The reason behind Holst's exclusion of Earth in his orchestral suite, titled The Planets, remains a mystery.
Gustav Holst's masterpiece, The Planets, is a musical exploration of our solar system that captivated audiences over a century ago. The composition, which premiered in 1918, was inspired during a holiday in Spain with Arnold Bax and Clifford Holst.
Holst's suite consists of seven movements, each assigned characters and subtitles according to their astrological meaning. The characterisations in The Planets have more to do with ancient mythology than the zodiac. For instance, Mars is portrayed as 'the Bringer of War', while Jupiter is 'the Bringer of Jollity'. These movements are among the best known, along with 'Neptune, the Mystic', which ends the piece with a wordless, offstage women's chorus.
Holst became interested in astrology and stated that he only studied things that suggested music to him. However, it's worth noting that many of the planetary pieces have more attributes in common with their Roman deity counterparts than astrological meanings.
The composer named Neptune 'the Mystic', and at the time he was writing The Planets, Neptune was the most far away planet discovered. Pluto, which was discovered in 1930, four years before Holst's death, was not included in the suite. Holst had little interest in expanding The Planets to include an eighth movement.
Interestingly, Earth is also absent from The Planets. Holst excluded Earth because the work focuses on the astrological and mythological characters associated with the other planets known at the time, rather than on a scientific or comprehensive representation of the solar system. Earth was viewed as the vantage point and therefore omitted.
Holst might have taken some liberties with the astrological meanings of the planetary pieces. For instance, 'I Vow to Thee, My Country' uses the melody from 'Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity'. The composer became consumed with various topics that inspired his compositions, including Sanskrit and the stars.
At the time of Pluto's discovery, Holst was still active as a composer. However, he showed little interest in incorporating the new planet into his work. This was not due to a lack of inspiration, but rather a simple, logical reason—Earth was excluded because it has no bearing on astrology or horoscopes.
Holst rearranged the solar system musically to better suit his artistic vision. Despite the popularity of The Planets overshadowing some of his other works, it remains a testament to his musical genius and continues to captivate audiences today.
