Your Star Sign in Music
Holst's The Planets; A Listening Guide
I love a good horoscope.
I’m a Sagittarius Sun and Rising. And my Moon is in Leo. A scattering of other signs in there too, but I mostly skew ‘I love attention’ signs. I read about what’s in my stars regularly (shout out to The Cut) and know what it means to be a Sag. I also know that full moons can fuck you up and that when mercury is in retrograde you can just blame everything on that and every woman in your life is like ‘yeh babe that’s right, it’s mercury retrograde’. But that’s about the extent of my star sign knowledge. If you’re like me, you have your people you talk astrology with. And you have people you definitely don’t talk astrology with. My friend recently said to me ‘I find it interesting that you’re smart AND you’re into horoscopes…’. Typical Capricorn.
You know who else was into astrology? Gustav Holst.
I thought I would take you through one of my all time favourite classical music works. It’s a piece called The Planets, and it was inspired not by astronomy… but by astrology.
Gustav Holst was an English trombonist and everyone talks about him being a kind, humble and deeply introspective man. You might picture him from the outside as quite boring. But oh man, he wasn’t. He had a deep inner world, full of musical ideas and a thirst for experimentation. A man who was deeply committed to his music, and with a very interesting breadth of hobbies and interests. Here he is:
Gustav was a music teacher who taught at an all-girls school. At this time in England (just pre-WW1) women weren’t often taken seriously when it came to their hopes of being musicians or composers. But Mr Holst was like no, and dedicated his early career to teaching girls just as the world taught boys, seeing them skilled humans destined for greatness.
So good-ol’ Mr Holst taught music in the day, and at night found time for composing. You might think of him sitting at his desk or piano with pencil and manuscript paper meticulously writing notes on the stave, little cuppa resting on the stool beside him. That would be pretty accurate yes, but ‘composing’ for Holst, was much more than that. He was a man who went down serious rabbit holes of discovery, searching for ideas and inspiration. He was madly into mysticism and ancient texts and read DEEPLY of philosophies that were probably considered really whack at the time! For example, he taught himself Sanskrit (to a fully fluent level!) so he could read and translate these ancient texts himself to use in his music. I mean… MR HOLST, you interesting thing! What a Pandora’s Box of a person you were!
Anyway, so Gustav had written a lot of music by the time he started looking to the stars. None of which had been immensely successful. He didn’t like the limelight much, so he was okay with just chugging along with his writing, exploring otherworldly concepts in his dressing gown. A pragmatic dreamer I guess you could say.
It was 1913 one of Gustav’s friends introduced him to astrology and he fell hard into his new obsession. He poured all of his spare time into discovering everything astrology had to offer. Apparently he even crafted little horoscope predictions for his close friends. He wrote “As a rule I only study things that suggest music to me. […] Recently the character of each planet suggested lots to me and I have been studying astrology fairly closely”. What an understatement. He was obsessed.
In 1914 he started composing a suite of music that he described as “a series of mood pictures”. He shaped the movements around the astrological character of each planet and how the planets are said to influence human psychology. And he got super explorative with these movements, crafting colours with the orchestra that were so new! Not many composers at this point had been able to produce colour like Holst did with this music. Seven movements; Mars, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune (soz Leo or a Cancer! Leo, your ruling planet is the Sun, and Cancer your ruling planet is the Moon and neither appear in this suite. And Pluto didn’t exist at the time, which worked out in the long run hey).
He called the suite The Planets. For a man who was into the mystical and unexplained this title has always made me laugh. It is what it says on the tin.
And oh man. It was a HUGE hit. This work really catapulted Holst to composer stardom. But he continued to keep very quiet about the inspiration behind The Planets. I don’t blame him really.
So, shall we listen together?! You will need to put aside about 50 minutes to listen to it all, or just listen your corresponding ruling planet.
If you’ve never heard The Planets before, I’m so excited for you! I wish I could listen to this music again for the first time! Let’s make a cuppa and curl up on the couch together blasting this otherworldly bliss into the deepest parts of our souls. And if you’ve heard them before, maybe this revisit will reveal something new to your beautiful ears.
