Planets, The

Suite by Holst for orchestra with organ and (in the final section) female chorus. The suite includes: 1. Mars, the Bringer of War; 2. Venus, the Bringer of Peace; 3. Mercury, the Winged Messenger; 4. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity; 5. Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age; 6. Uranus, the Magician; 7. Neptune, the Mystic. The idea of writing music on the planets was not new: Buxtehude wrote a harpsichord suite on them, but Holst dealt with them from the astrological aspect.

It was first performed privately at the Queen's Hall, London, on 29 September 1918; its first public performance was in London, on 15 November 1920.