Gustav Holst

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Lore & Background

Unable to support himself by his compositions, Holst played the trombone professionally and later became a teacher—a great one, according to his colleague Ralph Vaughan Williams. Among other teaching activities he built up a strong tradition of performance at Morley College, where he served as musical director from 1907 until 1924, and pioneered music education for women at St Paul's Girls' School, where he taught from 1905 until his death in 1934. He was the founder of a series of Whitsun music festivals, which ran from 1916 for the remainder of his life. A shy man, he did not welcome the fame that came with the international success of The Planets in the years immediately after the First World War, and preferred to be left in peace to compose and teach. In his later years his uncompromising, personal style of composition struck many music lovers as too austere, and his brief popularity declined. Nevertheless, he was an important influence on a number of younger English composers, including Edmund Rubbra, Michael Tippett and Benjamin Britten.

Reader's Guide

Holst's significance lies primarily in his orchestral suite The Planets, which brought him international success in the years immediately after the First World War. However, his later works, marked by an uncompromising and personal style, struck many music lovers as too austere, leading to a decline in his brief popularity. Despite this, he was an important influence on a number of younger English composers, including Edmund Rubbra, Michael Tippett, and Benjamin Britten. His music was generally neglected until the 1980s, when recordings of much of his output became available. His teaching legacy, particularly at Morley College and St Paul's Girls' School, also contributed to his lasting impact on English musical life. Apart from The Planets and a handful of other works, his music was generally neglected until the 1980s, when recordings of much of his output became available.

Did You Know?

• Holst hoped to become a pianist but was prevented by neuritis in his right arm.
• He played the trombone professionally, including in 1897 under the baton of Richard Strauss at the Queen's Hall.
• Holst was a vegetarian and teetotaller partly from frugality and partly from his own inclination.
• He met Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1895, and they became lifelong friends and each other's chief critics.
• Holst founded a series of Whitsun music festivals that ran from 1916 for the remainder of his life.