A T   C H R I S T M A S   T I M E   

 -   T h e   B r i n g e r   o f   J o l l i t y   - 

by Gustav Holst

"Jupiter, with it's ribbons of white cloud, it's mottled bands of salmon pink
and the Great Red Spot staring out like a baleful eye" 

ARTHUR C. CLARKE

And yet Holst called Jupiter 'the Bringer of Jollity' ! Which seems right for this time of year. 

The Planets Suite was first performed in 1918, The first complete performance at a public concert was given at the Queen's Hall, London on 15 November 1920.

At that time Jupiter had just five moons, as of 2023, there are now 95 known moons. The four largest moons of Jupiter - Io, Callisto, Ganymede, and Europa - were the first objects in the solar system discovered with a telescope. Galileo discovered them in 1610.

The music from The Planets Suite for 'The Bringer of Jollity' is nearly 8 minutes in total, while the slower middle section was later used as a patriotic hymn: ‘I vow to thee my country’.

Here's that section from Salisbury Cathedral with John Challenger playing the organ.

I came across this earlier in the year via a 'Drones fly through Salisbury Cathedral to Jupiter' article (click here) - again featuring John Challenger and filmed by Ben Tomlin.