Study for the Life in the United Kingdom Test. Prepare with flashcards and multiple choice questions, each offering hints and explanations. Get ready for your exam!

Multiple Choice

Which composer wrote a suite themed around the planets?

Gustav Holst is known for writing a famous orchestral suite in which each movement is linked to a planet and its astrological character, such as Mars the Bringer of War, Venus the Bringer of Peace, Mercury the Winged Messenger, and so on through Neptune. This giving of a planetary program to a single suite is what identifies him with a work themed around the planets. The other composers listed are celebrated for different kinds of works—Elgar for the Enigma Variations, Handel for Baroque operas and oratorios, Walton for later 20th‑century orchestral and choral music—none of which centers on a planetary theme.

Gustav Holst is known for writing a famous orchestral suite in which each movement is linked to a planet and its astrological character, such as Mars the Bringer of War, Venus the Bringer of Peace, Mercury the Winged Messenger, and so on through Neptune. This giving of a planetary program to a single suite is what identifies him with a work themed around the planets. The other composers listed are celebrated for different kinds of works—Elgar for the Enigma Variations, Handel for Baroque operas and oratorios, Walton for later 20th‑century orchestral and choral music—none of which centers on a planetary theme.