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Holst, Gustav Theodore (1874-1934), British composer, known for his
compositions based on Hindu literature and English folk song. Born in Cheltenham, England,
he studied with the British composer Sir Charles Villiers Stanford while earning a living
as a trombonist and conductor. After 1919 he taught at the Royal College of Music in
London. His important works before about 1912 are settings of Brahman scriptures,
including the chamber opera Savitri (1908). Later, like his close friend the British
composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, he turned his attention to English folk song; his many
folk song arrangements for band, orchestra, and chorus culminated in the one-act opera At
the Boar's Head (1924). His most frequently performed work is The Planets (1916), an
orchestral suite, the framework of which is based on the astrological symbols for
planetary bodies. "Holst, Gustav Theodore," Microsoft (R) Encarta. Copyright (c) 1994 Microsoft Corporation. Copyright (c) 1994 Funk & Wagnall's Corporation. Click here to play a 60 second excerpt of Jupiter (Holzt) Performed by the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Leonard Bernstein.(CBS Compact Disc, MYK 37226) Actual Length 8:15 |