1. “The Planets” By
Gustav Holst

2. His life and major work “The Planets”
Gustav Holst
His life and major work
“The Planets”

3. He was born on September 21, 1874 in England.
He died on May 25th, 1934 of heart failure.
He was a 20th Century composer.
How old was he when he died?

4. His mother and father were both musicians
His mother and father were both musicians. This is a picture of his mother, Clara.

5. He was always sick, both as a child and as an adult
He was always sick, both as a child and as an adult. He had eye problems, asthma, and neuritis, which made it painful to play the piano. When he became an adult, he usually played the trombone.

6. He was a vegetarian, never smoked, and never drank alcohol.

7. He fell in love with a girl named Isobel and married her in 1901 when he was 27 years old. They had one daughter, whom they named Imogen.

8. In addition to composing, he was also a teacher. He taught at St
In addition to composing, he was also a teacher. He taught at St. Paul’s School for Girls in London.

9. Holst wrote “The Planets” as an orchestral suite with 7 movements.
Do you know what a suite is?
A multi-movement form of instrumental music where there are unlimited number of movements with a unifying characteristic (i.e. key, style, theme)
At our Philharmonic Young People’s Concert, you’ll hear 2 of the movements.

10. Each movement is named after a planet
along with its astrological character.

12. Listen to this excerpt of Holst’s music from “The Planets.”
Mars, the Bringer of War
What elements(s) of music suggest war? Explain your answer.
Which two families of instruments do you think are used most in this movement?
What is a repeated rhythmic pattern called?

14. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity
Which element of music is the first to get your attention? Explain your answer.
How does Holst create the feeling that the sub-title suggests?
In the second section of this movement, why do you think Holst used majestic sounding music?

15. Create a colorful postcard (similar to the one above, but make your own drawing). Also create a colorful “postage stamp”.
Write a “Wish You Were Here” message as if you were vacationing on one of the planets featured in the concert. Make sure you give good details about what you’re seeing on your vacation.
Address it to the Musicians of the Boise Philharmonic
Have your teacher deliver it to your district’s music supervisor - who will deliver it to Musicians.