This week on Classical Sprouts, we're going to space with composer Gustav Holst, as we explore "Jupiter" from his suite, "The Planets."
English Composer Gustav Holst wrote a seven-movement suite for orchestra called "The Planets" that was first premiered in 1918.
Each movement was inspired by a planet in our Solar System and what it’s like and what it represents.
There’s Mars, the Bringer of War, Venus, the Bringer of Peace, Mercury, the Winged Messenger, Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age, Uranus, the Magician, Neptune, the Mystic, and the one we’re focusing on today, Jupiter, the bringer of Jollity.
There isn’t a movement for Earth though, and there isn’t one for Pluto, since it’s not technically a planet. (RIP)
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and is, by far, the largest planet in the solar system – more than twice as massive as all the other planets combined!
It also has an iconic Great Red Spot that’s a giant storm that’s bigger than Earth that has been raging for hundreds of years.
Explore more about the planet on NASA's interactive website!
Jupiter is named for the king of the ancient Roman gods, who was the god of the sky and thunder. He’s the equivalent of Zeus in Greek mythology and Thor in Norse mythology.
That’s pretty fitting for a huge planet with a huge storm!
But Jupiter is also associated with abundance, life, nobility and generosity in astrology (you know, like Zodiac signs?) and Holst chose to depict those qualities in the music.
The piece has a few different musical themes throughout it, - themes that capture the astrological and also the mythological characteristics of Jupiter: some broad, expansive and grand, like nobility and generosity, and some light, bouncy and beat-driven, that feel happy and uplifting and full of life.
All together, movement is beautiful, fun, and fit for the God of the sky!
Listen to the full movement here:
Does this piece of music sound familiar to you? Maybe you recognize it from this episode of Bluey!
Classical Sprouts is produced by Emily Duncan Wilson.
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