Behind the Music of Jupiter, The Planets

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This is a new series of videos called 'Behind the Music', where I analyse music from all of genres of 'Classical Music' as well as film music. To begin, I'm going to take a detailed look at one of the most well-known pieces of orchestral music ever written - Jupiter from Gustav Holst's 'The Planets'.
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RECORDING
• The Planets - IV. Jupi...
FULL SCORE
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#behindthemusic

[@michaelpeterson7506]

“As if we’re listing to something that always existed.” Well said! Yes, you understand why our heart is satisfied by such orchestration. Thank you!

[@michaelpeterson7506]

Which reminds me of your comments concerning the theme of the Grey Havens from the Lord of the Rings.

[@hleussaca7118]

The part quenches a thirst most of us don't even realise we have.

[@ryanchunkitkoh2503]

This channel is insanely underrated.

[@fiddleman19]

I tell all my friends about it, regularly. I love his work, and his insight!

[@TheMissingLink1]

Because it's intellectual.

[@ubuu7]

This guy is like a youtube version of Salieri

[@DawidDgk]

And it's .dead. He hasnt posted in like 3 months :(

[@Diego_Occhipinti]

tottally agree

[@jmyearout]

Holst's 1st Suite in Eb for Military Band, while not as gloriously majestic as The Planets, is to me another superb example of Holst's magnificent style of composition. The Holst 1st is one of the three or four works for wind band that are my "titans" of the genre. Love the Listening In page!

[@jayducharme]

I had thought that Jupiter was comprised of folk tunes that Holst knew; the music sounds so ancient and inevitable. I didn't realize he had composed those themes himself. What a masterful piece of orchestration.

[@magenta-rosepark4965]

Sounds slightly Irish with the "folk tunes".

[@lesleythompson6801]

When I was a child, one of the TV channels signed off at night with 'Section D'. I was very moved by it (the few times I was up that late). Not long afterward I discovered that my father had an LP of the whole suite. I still have it.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Great new format! Keep up the good work 😃

[@ListeningIn]

Thank you David!

[@oliverdiamond6594]

no way it's david! you should discuss the planets in one of your videos!

[@infernal2605]

Mahler symphony 2 would be a very interesting piece in this format, not only with the story but also the piece itself.

[@carlooliverolayta1552]

Agree! Also Mahler’s 8th

[@analysemusicale]

If you can understand french, I've made a series of videos about Mahler's Second Symphony, which might interest you : kzbin.info/www/bejne/jX7XZ6yGfZ6XZqM

[@waterglas21]

The last movement is amazing, the use of voices is incredible.

[@keepperspective]

Yes please

[@michaelschung]

Yes! So down for a monumental 1.5 hour analysis - and I'm not even joking.

[@fine9375]

I always tear up a little listening to 8:49 . I think it's because the music is so pure after the almost chaos that came before and it's a revival of what the music is about. At least that's how it is in my head.

[@overview007]

Interesting - the same thing happens to me.

[@kcammo2344]

Saturn is seriously underrated

[@waterglas21]

The ending of Saturn is top 👌

[@bovineking8927]

Those pounding chords in the middle of Saturn are underrated, even within the movement.

[@aloysiusdevadanderabercrombie8]

@hello Neptune is incredible. The rising choir at the end, almost giving a Shepard tone feel, just feels amazing. Tbh the whole piece is probably one of the best orchestra pieces in history. Not a single movement disappoints.

[@DeeCeeHaich]

I think all of the "planets" pieces are overrated

[@TAP7a]

@@DeeCeeHaich good for you 👍

[@waterglas21]

Wow great editing congratulations! Jupiter is one of the best planets in the suite, hope you can do a Neptune video in the future.

[@JakeSandersonMusic]

I know the theme at 8:49 is more popular, but my favorite part that always puts a smile on my face is the theme at 5:48. Something about the simple melody combined with the chords and trumpet counter melody really strikes. Well done analysis by the way.

