Pioneering composer, Gustav Holst , was a private man who had the desire of becoming known for his preferred choral pieces, such as The Hymn of Jesus. However, it was his rare endeavor into music for large orchestra, with The Planets, that launched him into the realm of the immortals. An unsocial man, Holst grew to immensely dislike the popularity of the legendary suite and the attention it brought him. Despite his distaste, it is considered one of the greatest works of the 20th century, performed with great frequency by orchestras worldwide. Even progressive rock bands of the late 60’s and beyond have incorporated the opening movement, Mars, The Bringer of War, into their repertoire, making Holst one of the few composers whose work reaches beyond classical circles.

Gustavus Theodor von Holst was born in the English spa town of Cheltenham at the height of the Victorian Era. A third generation musician, his family had a Swedish background with further roots in Russia and Latvia. Holst’s father, Adolph, was a piano teacher, as well as a choirmaster and organist. Clara, his mother, was a singer who passed away when Gustav was 8. Holst also had a brother, Emil, who became an established actor in Hollywood under the name Ernest Cossart, often playing prim and proper butlers.

Holst was in poor health for much of his life. As a child, he suffered from neuritis and asthma, which led to the introduction to music by his father for its therapeutic applications. It was believed practicing the piano would help his hands, and the trombone would strengthen his lungs. Holst’s first attempts at composition began at the age of 12, and some of his work won amateur competitions. As Holst reached adulthood, poor health led to experimentation with unusual lifestyles for the time, such as vegetarianism, which was not helpful due to less than sufficient nutritional options of the day. Holst also had a great interest in Hinduism and mysticism, which would eventually influence much of his work.

As a young man, he witnessed Gustav Mahler conducting Wagner’s Götterdämmerung, which opened Holst’s eyes to the epic possibilities of music. Holst entered the Royal College of Music where he befriended fellow student Ralph Vaughan Williams. The pair formed a lifelong friendship and, although their musical styles differed, acted as sounding boards for each other’s work. Holst soon left the Royal College of Music to take a position with the Carl Rosa Opera Company as a rehearsal pianist. His piano career was quickly cut short, though, due to his worsening neuritis.

In 1903, with a career as a pianist no longer a possibility and his breakthrough as a composer not yet arrived, Holst turned his attention to teaching. Shortly after accepting a position as Director of Music at St. Paul’s Girls’ School, the institution constructed a new music building, including a sound proof room for Holst so he could work in peace. In an expression of gratitude, Holst composed the now famous St. Paul’s Suite for Strings, which utilized the English and Scottish folk music of the day, even using Greensleeves as a countermelody during the Finale section. Although written for strings, Holst often adapted the piece for other instruments, establishing a long tradition of writing music for his students’ needs.

Holst made a few attempts at larger works, but met little or no success. Incorporating his growing interest in Hinduism, his opera, Sita, was entered into the prestigious Ricordi competition, though it failed to win, much to the composer’s disillusionment. There were other large works, such as The Cloud Messenger and Beni Mora, but none of them captured the public’s imagination.

Adding to his interest in all things mystical, Holst was introduced to astrology. Holst began charting friends’ horoscopes, and soon his “pet vice”, as he referred to it, became a lifelong pursuit. In fact, it was astrology, not astronomy as many assume, that inspired The Planets. The musical character of each movement was informed by the attributes of each ruling planet. Each movement contains distinct characteristics unique to each section. Mars, the Bringer of War contains a determined, odd-metered march, likely alluding to military conflicts in Europe at the beginning of World War I. Venus, the Bringer of Peace follows with a call and response between a gentle single trumpet/horn and lilting flutes. Mercury, the Winged Messenger playfully frolics in a triplet pattern that volleys between different wind parts. The centerpiece of the entire work is Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity. A flurry of strings introduce the movement, quickly joined by the rest of the orchestra as they settle into the stately English folksong later used l as the melody for I Vow to Thee, My Country. Based on a poem by Sir Cecil Spring-Rice, it has become a well known patriotic British song. As the suite travels further into the outer regions of the solar system, the mood become more nebulous. Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age, personal favorite of Holst’s, features delicate interplay between two harp parts. The syncopated meter of Uranus, the Magician is often compared to The Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Dukas. The final movement, Neptune, the Mystic (in 5/4 time, like Mars, thus bookending the piece), is altogether different from the rest of the larger work. Featuring a six piece women’s choir, it is the only section of the suite to contain vocal parts. Unusually, the choir was placed in a chamber adjacent to the stage, heard but not seen. As the piece concludes, the chamber door is slowly closed; the gloomy, sustained vocals symbolize the depths of deep space. This novel approach was unheard of to early 20th century audiences. The Planets, some claim, the first classical work to conclude with a fade out.

Like many large pieces, the music for The Planets was originally written as a piano duet. The exception being Neptune, which was written for organ, as the piano didn’t sound mysterious enough. Fleshing it out for large orchestra, Holst included many unusual instruments for the time, including bass oboe, celesta, and tubular bells. The subtitles, based on Roman mythology, were added for aesthetic purpose. Earth is not represented due to its being the “center” of the astrological universe, while Pluto had not yet been discovered therefore it is not included in the suite.

As World War I was underway, many friends and colleagues of Holst, including his brother and Ralph Vaughan Williams joined the fight. Holst, who had dropped the German sounding “von” from his name, was a very patriotic Briton and tried to enlist, but his poor health precluded him from joining. Instead, the YMCA offered him an opportunity to teach soldiers in Greece and Turkey, under the title of Musical Organizer, in an effort to take their minds off their otherwise difficult task. Upon his return from the war, Holst composed the choral piece Ode to Death, based upon Walt Whitman’s poem.

By the 1920’s, Holst had become something of a celebrity, a status he detested to the point of refusing to sign autographs. Never in the best of health, he started to slow down after suffering a concussion as he collapsed off a podium in 1923. Though he continued composing, his teaching days were over. Holst considered one of his final choral pieces, Ogdon Heath, to be his masterpiece, though some critics claimed his brand of music was now out of fashion. Enduring severe digestive problems the last four years of his life, Holst passed away following stomach surgery in May of 1934.