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Jupiter (The Planets)

Gustav Holst (1874–1934) · sheet music

  • Time 3/4
  • Levels 5–9
  • Passages 7

Your turn · both hands

 

 

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Gustav Holst, English modern (1874–1934). The reading release has 7 passages from this piece at levels 5–9; the reader above opens on the easiest, bars 7–10 for both hands together.

Practice the hard bars →

The hardest stretch is bars 3–26 at level 9.

Your practice path

Learn it the way teachers do: each hand on its own, then together, then the hard bars. Each step is a real graded passage of Jupiter (The Planets).

  1. Hands together · bars 7–10 level 5
  2. The hardest bars · bars 3–26 level 9

How to play Jupiter (The Planets)

  1. Tempo:The central tune moves at half the speed of the opening. Make that gear change clear, and do not let the broad tune creep up toward the faster tempo.
  2. Right hand:In the bouncing opening, play short, crisp notes with a light touch. In the broad tune, switch to a full, connected sound and let each long note ring.
  3. Left hand:The left hand supplies the steady bass and chord pulse. Keep it even so the right-hand rhythms can bounce above it.
  4. Hands together:Count out loud where the meter changes between 2/4 and 3/4. Practice the transitions slowly until the hands change together.
  5. Rhythm:The playful sections have off-beat accents. Tap the rhythm on a table, emphasizing the accents, before you try playing it on the keys.
  6. Dynamics:Save your biggest sound for the final chord and the returns of the broad tune. Earlier, keep the opening bright rather than loud.
  7. Practice:Learn the broad tune first since it is the simplest to read, then add the bouncing sections. Hearing the main melody in your head makes the rest easier to place.

Common mistakes

  • Playing the central hymn tune too fast. Fix: Set a slow pulse before you start and count in half the opening speed.
  • Playing the opening too heavily, losing its bounce. Fix: Lift the fingers quickly after each short note and keep the arm relaxed.
  • Losing count where the meter changes. Fix: Write the count above the changes and practice just those bars until they feel natural.

Structure: fast sections framing a broad central tune

A lively, bouncing section opens the movement, followed by a second theme in a new meter at the same speed, then a slow and noble central tune. The movement finishes on a short, very loud chord for the whole orchestra.

A · Allegro giocoso
Bouncing, playful music with quick rhythms and surprising accents. It asks for rhythmic precision and stamina.
B · Second theme
A flowing tune in 3/4 at the same tempo. The beat grouping changes, so count carefully.
C · Andante maestoso
The broad central tune at half the opening speed, noble and hymn-like. This is the part most people recognize and the part for legato and long phrasing.
Coda · Final chord
The music drives to a close on a short chord played triple forte by the full orchestra. Save your fullest sound for it.

About Jupiter (The Planets)

Holst wrote The Planets between about 1914 and 1917, and Jupiter was composed in the latter part of 1914. The full suite was heard privately at Queen's Hall in London on 29 September 1918, conducted by Adrian Boult for about 250 invited guests. Jupiter was one of five movements played publicly at a Royal Philharmonic Society concert on 27 February 1919.

The movement opens with a bright, bouncing allegro giocoso in 2/4, followed by a second theme in 3/4 at the same speed. Then comes a broad tune marked andante maestoso, at half the speed, which Holst said to represent the generosity and nobility people link with those born under Jupiter.

In 1921 Holst reused that central melody for a hymn setting named Thaxted, which carries the words of I Vow to Thee, My Country. Holst's daughter Imogen felt the tune was compromised by its later life as a solemn patriotic hymn, and Holst himself disliked concerts that ended on Jupiter for a happy finish.

  • The central tune became the hymn tune Thaxted when Holst adapted it in 1921 for the poem I Vow to Thee, My Country.
  • The first complete public performance of The Planets took place on 15 November 1920 with the London Symphony Orchestra under Albert Coates.
  • Holst thought it a mistake to end a concert on Jupiter for a cheerful finish, pointing out that the complete suite does not end happily at all.
  • Holst's own 1926 recording of Jupiter runs just over 7 minutes, while later recordings stretch to about 8 and a half.

Why the first passage is level 5

That passage is level 5 rather than 4 because its key signature has 3 sharps or flats.

The passages on this page include both the fast opening and the broad tune, which is why the level range is wide. Check the time signature before each passage, since the movement changes between 2/4 and 3/4.

Questions about Jupiter (The Planets)

How hard is Jupiter (The Planets) to play?
Its passages grade from level 5 to level 9 on Real Sight Reader's ten-level reading scale, so the full piece is intermediate to advanced reading. The hardest stretch is bars 3–26 at level 9.
Is there an easy part of Jupiter (The Planets) for beginners?
Its easiest passage is level 5, so it suits a reader past the beginner stage. Start with bars 7–10 for both hands together, the level-5 passage in the reader at the top of this page; it is level 5 because its key signature has 3 sharps or flats.
What key and time signature is Jupiter (The Planets) in?
The engraving on this page is in 3/4 time.
Who composed Jupiter (The Planets)?
Gustav Holst, English modern (1874–1934). Holst wrote The Planets between about 1914 and 1917, and Jupiter was composed in the latter part of 1914.
Can I practice Jupiter (The Planets) online for free?
Yes. The reader on this page plays any of the 7 graded passages from Jupiter (The Planets) in your browser, with an on-screen keyboard or a MIDI keyboard, and marks every note as you play. No signup.
Is Jupiter from The Planets the tune of I Vow to Thee, My Country?
Yes. Holst adapted the central melody of Jupiter in 1921 for the hymn tune Thaxted, which is sung to the words I Vow to Thee, My Country.
How long is Jupiter from The Planets?
Jupiter lasts roughly 7 to 8 and a half minutes in recordings, from just over 7 minutes in Holst's own 1926 recording to about 8 and a half in some later ones.
Is Holst's Jupiter in the public domain?
Holst's music is old enough that the engraving on this page comes from a source marked public domain, but copyright terms differ by country and by edition. Check your local rules before reusing any particular score.

Every passage, easiest first

The reading release grades 7 distinct passages of this piece. Open any of them in the reader:

Level 5
bars 7–10 both hands · bars 9–12 both hands
Level 7
bars 1–8 both hands · bars 1–12 both hands · bars 9–16 both hands · bars 13–16 both hands
Level 9
bars 3–26 both hands

More pieces to sight-read

Score: public-domain engraving from the corpus (pdmx), graded by the piano-reading-v2-20261023-identity-audit reading release.

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