Gustav Holst

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Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK (1874 – 1934)

Gustav Holst (born September 21, 1874 Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK - died May 25, 1934) was an English composer and a music teacher for over 20 years. Holst is most famous for his orchestral suite The Planets. Having studied at the Royal College of Music in London, his early work was influenced by Ravel, Grieg, Richard Strauss, and Ralph Vaughan Williams, but most of his music is highly original, with influences from Hindu spiritualism and English folk tunes. Holst’s music is well known for unconventional use of metre and haunting melodies.

Gustav Holst wrote almost 200 catalogued compositions, including orchestral suites, operas, ballets, concertos, choral hymns, and songs. (See: selected works, below).

Holst became music master at St Paul’s Girls’ School in 1905 and also director of music at Morley College in 1907, continuing in both posts until retirement (as detailed below).

Holst died on May 25, 1934, after stomach surgery, at age 59. He was the brother of Hollywood actor Ernest Cossart, and father of the composer and conductor Imogen Holst, who wrote a biography of her father in 1938.

Name

He was originally named Gustavus Theodor von Holst but he dropped the von from his name in response to anti-German sentiment in Britain during World War I, making it official by deed poll in 1918.

Early life

He was born in 1874 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England to a family of Swedish extraction (by way of Latvia and Russia), and was educated at Cheltenham Grammar School for Boys.
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  • MusicHallofFame

    The Music Hall of Fame are delighted to induct Gustav Holst into the Class of 1974. Congratulations. Please vist our page too see the latest inductees into the Music Hall of Fame

    last month

  • Chochonou

    the planets ar OMG <3 too bad it seems like nobody knows him..

    last month

  • floydman66

    Mars performed by King Crimson is f'n incredible. [2} devil's triangle also (which is basically a rehash of mars)

    March 2012

  • Quack3nbush

    @zaire2d Williams always stated that Holst is one of his biggest influences, he also took a lot of ideas for the Star Wars score from Mars and Venus, but it's great to hear the similarities between two of the world's greatest modern composers ^^

    February 2012

  • Abello966

    Gustav Holst is not a romantic composer....

    January 2012

  • MrRafaelBCK

    I hear Jupiter in hords of places on the TV. Weird how it surpassed Mars in popularity, that used to be the hot shot back in the day.

    January 2012

  • VK1990

    Mars, the Bringer of War

    January 2012

  • EdgeofSting

    Zapomniałem dodać, Ojciec Muzyki Filmowej !!!

    January 2012
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