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!