Gustav Holst Research Paper

20th century composer, Gustav Holst, was born in Cheltenham, England, on September 21, 1874 . He was the first son of Adolph and Clara von Holst. Adolph was a piano teacher, which was where he would meet, and later marry, Clara, one of his students. Unfortunately, Clara would die while Holst was only eight years old. While in his childhood, and all through his life, Gustav Holst would suffer from multiple problems. He had poor eyesight, which would not be realized until after his childhood, and asthma. What would effect him most, however, would be the neuritis in his right hand. Neuritis is an “inflammation of nerves” (“Neuritis”), and it would pain him through his entire life, getting worse the older he was. Holst’s father was “determined to make young Gustav a good pianist” (Lace). This would have worked out well, as Holst liked the piano, but the neuritis would make his practices painful. This could have potentially led him into composing and seeking out
He would struggle financially and physically. His trombone playing would help him financially, however, and Isobel Harrison, who later became his wife, would persuade him to receive proper nourishment and look far more kempt. Besides meeting his future wife, he would also meet his lifelong friend, Ralph Vaughan Williams. Leaving the Royal College of Music, Holst became the first trombone at the Carl Rosa Opera Company. This would help him learn about the orchestra from the inside out. During this time, Holst began to compose more and more works. He composed his first Opera, The Revoke, but never publicly performed it. After becoming interested in and learning about Hindu philosophy and Sanskrit literature, Holst would go on to write works based on them. His opera Sita and poem Indra are a couple examples of this. Besides this, he wrote an elegy in remembrance of William Morris, and he completed Ave Maria, which would become the first piece he would