Jupiter, the bringer of jollity

    Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, deserves great music to represent it. And “Jupiter, the bringer of jollity” will never disappoint you! Actually, it is the most renowned movement among the whole suite. It is so popular that some pop songs have been adapted from it. ( I myself even heard it from a car advertisement on TV once!) Maybe you will find that the melody has stuck in your brain for so long, and now its name is finally revealed.

    Can’t wait listening to it? The video is right here!

    The most famous part is 2:54~4:40. It is really touching, and reminds me that the true happiness comes from the heart which is caring, gentle, and respectful.

    As for my favorite part is –– the WHOLE movement!! In my opinion, it stands for many different sides of “jollity.” Like the first and third parts are really powerful and energetic. The middle is quite delicate, on the contrast. Sometimes, happiness makes us jump up and down. Sometimes, it let us feel relaxed in peace.

   

    Here is an adopted pop song from a Japanese singer平原綾香. Perfectly shows that music has power beyond nations and languages! Lyrics: http://mojim.com/twy105009x15x12.htm

    Click the “space school” below if you still have time. You can learn that Jupiter, the king of planets as well as Greek gods, has such influence on life on Earth. Pretty amazing!

    Hope you enjoy this movement and are less stressed out. After all, the bringer of jollity won’t want you have a long face!

Mercury, the winged messenger

   Here comes the third movement, “Mercury, the winged messenger.” This is the smallest movement among the suite. Since Mercury is also the tiniest planet in our solar system, that is quite a cute coincidence.

   OK, let’s watch today’s Space School!

   According to the introduction of this video, Mercury is thought to be the messenger among gods. And I found an image of this messenger on the Internet. If you are interested in Greek myth, you can click the website below.

From http://web.gk12.net/mm/WDprojects/Spring_2010/haley_research/gods.html

    You can notice that there are wings on his hat and shoes. It is said that “Mercury, the winged messenger” is based on the very wings, so agile, quick, and accurate.

    Listen to and enjoy it yourself!

    This movement brings up the feeling of light, careless, even comical. You can hear a few theme melodies show up over and over. And some of its parts are quite vigorous as well. It reminds me of a naughty elf jumping on and off sparkling stars, and passing through Milky Way briskly. Because of its fast as well as airy melody, this movement always makes me happier. The one ending sound on 4:01 brings a smile on my face. That’s all, see you next week!

Venus, the Bringer of Peace

  Hello! This week, we are heading for “Venus, the Bringer of Peace.” As the title, the whole movement is literally the opposition to “Mars, the Bringer of War.” That is, the melody is really gentle and graceful.

  So, let’s just listen to it first!

  Most of the melody is played by stringed instruments (弦樂器) to bring a peace aura. However, you can notice that the very beginning is played by a brass instrument (銅管樂器) ---- horn(法國號), and it constantly appears during the whole movement. Why do I specially point it out? Typically, brass instruments have a bright and strong tone and thus are often used to represent high emotions. Horns, on the other hand, have a warm and smooth tone, which perfectly depicts the felling of “peace”. Pretty cool, isn't it?

  Every time I listen to the movement, I can’t help but think of the beautiful planet spinning in front of me. Like a feather, I drift in outer space leisurely. And the delicate melody with steady tempos makes me feel safe in a cradle. In the end, the planet will be surrounded with mist and disappear as the music fades out.

  Now, here comes the interesting “Space School” time!!

  It’s hard to accept that a goddess of love is actually a hell like planet. All I can say is Venus is more than meets the eye!

Mars, the Bringer of War

    Hello! Today’s topic is “Mars, the Bringer of War.”

As the first movement of the suite, it was composed around 1914. Considering the title, some people think that the movement is a reflection of history, when WWⅠwas about to break out. And that adds more legendary to the suite.

Before listening to the music, here is a cool video that introduces the planet Mars.

 We can just focus on the beginning (0:43~1:07) that describes people’s imagination towards Mars. Maybe it is because the unusual red color plus often changing position and brightness, that ancient people regarded Mars as the god of fire, destruction, and, war.

 Now, here comes the music. Please close your eyes and enjoy it!

         (The volume can be so loud sometimes, please watch out.)

The melody is full of passion and tension, which makes me feel a little nervous. But that is not a bad thing I think. What’s important is the emotion in this music. It starts from a series of tensional tempos. Then the pitch and volume increase as the melody evolves. My favorite part is 2:50~3:10, where tuba(低音號) and trumpet (小號) sing with each other heatedly. Hope you like it as well!

   Just like the video says,” Mars has captured imagination of human throughout the ages. ” Mars did capture the imagination of Gustav Holst’s as well as mine! (maybe also yours? )

Summary and Introdution

Hi! Welcome to my blog “The Planet Suites.” I’m here to introduce one movement of the suites every week. Besides containing the introduction to the music, a post will also include a “Space School” video, which conveys science knowledge. Maybe you can find some interesting connections between the knowledge and the music!

  For this first article, I want to talk about the background of the composition and where I got to know it.

  During 1914 to 1916, English composer Gustav Holst wrote down the seven-movement suites. Each movement is named after a planet in the Solar System with the exception of Earth. Why is Earth not included? It is because the concept of the work is more based on astrology than astronomy. (However, I personally prefer to appreciate it through an astronomical view.) Another question might be brought up a few years ago is “the absence of Pluto.” The fact is that Pluto hadn’t been discovered yet back then. While Pluto has been cast out of the list of planets, The Planets Suites seems to leave no regret.

  International Year of Astronomy 2009 in Taipei was opened by the very orchestral suites, and that was when I first heard of it. To tell the truth, I was originally interested only in astronomy. But the music was just too amazing to be overlooked!

  The video below is the theme song of International Year of Astronomy 2009, a cute

“A Cappella.”  

  Sorry for the weak connection of today’s topic to my blog theme. I will start from “Mars, Bringer of War” next week. Hope you enjoy it!