[@jimluebke3869]

Doing the analysis as narration under the piece itself is a fantastic way of taking the music apart, while simultaneously leaving it fully alive. This is music appreciation at its finest.

[@DaeBenesse]

Would love to hear your analysis of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending.

[@milamorrison878]

Absolutely, me too, please!!!!!

[@rozzgrey801]

@@milamorrison878 Thirded!

[@PrestonThePianist]

This music analysis deserves more views. It's so well made.

[@braddelagarza2979]

I love the layout of the shots with the talent in a window, the notated music in the upper right (not always linear lines of music) and the piano in the bottom right. It's simplistic, informative, and easy to follow. Well done!

[@Trogdor98]

I get teary-eyed literally every time I hear the hymn melody from this piece.

[@SuperHorseSense]

It was 1918. Who knows what Holst knew or didn't know about the planets. To this day, no one can be completely sure of anything about the planets because we haven't been to them yet. But the ballad section of Jupiter is no doubt one of the moments he got absolutely right. As you said in the video, it's like we're "listening to something that's always existed." So many brilliant things happen in the fast sections, yet the slow section is the part everyone would recognize as Jupiter.

[@SoundManViewer]

Great stuff. Thank you. As it turns out, Mars from The Planets is, for me, the most impactful and emotional piece of classical music. I would love to watch your analysis! Thank you again Sir.

[@davidbeatty3540]

Beautifully done ... .40 years of listening to Jupiter and the most striking to me *still* is that tremendous slowdown (and key change) very near the end, signaling what sounds like yet another even more *expansive* version than any before is about to start. That it never 'takes off' into a full iteration or variation is still okay: the suggestion that more fullness and joy/jollity is about to come again is enough... (But I'd never stopped to think how the rest of the parts before that were combined -- and thank you for that!)

[@kylepetersen6520]

bro i just watch like 10 of your videos I a row, I freaking love you. funny thing about me and this piece is, that no one ever introduced me to it. saying oh this is an amazing song, rather I listened to the entirety of the plants and i immediately liked mars. well later I went back to the plants and realized this song was beautiful beyond words, at least words I know. this is the piece that truly opened my eyes to classical music or "art music" as it's technical name. sure I still listen to metal and psychedelic rock more but I believe I can appreciate this music, I once thought was bad and outdated. also love you lord of the rings videos that's how i found you channel. keep up the great work

[@liquidsolids9415]

Fantastic analysis. This is great stuff for songwriting - you did a wonderful job explaining how the various musical elements were constructed, and how they contribute to the message of the music. I really enjoyed your approach. Thank you!

[@zedhol]

At 11:09 where you describe the crescendo as "one of the most unexpectedly beautiful moments in music history" is so well put. I couldn't agree more and I have that piece on a loop to listen to over and over. Thank you for a wonderful analysis.

[@grantcleveland4506]

This is one of the most beautiful melodies ever made and the way in which its presented does so much to make it timeless.

[@annecosgrove2133]

Thank you so much. I’m a retired professional musician who walked out the door after 45 years, and haven’t played a note since. I’m pursuing other artistic creative avenues in quilting and a large card ministry. Hearing your analysis of “Jupiter” was delightful, and reminded me of how much I love Holst, especially his Suites for band. Of course, the I go down the Ralph Vaughan Williams rabbit hole! Thank you so much!

[@staceya5149]

What a brilliant analysis. As much as I can love and appreciate music like this on an instinctive level, having someone with your expertise break it down and explain *why* I love it makes me admire it in a whole new way. Thank you!

[@tommasorossi578]

Wow your Channel Is so great that i can't believe that It even exist!

[@opus1114]

I always dream of you analyzing the very last scene of Götterdämmerung. I can imagine your final narration drop as the redemption motif comes in for the last time (maybe with Kupfer or Chereau's production). Oh how I'm ready to cry watching that.

