This week, we get to know Gustav Holst through his daughter's remembrances and Leonard Bernstein's interpretation of one of the most beloved orchestral works: The Planets (including Pluto)!

Gustav Holst: British organist, trombonist, composer, and pedagogue was born on this day (September 21) in 1874.

The son of an organist, he started his musical career in churches. He learned trombone because and enlightened doctor prescribed it to cure his asthma. Apparently, it helped quite a bit (with his breathing AND his brass writing, I'm sure).

He met his wife while conducting a women's socialist choir. He also taught at numerous educational institutions. One of those institutions appreciated him enough to build him a sound-proof composing room. The St. Paul's Suite was his humble answer of appreciation.

When the first World War broke, he was deemed unfit for service due to bad eyes, bad stomach, and the asthma that never quite left (despite his mad trombone skills). Surprisingly (or not), he began writing Mars before the July Crisis.

It was the brother of composer Arnold Bax, Clifford, who sparked Holst's interest in astrology one summer in Majorca. He went so far as to become an amateur astrologer, drawing up elaborate astrological charts for friends. In case you were wondering, I found Holst's chart. Pretty fun stuff.

At this moment in Holst's journey of self-discovery, he sought the insight of the stars. The traits of these astrological variables are what inspired this most lauded work in his catalogue and one of the most famous moments in Western Art Music history.

To shed some light on this legendary work and on the man behind it, I offer two perfectly packaged morsels.

First, pianist/composer Imogen Holst (Gustav's daughter) paints a vibrant picture of her father's development as a musician, a pedagogue, and a human being. His friendships, his influences, turning points in his career are all highlighted by this 1984 short documentary from Central Independent Television (now known as ITV Central) directed by David Dunn and featuring British vocal ensemble Ex Cathedra.

 

 

Second, in the final episode of Bernstein's Young People's Concerts, he and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra present the eighth movement Holst never sought to write himself (Pluto, the Unpredictable). By the time Pluto was discovered, Holst had become so disillusioned with the popularity of the orchestral suite that he bitterly dismissed any question of whether he would project the new planet through his compositional lens. Leonard Bernstein, however, takes a stab at it. I truly hope you enjoy the perspective and the interpretation Bernstein and the NYPO offer as much as I did.

 

 

BONUS: 8-BIT JOLLILITY
No Joke. Jupiter in its glitchy glory. Perhaps an acquired taste more common to those of us who grew up in the 80s. Still; it's pretty fascinating to listen to.