The Life and Music of Gustav Holst Essay - 610 Words

The Life and Music of Gustav Holst Gustav Holst, born in Cheltenham in September 1847, is still today considered to be one of the greatest music composers of all time. He was not very fond of music when he was younger, but he enjoyed the piano. He was sent to Cheltenham Grammar School and forced to take long music lessons, even though he had neuritis in his hands. His first job was an organist and Choirmaster at the Choral Society, Bourbon on the Water. Impressed at his good ear for music, his father borrowed some money to send him to the Royal College of Music, which he had previously failed to enter. As he got older, the neuritis in his hands got worse, and it was almost impossible for him to play the piano, so he took up the†¦show more content†¦After many refusals of his works, Holst became rather unwell, so took him to Algeria for a holiday. The warm climate and bright colours of Algeria inspired Holst, so he decided to start working on a new piece called Beni Mora, but it was not a great success. In 1912, his performance of The Cloud Messenger was a hit, so he went to Spain for a holiday to celebrate. While there, he met Clifford Bax, who encouraged him to write a movement called The Planets. It was very successful. In 1923, Holst was conducting a rehearsal at University College, when he slipped and fell off the platform onto his head. The damage was deadly, and it was years before he recovered from the effects. Later on, after a trip to America, Holst received great congratulations for his performance of the Planets, and an anonymous rich man gave him several hundred pounds to spend on his music. But, Holst was beginning to have bad effects of the concussion he was in earlier, and he couldn’t bear to have anything touch the back of his head. He spent many nights in agony, so his doctor suggested that he moved away from London. So that is exactly what he did. He bought a small house in Thaxtead and lived there for nearly a year, but much of his music was failing. In 1926, Holst was working in Dorset. He wrote a piece called Egdon Health dedicated to Thomas Hardy, and he knew it was the best thing he hadShow MoreRelatedOverview of Gustav Holsts The Planets1520 Words   |  7 PagesGustav Holst: The Planets, Op. 32 Performed by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Conducted by Andrà ¨ Previn Gustav Holst (1874-1934) was an English composer well known for his orchestral suite The Planets. Holst began his trip into the musical world as a young pianist. His father, Adolph Holst, was a skilled pianist who wanted Gustav to succeed at playing as he did. Gustav, however, was impaired by neuritis making it difficult to play for long hours. As Gustav aged he began trying to compose music insteadRead MoreEssay on Gustav Holst1432 Words   |  6 PagesGustav Holst Music derived from astrology is surprisingly rare. The ancient Greek philosophers, whatever their intellectual attitudes towards astrology may have been, were certainly not ignorant of astrological teachings and ideas. It was they, after all who put forward the idea of the Music of the Spheres, the idea that these vast objects twirling around and whirling through space, must have hummed a tone as they went along their courses, much as a ball spun on a string will whistle.Read MoreThe Importance Of Seeing The Philadelphia Orchestra Perform Gustav Holst s : The Planets Suite997 Words   |  4 Pagesperform Gustav Holst’s: The Planets Suite. The piece as a whole is one that pulls the strings of your heart from the first pound to the last mystic moment of silence. 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