[@okanefuse1470]

I am so annoyed that this channel doesn't get what it deserves. These videos and all these breakdowns you do are so thoughtful and thought provoking. An eager to learn and discover more is what I get when I watch any of your videos. Thank you for all of your amazing work mate!

[@KitKombat]

Absolutely fantastic choice for the first of a new series! I'd be interested to see your take on Stravinsky's "Firebird" suite, especially the last section. It feels so simple with notes that are being played-it's basically a two-bar 6/4 phrase repeated over and over-but it's like an extended example of Section D in "Jupiter" with the gradual development and addition of parts of the orchestra.

[@legendofhearts]

I absolutely love the Firebird suite. We played it my freshman year of high school and I've been in love with it ever since.

[@q-tuber7034]

So well edited, love the seamlessness between the orchestral and synthesized illustrations.

[@tinysteelorchestra]

I was a bit late to this channel and i realise you may be busy elsewhere nowadays, but I can't tell you how much it has come to mean to me over the past year - thank you for deepening my understanding of why certain great music moves us the way it does. I am a songwriter but not a trained one, so your analyses are helping me learn more there too. Thank you so much 🙏🙏

[@limegreen92]

Jupiter is my favorite classical piece ever. It has brought me to tears of joy. I just love how you breakdown these songs and explain things in a lovely manner

[@sholski]

Very thoughtful analysis! I love this piece too, and one reason is that, for me at least, Holst evokes actual laughter ("Bringer of Jollity" after all!). In your Section B in the 4th pattern, the separated notes grouped in threes, especially the descending figures, call to mind "Ho ho ho!" in a jolly Santa Claus way. All the better to contrast with the legato hymn melody in the second half of the piece.

[@sveinungnygaard1505]

The planets was one of the first pieces of classical music i heard. I love the work. Amazing analysis as always

[@oibruv3889]

Mahler fan? Based

[@kidjecl]

holy heck this channel is pure gold

[@Sava12242]

Thank you for this phenomenal analysis, excellently conceived and executed! Also, thanks Holst (and the like) for pretty much all film scores!

[@TheKirbyT]

I was never any good at analyzing music myself. I studied the sociology of music because the theory was just too much for me to handle. But I love analysis being explained to me because I remember just enough to appreciate the complexities. Thanks for breaking down one of my favorite pieces of all time.

[@rozzgrey801]

Insightful analysis of the greatest of all orchestral pieces. I love the irresistible way the tempo keeps ebbing and flowing throughout.

[@capollyon]

Excellent job. It is unbelievable how underrated this channel is.

[@pabloramirez842]

You just earned a sub! Great job! I was a band kid in high school and I always found this stuff fascinating. Never majored in music but still super intrigued by all this stuff. I love this piece and I loved your analysis!

[@WileyLynch]

I've actually quit listening to music ( recreationally for my mental health), now I only hear it in movies, podcasts, outside randomly, or in video essays such as this. Such an exhilarating experience. Great channel.

[@Max-jf5vu]

Brilliant! Can't wait for the rest of the series, what a great idea!

[@leaf2576]

I'd love for you to do some Rimsky-Korsakov! I've heard him called the greatest orchestrator of all time, so it would be interesting to learn what makes him so. Some concerti would also be cool, perhaps looking at what makes the solo/orchestra balance work. Tchaik 1 would be a great one

[@Tylervrooman]

The planets is a complete study in orchestration too. Great video.

[@nicoledu]

this was a brilliant video analysis! im so glad i discovered your channel, keep up the good work, i cant describe how much i love these kind of videos

[@lovetheresarae7246]

I love this piece so much that I walked down the isle to it. Thank you for your brilliant analysis!

[@ellenmeilee]

So happy to have discovered this channel. Learning so much.

[@annaricketts3529]

Extremely well done! So nice to see you explaining it on camera! Have been recommending this channel to many of my friends recently. So excited to see the channel grow and for more people to be enthused by your wonderful analysis 💗 You are helping to make classical music accessible to everyone!

