Holst vocal music

[makropulos]

I have been having a fascinating time preparing a talk for the Holst Birthplace Museum on "Holst and his Poets". If anybody is in Cheltenham on Friday evening, do come along if you can. Details are here (n.b. venue is not the Birthplace itself):

http://www.holstmuseum.org.uk/flyers/texting.jpg

Among other things, I've managed to unearth a first: yesterday I recorded with a friend Holst's setting of Whitman's "Darest thou now, O Soul", the song for voice and piano that he wrote at the same time as RVW's Toward the Unknown Region, on the same poem. The story is familiar from the Holst and RVW literature (as RVW put it: 'About 1904 or early 1905, