December 17 is a day that I get to mentally relive one of my favorite high school memories – Saturnalia! For those of us in Latin Club, this was a day of great celebration. We were excused from class, and would walk around the school shouting “Io Saturnalia!” while pelting underclassmen with candy. It was a day of great learning for all.

Gustav Holst’s most famous piece is undoubtedly The Planets, a multi-movement work  which, despite the name, is more astrological than astronomical (think horoscopes or Roman gods). It’s a funny case of the large work titled after heavenly bodies, while the individual movements, like “Saturn – The Bringer of Old Age” bear mythological subtitles.

The music doesn’t tell a specific story, but instead paints a marvelous picture of gods, goddesses, and giant spheres of matter orbiting the sun. The work has practically defined what music about outer space should sound like, and its influence can be heard in any sci-fi or space themed movie.