[@MercenaryLocusGaming]

This was my last performance before Covid hit. One of my favorite pieces to play horn on might honestly be the only reason that I play professionally

[@derekporter5333]

I remember playing this song on my high school trip to Japan. In the trombone section. This song stood out the most to me out of everything I played in my 7 year band career. Absolutely beautiful!

[@fiddleman19]

I love this!! You have a fantastic way of getting nerdy with the score, without being dry and boring in your presentation. Top notch! My recommendation for your next video would be one of these 3: 1. Scheherazade 2. Dvorak's 9th 3. Rachmaninov's 1st

[@vikifrohlich6188]

This channel is more than amazing!! I really miss your videos!

[@TomHawkComposer]

Fantastic analysis! One of my absolute favourite pieces of classical music that I still study regularly. Thank you for this, keep doing what you're doing :)

[@WeltgeistYT]

Another amazing video. I love your content. Wish I found this content sooner.

[@AltheFolker]

Really enjoyed that look into one of my favourite pieces; thank you for making it. Another favourite is Vaughan Williams's 'Tallis Fantasia'; it would be interesting to have a look at how he took one simple melody and did so much with it.

[@kjc2987]

Thank you for these videos (all of them - but this is one of my favorites from the channel!). I know you’ve moved onto other things, understandably so, but so glad these remain here to watch over and over 💙

[@MrClaudeholmes]

Excellent. The explanation about this composition composed by Holst give the listener a better understanding of this composed work . Nice work & very under rated .

[@mattjavanshir]

Really enjoyed this insightful analysis, thank you! The Planets in particular always gives me the visceral, nostalgic memory/feeling of rocking up to assembly back in Primary school!

[@tombruges1557]

Loved the pace and how the analysis almost ran at the same pace as the music. Just a few suggestions of the Rite of Spring, Prelude a l’apres-midi d’un faune, and it’s a bit of a stretch for a popular audience but the Berg Violin Concerto would be an absolutely stunning piece to do in a format like this!

[@simonrostis5580]

MORE! You are brilliant! The structure and flow of this video is excellent!

[@timwalker1432]

Ralph Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis would be fascinating, as would an explanation of why Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings sounds so sad.

[@jonocour]

I think this would be amazing as a podcast.

[@CreativeIsolation]

So nice to see your face! It’s a lot of work to narrate on camera (I know first hand). You’ve made the transition seamless. You must have an incredible memory. Very nicely done.

[@lindsaycole4077]

Joyous ending to Jupiter and joyous video indeed. Such an exciting series to come. I will wait with eager anticipation for your next choice.

[@zfrenchy1716]

I am subscribing, because I want to see more of this series "Behind the Music", on the mean time bring me back to love of classic music ...

[@sbeanlazeen]

This video is the best explanation of this piece I've ever heard. I hope you get the recognition you deserve :)

[@robertmcmanus498]

Yes! Yes! Yes! I’ve been waiting for this since I started watching this channel!

[@timow6929]

dude thats pure gold of work you do here. thanks for this content! Please keep it up!

[@knasigboll]

God tier editing as usual! I hope you get to all the planets. My favorite, mercury, seems vastly underrated.

[@Tateshi-Starwalker]

Love your stuff. Can't wait for the next episodes!

[@TheGreenLife]

I am so glad I found this channel! I’ve been looking for deeper analysis of classical and this awesome

[@JonDNelson]

I am indescribably impressed by your videos and I think this is my favorite so far. I won't listen to this piece the same again. Thank you for your hard work!

[@ToneCanyon]

This might be my favorite channel on the tube

[@corradoforza]

Love the new video format! 🧨🧨🧨

[@darrenvegamusic]

This series is so cool! I am learning so many stuff from your analysis. Thank you so much!

[@simonjohnston3100]

Thank you for so eloquently articulating everything I can't about this piece

[@jase6860]

Great video. You have really knocked the ball out of the park. Cant wait for episode 2.

