Who is gustav holst

Gustave Holst was a revered English composer who believed that music has a deep significance for music lovers who are looking for a cause to make music a way of life. Holst was born on September 21st, in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire in England.

After an eventful and famous life, he passed away on May 25 th , in London, England. He enjoyed widespread fame, particularly for his The Planets Op. His compositional media includes opera, ballet, chamber music, band, orchestral, choral, among others. Gustav Holst was a major influencer of 20th-century music, especially the rock genre. A post-romantic and modern composer, Holst was intensely passionate about English folk music and played an important role in the advent of English orchestral music beyond the United Kingdom.

Not only a brilliant composer, Holst was also a great teacher who could impart his musical knowledge to those enthusiastic enough. He wrote the masterpiece in the years of World War I. The war years proved to be very fertile for the English composer as he also wrote another music composition, The Hymn of Jesus. His parents, Adolph von Holst and Clara Cox, too were related to the world of music.

Unfortunately Clara died after the birth of their second child in February Gustav was only eight at that time. Gustav was much neglected in his childhood. He was debile, had a weak sight and chest and suffered from neuritis. He accepted the Howland Memorial Prize from Yale University in for distinction in the arts and the gold medal of the Royal Philharmonic Society in He was appointed visiting lecturer in composition at Harvard University in January but soon after became ill.

On his return to England in the summer of that year, Holst's health continued to decline. He died on 25 May View All. Schirmer Inc. Its success encouraged him to persevere with composing, despite his father's reservations. He wrote piano and organ pieces, songs and a symphony. Later, like many musicians of his generation, Holst became an ardent Wagnerite. Shortly after celebrating his 21st birthday, Holst met Ralph Vaughan Williams, who became a lifelong friend and had a great influence on Holst's music.

The two budding composers became one another's chief critics. He fell in love with her; she was at first not impressed by him, but she came round and they were married. Unable to support himself by composition alone, Holst played the trombone professionally.

In , he even played under the baton of the composer Richard Strauss - pictured - at the Queen's Hall. The two teaching posts for which Holst is probably best known were director of music at St Paul's Girls' School, Hammersmith - pictured - from until his death, and director of music at Morley College from to The new building contained a sound-proof room where he could work undisturbed.

Holst was often inspired by literature. He made settings of poetry by Hardy and Whitman. He also took a keen interest in ancient sacred Sanskrit texts, particularly the Rig Veda hymns.

His settings of translations included Sita, a three-act opera based on an episode in the Ramayana, and Savitri - pictured - a chamber opera based on a tale from the Mahabharata.