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Gustav Holst, a British composer of Latvian-Russian descent,
was born in Cheltenham in
1874 and died in London in 1934. Holst was a composer
of many choral part-songs, song cycles, operas and orchestral pieces. He
is perhaps best known for his orchestral suite composed during the years
1914–1916, entitled
The Planets. Holst was deeply influenced by England's countryside and folksong,
and adopted a consciously nationalist style in his music.
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| The Music Room |
The Holst Birthplace Museum was founded by Gustav's
daughter, Imogen Holst, in 1974 during centennial ceremonies for Holst's birth.
The museum houses a number of mementoes, including the piano on which Holst
composed The Planets, as well as pictures, books, some letters and manscripts.
The Holst Birthplace Museum is one of only three composer museums in England.
The museum consists of four rooms, which were furnished from the collections of Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum. The sitting room shows how a Regency sitting room would have looked in the 1830s. The bedroom is probably the room where Gustav Holst was born and it was furnished in the style of the 1870s. The music room contains many items associated with Holst and his music, notably the oil portrait of the composer from the 1920's and his piano on which much of 'The Planets' and his most famous works were composed. The kitchen and scullery show visitors how Victorian households looked.
The museum is usually closed from mid-December to mid-January except for pre-booked groups. Gift shop specialises in Victorian style toys, biographies of Holst as well as Holst recordings. Over ninety titles are available including 25 versions of The Planets and many difficult-to-find works. Special events are organised for the public every month.
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