Gustav holst brief biography of mahatma

Gustav Holst - Biography

Through much of the 18th and 19th centuries, English music had been in the doldrums. During this period of time, all the greatest composers, from J.S.Bach and Handel to Wagner and Verdi, were Germans, Austrians, or Italians. The situation changed with Sir Edward Elgar's great contribution to classical music during the early years of the 20th century. After him, a succession of other English composers made a name for themselves in the world music scene.

Gustav Holst was part of this English musical Renaissance. Born 21 September, 1874, in the elegant English spa town of Cheltenham; Holst was the son of an English mother and a Swedish music teacher. In 1893 young Holst entered the Royal College of Music, where he met Ralph Vaughan Williams, who was to become a close personal friend and a decided influence on the composer's work. His friendship with Williams was based, in part, on a common interest in such diverse subjects as old folk songs (he and Williams