70 likes | 292 Views
Gustov Holst. 21 September 1874- 25 May 1934. Early Years. Holst was born in Cheltenham, England, the first of two children to Adolph and Clara von Holst. He was a frail child with neuritis in his arm which plagued him for the rest of his life.
E N D
Gustov Holst 21 September 1874-25 May 1934
Early Years • Holst was born in Cheltenham, England, the first of two children to Adolph and Clara von Holst. • He was a frail child with neuritis in his arm which plagued him for the rest of his life. • He was taught to play the piano and violin, and began composing when he was about twelve. • He began composition at school, writing piano pieces, organ voluntaries, songs, anthems and a Symphony in C minor (from 1892). He was also organist and choir master at WyckRissington in the Cotswolds.
Gustov Holst • He attended the Royal College of Musicon a scholarship, where he studied composition with Charles Villiers Stanford and where in 1895 he met fellow student Ralph Vaughan Williams, who became a lifelong friend. • In 1904 Holst took his first teaching job as music master at James Allen's Girls' School in West Dulwich, South London. • In 1905, Holst was appointed Director of Music at St Paul's Girls' School in Hammersmith, London. • In 1907, Holst also became director of music at Morley College.
Last Years • Holst had a lifetime of poor health, which worsened due to a concussion during a backward fall from the conductor's podium in 1923, from which he never fully recovered. • In his final four years, Holst grew ill with stomach problems. • One of his last compositions, the Brook Green Suite, named after the land on which St Paul’s Girls’ School was built, was performed for the first time a few months before his death. • Holst died on 25 May 1934, of complications following stomach surgery, in London.
About his music • His early works show the influence of Grieg, Wagner, Richard Strauss and fellow student Ralph Vaughan Williams,and later, through Vaughan Williams, the music of Ravel. • Holst's music is well known for unconventional use of meter and haunting melodies. • Holst composed almost 200 works, including operas, ballets, choral hymns and songs.
Famous Works • St Paul's Suite Op. 29 No.2 (1913) • The Planets Op. 32 (1914-16) • Brook Green Suite (1933) • The Perfect Fool Op. 39 (1918-22) • Four Old English Carols Op. 20B (1907) • Suite No.2 in F Op. 28 No.2 (1911)
Lets Listen • The Planets: (Jupiter) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6NopU9K_8M • The Planets: (Mars) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NeQ1h6lzLI • St. Paul’s Suite: (Jig) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDkxijhrYl8 • St. Paul’s Suite: (Dargason) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQevo7M4gm8 • Brook Green Suite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S0tFb29kFI