Gustav Holst

Gustav Theodore Holst was an English composer, arranger, and teacher whose unconventional harmonic palette and interest in astrology, Hindu philosophy, and English folk tunes made him one of Britain's most distinctive modern voices. A lifelong friend and collaborator of Ralph Vaughan Williams, Holst served as music master at St Paul's Girls' School for nearly thirty years.

Holst is best known for his monumental seven-movement orchestral suite The Planets, Op. 32 (1914–1916). From the menacing mechanical polyrhythms of 'Mars, the Bringer of War' to the jubilant hymnody of 'Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity' and the mystical fading chorus of 'Neptune', The Planets transformed orchestral writing and profoundly shaped 20th-century cinema film scores (notably John Williams's Star Wars).