Gustav Holst, whose full name was Gustav Theodore Holst, was born in 1874 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, into a musical family. The family originally came from the Latvian-Russian region and settled in England at the beginning of the 19th century.[1][3] From a young age, Holst was active as an organist and choirmaster. After finishing school, he studied music at Stanford and played the trombone to support himself.[2][3] His work with the Scottish Orchestra significantly shaped his talent for orchestral composition.
In 1905, Holst began working as a singing teacher at St. Paul’s Girls’ School in Hammersmith. There he found the peace and quiet he needed to compose, with the students assisting him in notating his works, including "The Planets." English orchestral music before the First World War was heavily influenced by Debussy, a fact reflected in Holst's compositions. Between 1914 and 1916, Holst composed "The Planets," a work inspired by various European composers and scored for a large orchestra.
In 1913, while on holiday, Holst spoke of his interest in astrology, but it met with little response. Balfour Gardiner eventually arranged for a performance of "The Planets" before Holst was drafted into military service. Originally titled "Seven Pieces for Large Orchestra," the suite was the last manuscript Holst signed "von Holst" before he later, for practical reasons, simply used "Holst."
The evolution of British orchestral music before the First World War is clearly reflected in Holst's works, which also show influences from composers such as Schoenberg. "The Planets" comprises seven movements, each musically representing a different stage of life, from Mercury to Neptune. To complete the work, Matthews later composed the piece "Pluto," inspired by Holst's style.