The Planets facts for kids

The Planets is a famous orchestral music piece by the British composer Gustav Holst. It is also known as Op. 32. Holst wrote this music between 1914 and 1916. It has seven different parts, called movements. Each movement is named after a planet.

About The Planets Music

The Planets is a very well-known piece of classical music. It is played by a large group of musicians called an orchestra. Each of the seven movements in the suite is inspired by a planet in our solar system. However, Holst was not thinking about the planets in a scientific way. Instead, he was thinking about their astrological characters. This means he thought about the personality or mood that people believed each planet represented.

When Was It First Played?

The first time The Planets was played for a small group of people was on September 29, 1918. This special performance happened in the Queen's Hall in London. Adrian Boult directed the orchestra for this show.

The first time the complete music was played for the public was a bit later. This happened during World War I on October 10, 1918. The performance took place in Birmingham. Appleby Matthews was the person who directed the orchestra that day.

Images for kids

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  Gustav Holst composed his well-known suite The Planets.

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  Holst's special message written on Adrian Boult's music score.

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  A plaque at St Paul's Girls' School in London.