Right in the heart of Cheltenham, Holst Victorian House showcases the life of The Planets composer, and preserves legendary memorabilia including the house he was born and grew up in, and the pianoforte he used to compose his famous works. Gustav Holst is of course one of the famous sons of Cheltenham...
On the 25th May 1934, the Cheltenham-born composer Gustav Holst died after undergoing an operation for a duodenal ulcer. He was only 59 but he’d packed so much into those years that friends commented he’d just worn himself out. As well as composing masterpieces such as The Planets, he also taught at various institutions such as St Paul’s Girls’ School and Morley College for Working Men and Women, and spent eight months abroad during WW1 teaching soldiers music in Salonika and Constantinople.
What is Holst’s legacy?
Well his music continues to be performed and enjoyed across the world, making him one of the country’s most famous and popular composers. If you tuned into the Royal Wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018 you would have heard the orchestra perform The St Paul’s Suite; a piece inspired by his love of English folk music. King Charles is also a huge fan of British music and regularly includes pieces by the country’s composers at Royal events, of which Holst is of course one selection.
You'd be unlikely to connect a Royal Wedding with Cheltenham and a Music Festival, but there you have it - Holst's lasting legacy, 84 years on.