Classical Music in Pictures Music in Pictures    

Lesson 9: Mercury, the Winged Messenger

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. The inspiration for this lesson's movement, Mercury, is the smallest planet in our solar system. It is the closest planet to the sun and it is marked with many craters. You would not want to live on Mercury. At its equator, temperatures range from -280 to 800 degrees Fahrenheit which is colder than the coldest temperature ever on Earth and hotter than the highest temperature on your oven. The planet Mercury is named after Mercury, the god of Roman myth who wore winged shoes and a winged hat. He was a god of many things, including messages and making money.

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.
Mercury (planet): The smallest planet and closest planet to the sun in our solar system.
Mercury (Roman god): The Roman god of messages and making money who wore winged shoes and a winged hat.
Crater: A large, bowl-shaped cavity in the ground or on the surface of a planet or the moon.

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

• Over the 7-week period, as you listen to Holst's musical suite, 'The Planets,' create a huge map of the solar system.
• Each week you'll add a new planet to your solar system.
• At the end of the 7 weeks, hang your solar system up, play the music, and unveil it to your family and friends.
• To make your solar system, either get one large piece of paper (paper on a roll) or tape or glue together several pieces of construction paper.
• This week: Listen to the music, and draw, color, or paint the sun and Mercury. Remember that Mercury is the closest planet to the sun and it is covered in craters (see picture below). Keep your picture in a safe place until your cosmic unveiling.

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.
• Does the music remind you more of trudging over rocky terrain or flying through the air?

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 Mercury

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 Mercury

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 - Mercury.'

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 closest to the sun?

3 / 5

Answer 3

Mercury is the planet in our solar system that is closest to the sun.

3 / 5

Question 4

Which planet in our solar system is the smallest?

4 / 5

Answer 4

Mercury is the smallest planet in our solar system.

4 / 5

Question 5

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

5 / 5

Answer 5

You would not want to live on Mercury. It is too hot and too cold to support human life.

5 / 5

❮ ❯

1. What is the title of the music? The title is 'The Planets - Mercury.'
2. Who composed the music? The composer is Gustav Holst.
3. Which planet in our solar system is closest to the sun? Mercury is the planet in our solar system that is closest to the sun.
4. Which planet in our solar system is the smallest? Mercury is the smallest planet in our solar system.
5. Would you want to live on Mercury? Why or why not? You would not want to live on Mercury. It is too hot and too cold to support human life.

References

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

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