The Composer

Life and Works of Gustav Holst

Gustav Holst was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire in England in 1874.


He studied composition at the Royal College of Music in London. There he learned to play the trombone.


His most famous work is the Planets, which he composed from 1914 through to 1918 and is a suite of seven movements for orchestra, each movement depicting a different planet and Earth was not included in the suit.


Neither was Pluto included because at the time of composing the suite, Pluto hadn't been discovered. However, upon discovery of Pluto in 1930, Gustav Holst didn't think it interesting enough to add to his suite (quite prophetic don't you think? Seeing that Pluto has now been downgraded to a dwarf).


His work planets actually describe the Roman Gods, rather than the planets themselves.


Another one of his famous works included St Paul's Suite written for the string orchestra.


Holst died of heart failure in 1934.



Complete and Continue