Analysis Of Gustav Holst's The Planets Suite

English-born Gustav Holst was a late romantic period composer and pianist. Likely his most popular work was Op. 32 The Planets Suite, a seven-movement piece created for a full orchestra. Each movement was named after a particular planet, as well as a nod to Greek or Roman mythology. The first movement titled Mars, The Bringer of War, kicks off the suite with a fast and exciting melody. Written in quintuple meter, it catches the listener off guard and does a fine job of powerfully creating strong drama by using crescendo along with an ascending melody; the movement has a tempo in the andante range of about seventy-eight beats per minute. This particular movement has been the inspiration of many modern composers, most notably John Williams and his compositions for Star Wars. Although The Planets was written fifty-five years before man landed on the moon, it sounds noticeably space age and moderns. As it goes, this piece of music has had a lasting impression to current times and is quite straightforward musically. The song starts off softly and spares no time moving into its crescendo. Rhythm is initially created by the string sections and percussion instruments simultaneously. The strings accomplish this by using a technique known as col legno, literally meaning “hit with the wood”. The musicians of string section repeatedly bounce the

Many modern composers borrow from the Planets Suite, such as seen in nearly every Star Wars movie or space related movie. If the first movement could be described with one word, it would be anxiety inducing. By using a quintuple meter and careful use of crescendo and contrast, a dark kind of drama is developed through the movement. The quintuple meter is so effective in creating new and exciting moods, especially in the twenty-first century, as many people seem to be trained to listen to music strictly in duple or quadruple