this movement is a somewhat musical premonition of the war that was soon about to break out (WW1). These bursts also give an insight into the military feel as you can often hear fanfares from the brass section. As Holst has not used lots of different themes, more he has stretched and varied a small selection, the excitement from this piece comes from short bursts of sound, which are usually initiated by the brass. Holst writes this movement in 5/4 time, which gives the feeling of uncomfortable movement at times. You may be wondering why this movement always feels a little on edge, well it may be due to the time signature that this movement is in. They play a fifth interval, then drop a semitone, which is repeated throughout this section. Whilst the strings play the driving ostinato theme, the winds and brass play an equal-balanced motif. It’s techniques like these that make this music sound space-age and very modern for its time. This creates a percussive sound, which is very exciting and keeps with the theme of this movement representing war. The strings play col legno which means that the players play with the wood of their bow, not the hair. Perhaps the best example of this is actually at the beginning of the piece, where we hear the repeating ostinato rhythm from the strings – which drives and dominates this whole movement.
The music is relatively simple, but the way that Holst manipulates, orchestrates and colours the themes make this movement incredibly exciting. Mars is the first movement of the suite, and it is known for its power and strength. From that point onwards, he didn’t believe in astrology (apart from the odd horoscope reading) which is ironic considering how much joy this piece had brought to others.
Sadly though, with the popularity this work brought, Holst was dampened by it, and swore to never write anything like it again. With these new lines of interest, Holst started to learn how each planet bears a different characteristic in terms of astrology, and what this means within the bigger picture. Holst became interested in astrology through his friend (and later librettist for his opera The Wandering Scholar), Clifford Bax.Īs an astrologer, Bax introduced the concepts and writings about astrology to Holst, which allowed him to rediscover theosophy and philosophy. The concept of the work is based not on the Roman deities that they may relate to, but the influence of the planets on the psyche, which consequently makes this work astrological, not astronomical (hence why Earth is not included). Saying this though he was said to have a soft spot for his favourite movement, Saturn. This reception is rather interesting as Holst himself never deemed the work to hold much worth, nor did he think its popularity was quite justified. The suite was written between 19, with it still, even after 100 years, being one of the most recorded and well-loved orchestral works (especially within Holst repertoire).
The Planets is a seven-movement orchestral suits composed by English composer, Gustav Holst (1874-1934).
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