What was The Planets written for?

What was The Planets written for?

Holst began composing it in 1914 for piano duet. The last movement, Neptune, he wrote for organ. He finished it in 1916, but audiences didn’t hear it for two years, and even then, never in a complete version.

Is Gustav Holst death?

May 25, 1934
Gustav Holst/Date of death

Gustav Holst, original name Gustavus Theodore Von Holst, also called Gustav Theodore Holst, (born September 21, 1874, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England—died May 25, 1934, London), English composer and music teacher noted for the excellence of his orchestration.

What was the purpose of The Planets by Gustav Holst?

Written between 1914-1916 by British composer Gustav Holst, ‘The Planets’ represents all the known planets of the Solar System seen from Earth at the time, and their corresponding astrological character, including Jupiter and Mars.

Why did Holst not include Pluto?

It was discovered in 1930, four years before he died. He wasn’t interested in writing a movement for Pluto in 1930. So, he didn’t. It was because The Planets Suite became too popular and people were not paying attention to his other compositions.

Did Holst orchestrate the planets?

The Planets, Op. 32, is a seven-movement orchestral suite by the English composer Gustav Holst, written between 1914 and 1917. In the last movement the orchestra is joined by a wordless female chorus.

Did Gustav Holst have asthma?

Holst’s health played a decisive part in his musical future; he had never been strong, and in addition to his asthma and poor eyesight he suffered from neuritis, which made playing the piano difficult.

What did Gustav Holst suffer from?

ulcer
Holst died in London on 25 May 1934, at the age of 59, of heart failure following an operation on his ulcer.

What is a fun fact about Gustav Holst?

Born in Cheltenham in 1874, Gustav Holst had professional musicians stretching back three generations in his family. Gustav hoped to be a pianist but was prevented by neuritis. He said that his right arm felt “like a jelly overcharged with electricity”.

Why is there no earth in The Planets Holst?

Holst excluded the Earth, because it has no astrological significance, and Pluto, which was not discovered until 1930. He died in 1934, but there is little evidence that he considered updating his piece. “The Planets” quickly became a beloved and influential work, perhaps the best-known piece by a 20th-century Briton.

What movies have used Holst The Planets?

Filmography: Gustav Holst songs

Soundtrack Movie/Serie Type
The Planets: Mars, Bringer of War The Quatermass Experiment writer
The Planets: Mars, The Bringer of War Quatermass II writer
The Planets: Mars, The Bringer of War Sherlock writer
The Planets: Op. 43: IV Jupiter, The Bringer of Jollity Knowing writer

What is Holst’s the planets?

The Planets , Op. 32, is a seven- movement orchestral suite by the English composer Gustav Holst, written between 1914 and 1916. Each movement of the suite is named after a planet of the Solar System and its corresponding astrological character as defined by Holst.

How did Holst score the planets for an orchestra?

When composing The Planets Holst initially scored the work for four hands, two pianos, except for Neptune, which was scored for a single organ, as Holst believed that the sound of the piano was too percussive for a world as mysterious and distant as Neptune. Holst then scored the suite for a large orchestra,…

Was Holst an avant-garde composer?

Holst was obviously excited by all these musical innovations. But that did not make him an avant-garde composer. In The Planets, he blended all these progressive elements and poured a generous helping of late-romantic sauce over it. Or did he write a late-romantic composition and liberally spiced it with avant-garde elements?

Why did Holst write the Mars and Jupiter Suite?

When Holst started composing the suite in 1914, the movements appeared not quite in their final sequence. Begun in May 1914, shortly before the outbreak of World War I, Mars was the first movement to be written and is frequently seen as Holst’s critique of war. This was followed by Venus and Jupiter.