If you would like to subscribe to our little listening club I would be so honoured. When I started I said I would give it 6-months to write and craft playlists when I had the time. Your subscription would make it possible to keep writing and keep creating.
Here is your playlist! It includes The Planets plus a few extra Holst tracks for you to explore, including a very beautiful Ave Maria xo
The Planets: A Star Sign Listening Guide
MARS, The Bringer of War
Characteristics: Aggression, leadership and conflict
Ruling planet of: ARIES AND SCORPIO
Scored in 5/4, driving rhythms, big-ass brass, dark, foreboding, freeing and directive. The horn interjections have a way saying ‘trust me’, but the trumpets say ‘there is danger ahead’. There is no doubt that Holst here is channelling authority and confidence. And not skirting around the horror that aggression can lead to. Listen for the clicky sound at the beginning of Mars, this is the string players of the orchestra playing on the wood of their bows rather than with the hair! It’s a kind of bouncing tapping technique that is called Col Legno (with wood). There is something old-school army about Mars I think, with the repetitive marching patterns and snare. It’s a bit stubborn, no? John Williams definitely sought inspiration from Mars for Star Wars!
Scorpio and Aries, use this as your anthem, but be careful; too much sheer determination and aggression will lead you into danger.
VENUS, The Bringer of Peace
Characteristics: Harmony, love and calm
Ruling planet of: TAURUS AND LIBRA
Talk about Holst playing around with colour! This is such a beautiful combination of glockenspiel, flute and celesta. He is a painter of sound. Venus delivers tranquility and space. It’s not rushed in any way. Angelic, even. Solo violin and cello against harp and gentle low brass is just a shmooshy gorgeous space to be in. 1950s Hollywood is absolutely paying attention! This music is like chiffon in the moonlight. Holst declaring himself to the world. Don’t underestimate this trombone-playing music teacher. There is more to him than meets the eye.
I also think that Holst is telling us here not to mess with Venus. She’s delicate and calm, but she is simultaneously strong and directive. Holst demands you stay attentive to her. Taurus and Libra, this is your beauty reflected back at you. You demand to be seen because you know your worth lies beyond your beauty.
MERCURY, The Winged Messenger
Characteristics: Communication, playfulness and quick-mindedness
Ruling planet of: GEMINI AND VIRGO
This is a very playful trio form, where Holst orchestrates as though he’s watching birds flit through the trees or Puck in the forest (hi you Shakespeare nerds). Mercury is the ruling planet of communication, intellect and adaptability. These little flitty, flirty messengers are really delivering between winds and strings! They have important messages for you. Ones that will unlock doors for big and curious ideas. Holst knows how to manage a conversation, and you can hear that conversation unfold in the orchestra so spectacularly! But don’t take your eyes or ears of this number, there are sharp turns everywhere. Oh god how I would love to watch the conductor conduct this movement. Imagine how they would move on the podium, in a state of deep concentration but always, always playful.
Geminis and Virgos keep the world on their toes don’t they! Holst is like, I see you (he himself a Virgo!). He knew how deeply you like to be organised and sorted and yet completely out of the box and cheeky at the same time. Go play.
JUPITER, The Bringer of Jollity
Characteristics: Joy, optimism and heart
Ruling planet of: SAGITTARIUS (and Pisces)
You have truly arrived in life when you’re around a Sagittarius! C’mon. When a Saggie enters a room, you really know it. They are like sunshine in human form.
Holst making sure this planet was the most extroverted his orchestra could be! Big sweeping melodies that are warm and entertaining. It’s optimistic and plentiful. It fills your cup. Right in the middle of this movement the beautiful sweeping melody is introduced. This melody later became a Hymn called I Vow To Thee My Country (which is why you might also find it very familiar), set to words by Sir Cecil Spring Rice. But before Gustav sculpted it into a Hymn, it was called Thaxted, a title that referred to the Essex town of Thaxted where he lived during and following the war. It’s a melody that’s very English and very patriotic. But this is England during the war years when entire cultural worlds were caving in and humans were being sent into battle by the millions. I think what Gustav was crafting here was an antidote to the horrors of war; an anthem of optimism, combining Jupiter as a the bringer of jollity in an astrological sense, but also asking the question, what can humankind could learn from Jupiter in a time of war.
