The Symbolical Projection and Analysis of Gustav Holst’s the Planets

Gustav Holst (1874-1934) is an English composer and music educator who was active during the first half of the 20th century. Being influenced by the current musical approaches and socio-cultural conditions of his time, he combined traditional English folk music elements and the symbolic language of various religions and mythologies to create an authentic style. He was a very inspirational figure among his peers and also for future composers. The aim of this article is to research the symbolism which inspired Gustave Holst to compose his milestone work The Planets and to analyze how this symbolism was reflected throughout his work. Discussions on Gustav Holst’s life, his musical approach and the elements that impacted it are followed by a musical analysis of all the movements of The Planets, alongside their symbolism. The Planets is a very important example of how abstract concepts like symbols and thoughts can be fundamental musical materials in a composition. It is predicted that an analysis of the symbolism in this work and its role in the creation process will be important in determining the importance of intellectual elements in compositional methods