Gustav Holst :: The Planets


 

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Holst, Gustav
1874-1934
(b Cheltenham, 21 Sept 1874; d London, 25 May 1934). English
The Planets <1914–1916>
hidden female chorus (wordless) in last movement
Specific information available for subscribers.
Schirmer edition prepared by Imogen Holst & Colin Matthews; Serenissima critical edition by Clinton F. Nieweg & Gregory Vaught.
The parts are cued to make performance possible with the following minimum instrumentation: 3[incl pic] 3[incl Eh] 3[incl bcl] 2 — 4 3 3 1 — 2tmp+3 — 2hp, cel — str. Not all the cues are to be found in the scores, but a list prepared by Hitomi Tsuchiya Sipher that covers them all may be found at mola-inc.org. Some performances have successfully replaced the wordless female chorus with a synthesizer. The "bass flute" called for in the score is a misnomer; the part, reflecting British nomenclature of the period, is for alto flute in G.
A separate composition by Colin Matthews,
Pluto, the Renewer, q.v., is intended for use with Holst’s The Planets, thus completing the roster. (The planet Pluto was not discovered until 14 years after Holst’s composition; in 2006, however, Pluto was demoted to the status of a dwarf planet.)
Source of text: Wordless. Language: Wordless
1. Mars, the Bringer of War
2. Venus, the Bringer of Peace
3. Mercury, the Winged Messenger
4. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity
5. Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age
6. Uranus, the Magician
7. Neptune, the Mystic







Additional info
Contents—1. Mars, the Bringer of War; 2. Venus, the Bringer of Peace; 3. Mercury, the Winged Messenger; 4. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity; 5. Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age; 6. Uranus, the Magician; 7. Neptune, the Mystic