“Jollity” is not a word much used today. An online dictionary tells me it means “lively and cheerful activity or celebration,” and I’ll accept that, provided it’s acknowledged that this covers a lot of territory. Which “cheerful activity”? Celebration of what? Lively why?
“Jupiter: The Bringer of Jollity” is the title of the fourth piece in “The Planets” by English composer Gustav Holst (1874-1934), an orchestral suite that evokes musically the emotional and psychological conditions of seven planets. It’s not about astronomy, but about the character of each planet as interpreted in Western astrology. It begins with “Mars: The Bringer of War,” followed by “Venus: The Bringer of Peace” and “Mercury: The Winged Messenger.”