[@mobyt.3900]

fantastic! great analysis, thank you for deconstructing such a complex work into understandable form!

[@paulh.gaston4795]

This is great! Jupiter us my favorite of the planets suite. I would love to see some more analysis of the music from Lord of the Rings. I know that you already did a series in it but there are so few creators out there who can actually create a good musical analysis of Howard Shore's masterwork. You are so good at this. I love your work.

[@ecoRfan]

I feel Jupiter inspired both Aaron Copland and John Williams. Really the whole Planets suite inspired the latter…

[@dandalf3853]

I love this idea for a series. I once tried to do a similar thing as a blog, but lost drive after about 40 posts as I was still only followed by my friends providing nominal support. KZbin would have been a great place for me to do this like you, but I don't have the video experience to do this. I would love to write for you if you want that, but nw if you want to keep this channel just for your own work.

[@ListeningIn]

Hi Dandalf - that sounds really interesting, and I’m sorry you felt you couldn’t continue with your blogs. Do you think you could send me a link to them via my email ([e-mail]) and we can maybe chat about things as well?

[@SoilRanger]

Or, alternatively, can you please post the link here? I’d still watch to the videos anyway tho ahahah

[@balboboggins]

Love the new format - well done!

[@W020-j9o]

Discovered your channel only recently. like finding a hidden pot of gold! Exceptional!

[@mikekrusz]

I'd love to see Handel's Messiah dissected like this

[@lesleylawson7075]

Loved this and all of your essays, but this format is a wonderful, fresh addition! It’s also nice to see your face! You clearly love what you do ☺️

[@gracepolak4464]

i’m so excited to see you do more in this series!!

[@bobindergrosse]

Now I can say WHY I love this piece so much! I'm an absolute noob in music theory but I just somehow loved this piece so much. Every bit of it

[@mac5565]

Excellent analysis and a really engaging video, as usual. I've been thinking of doing something similar to this for my favourite album (Yes' _Tales from Topographic Oceans),_ and some of the points brought up here made me notice a few similarities in the compositional approaches of the two pieces. Thanks for the inspiration to keep working on that, and for being an all-round great videoer!

[@neonom1024]

the last 10 seconds of Jupiter is some of my favorite music in all of music

[@madraven07]

A very charitable analysis. I know The Planets has received some criticism for the lack of development in its themes. I think you’ve referenced this obliquely, choosing instead to focus on its strengths.

[@iraeich]

"One of the most beautiful moments in music history" Absolutely!

[@stevesm2010]

I've always loved the Planet Suite since I was very young. My Father's favourite was also Jupiter and mine too. I really enjoyed your analysis, although I can't say I was ever jarred by it.

[@MarvelousNysa]

Great video! This song is what made me want to play the french horn, played for about 8 years and got to play this in orchestra

[@pandminoz]

Love this work and this piece in particular. Another brilliant analysis. I'd love to see you apply this to Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.

[@daregularperson]

Thank you for this video, I love Holst’s planets and Jupiter is one of my favorites from it. New appreciation is found.

[@hanbaltussen2165]

Brilliant as always. I am telling all my friends!

[@emanueleclarinet]

Thanks!! Awesome as always! Really appreciate your work!!

[@emanueleclarinet]

Also a little suggestion: Luc Brewaeys, Talisker. Look into it, you won't regret it!

[@LukaFric]

This is so great for us young composers... more, more!

[@HundPlaysTheDrums]

That recording you use is a brisk Jupiter! Never heard it quite that fast before

[@savvysounds6063]

This is amazing, exactly the kind of analysis I was looking for to make a Jupiter-inspired piece. Thanks!

[@captaincatchy]

Thank you, I enjoyed your analysis. Found this because I've just started trying to study the piece, and the things you point out make me admire Holst all the more. My only gripe about The Planets is that I wish he'd stopped at Jupiter (which would make it pretty much a symphony), and put the other three movements somewhere else. After Jupiter - the fourth of four perfect movements - you don't want any more, at least I don't!