Gustav Holst
Gustav Holst J S Bach G F Handel W A Mozart Beethoven Copland

The Planets

 

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    Holst, Gustav (Theodore)

bulletBorn: Cheltenham (England), 21 September 1874
bulletDied: London, 25 May 1934

Gustav Holst was an English composer and became famous for his suite, The Planets. It is a series of seven "movements", one for each of the non-Earth planets known in Holst’s day (i.e., all of the planets but Earth and Pluto). The basic inspiration for the musical description of the planets is their astrological nature and not any association to Greek or Roman gods or myths.

One of the themes to Jupiter was subsequently used as the basis for a patriotic hymn (I vow to thee my country).

I Vow To Thee My Country
Words by Sir Cecil Spring-Rice

Play MIDI File

I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things above,
Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love:
The love that asks no question, the love that stands the test,
That lays upon the altar the dearest and the best;
The love that never falters, the love that pays the price,
The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.

And there's another country, I've heard of long ago,
Most dear to them that love her, most great to them that know;
We may not count her armies, we may not see her King;
Her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering;
And soul by soul and silently her shining bounds increase,
And her ways are ways of gentleness and all her paths are peace.

 

 

Biographies online

http://www.naxos.com/composer/holst.htm

http://www.musicweb.uk.net/holst/Page1.html

http://www.classical.net/music/comp.lst/holst.html