It’s majestic isn’t it. I’m obsessed with Jupiter.
SATURN, The Bringer of Old Age - Gustav’s personal favourite!
Characteristics: Time, fate and wisdom
Ruling planet of: CAPRICORN (and Aquarius)
Holst is not happy chappy here anymore. He has moved from the youthfulness of Jupiter to the sage of Saturn. Saturn is about a life hard lived, but well lived. A life that has spurned wisdom and cautiousness. The basses swirl away this whole movement, creating unease. It’s tense and unnerving, but somehow it’s trustworthy. I sometimes think of Treebeard making his choice to destroy Saruman. It was a wise choice ultimately, but one that had to be thoroughly dissected. Saturn is the movement Gustav himself loved the most; the movement he related to, even though he was a Virgo. I’m sure he knew how Saturn/Capricorn/Aquarius appeared in his star chart.
There is something about this movement I can never put my finger on. The genius of it escapes me. And I think that is why it is genius! Because I am young in comparison to the sage Saturn. I’m not wise yet nor cautious. So this movement moves against my soul in a way that can be uncomfortable. How does it meet your ears?
To me, Capricorns will always tell a staunch truth. They are steady and brave and wise and completely dedicated and committed. They work too hard but the rewards of their work ethic are abundant. The sage of a Capricorn distilled into advice can be hard to hear, but the worth of their wisdom is something that defies expectation. Listen. Be uncomfortable. Grow old with life.
URANUS, The Magician
Characteristics: Cheekiness, eccentricity and surprise
Ruling planet of: AQUARIUS
This movement is truly like being at a circus! Big timpani, fluttery flutes and the bassoons going OFF! It’s really whack. Holst when berserk with this movement, giving Uranus its own chaotic and magic energy. Big step-wise interval leaps make this feel like you’re taking the stairs two at a time, but instead of a normal staircase it’s a windy staircase in a haunted house, with things jumping out at you everywhere. Holst plays really nicely here with rhythms, lulling you into a sense of safety before he, BAM!!!, dongs you on the head with a giant plastic hammer. It’s macabre and fun. Then, just when you think you’re safe, he takes you into a snake pit.
Aquarius, you gorgeous little weirdo! This one is uniquely you.
NEPTUNE, The Mystic
Characteristics: The infinite, spiritualism and the Unknown
Ruling planet of: PISCES
Oh dear God, Neptune is my favourite. I feel like I am defying gravity when I listen to it. Like I’m no longer on Earth; like I’m Charlie floating to the ceiling of the Chocolate Factory after drinking Fizzy Lifting Drink. This is the most ethereal of The Planets. It’s earth-shatteringly beautiful and completely mysterious.
You’ll hear the sound of the celesta, mixed with strumming of the harp, long flute chords layered over a very very very subtle bed of brass. The beat is blurred. There’s tremolo in the strings (which is this technique string players use where the play tiny tiny tiny little strokes very fast so it sounds shimmery). You are floating, unable to touch anything. You are at the complete behest of the space around you.
So we have had an intense 45 minutes or so of music, and then…. the sound of singing. No words, just a hovering note…. Seemingly out of nowhere. WHERE IS IT COMING FROM?! I love this. It blew my little mind when I first saw it live. An all-women choir who are instructed to sing OFFSTAGE!! So what you get is this amazing humming in the distance…. Like looking back on Earth and witnessing mankind from space. The choir is the last thing you hear of the whole suite, fading fading fading into nothing… but a question unanswered. There’s no resolution. THERE’S NO RESOLUTION!! It’s bloody genius. It’s magic in music.
That’s what Holst did with Neptune, he made magic.
Love this, thank you.
Really interesting read thanks Megan. I also love Neptune . This is one piece that is best heard live with a full orchestra.