Classical Music in Pictures Music in Pictures    

Lesson 15: Neptune, the Mystic

by Gustav Holst

Performer: United States Air Force Heritage of America Band

Directions

Study the musical selection for one week.

Over the week:

• Each day, listen to the musical selection.
• Read the synopsis.
• Review the vocabulary terms.
• Read about the composer and practice reciting his or her name and the composition title.
• Complete the enrichment activities.
• Study the review questions.

Synopsis

Gustav Holst's suite, 'The Planets,' contains seven movements that capture the spirit of the seven planets in our solar system, their associated mythological gods, and their astrological signs. Holst composed the suite between 1914 and 1916. Four years before his death, Pluto was discovered and was considered a new planet. But Holst did not want to compose a new work for the new planet (which is no longer considered a planet today). Holst became dismayed with the popularity of this suite, believing it detracted from his other works. Neptune, ice giant and farthest planet from the sun, was found using mathematical calculations rather than observation. You would not want to visit Neptune, because it has sustained winds of 1,300 mph and it is too cold. Neptune has faint rings around it. Like Uranus, Neptune is blue, but it is a brighter blue than Uranus. The planet Neptune is named after Neptune, Roman god of freshwater, the sea, and horses. He is also associated with earthquakes and hurricanes.

Vocabulary

Planet: A celestial body moving in an elliptical orbit around a star.
Solar System: The collection of eight planets and their moons in orbit around the sun.
Neptune (planet): The bright blue planet farthest from the sun in our solar system.
Neptune (Roman god): The Roman god of freshwater, the sea, and horses.

Composer

1. Gustav Holst was born in 1874 in Cheltenham, United Kingdom. See his picture below.

2. Zoom in and find Holst's country of birth (UK) on the map of Europe below.

3. He came from a musical family and was taught as a child to play piano and violin.
4. He suffered from poor health, including asthma and inflammation of his nervous system, which led him to specialize in music composition rather than performance.
5. Holst died at the age of 59 of heart failure following surgery for an ulcer.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Create Your Own Solar System

• This week: Listen to the music, and draw, color, or paint Neptune. Remember that Neptune is the furthest from the sun. Keep your picture in a safe place until your cosmic unveiling.
• Use your pictures to create your own solar system.
• Hang your solar system up, play the music, and unveil it to your family and friends.

Activity 2: Describe the Music

Listen to the music, and close your eyes and let yourself imagine. What do you picture as you listen to the music?

• After listening to the music, describe and discuss what you heard.
• Is the music bright and boisterous? Is the music mysterious? Is the music sad or foreboding?

Read the list of adjectives. Select those that describe the music or think up additional adjectives.

• Cheerful
• Mournful
• Soft
• Noisy
• Vivacious
• Soothing
• Eerie
• Threatening
• Surreal
• Whimsical
• Rhythmic
• Grand

Activity 3: Study the Painting of the Roman God Neptune

Examine the painting paired with the music.

• After you study the painting, narrate the scene shown in the painting aloud using your own words.
• Describe how the painting relates to the music.

Activity 4: Study the Photograph of the Planet Neptune

Examine the photograph of the planet below while listening to the music.

• After you study the photograph, describe the planet's appearance in your own words.
• Describe how the photograph relates to the music.

Review

Question 1

What is the title of the music?

1 / 5

Answer 1

The title is 'The Planets - Neptune.'

1 / 5

Question 2

Who composed the music?

2 / 5

Answer 2

The composer is Gustav Holst.

2 / 5

Question 3

Which planet in our solar system is the farthest the sun?

3 / 5

Answer 3

Neptune is the farthest planet in our solar system from the sun.

3 / 5

Question 4

Which planet in our solar system has a bright blue color?

4 / 5

Answer 4

Neptune has a bright blue color.

4 / 5

Question 5

Would you want to live on Neptune? Why or why not?

5 / 5

Answer 5

You would not want to live on Neptune. Neptune is extremely cold and has sustained winds of 1,300 mph.

5 / 5

❮ ❯

1. What is the title of the music? The title is 'The Planets - Neptune.'
2. Who composed the music? The composer is Gustav Holst.
3. Which planet in our solar system is the farthest the sun? Neptune is the farthest planet in our solar system from the sun.
4. Which planet in our solar system has a bright blue color? Neptune has a bright blue color.
5. Would you want to live on Neptune? Why or why not? You would not want to live on Neptune. Neptune is extremely cold and has sustained winds of 1,300 mph.

References

'Gustav Holst.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.

'The Planets.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.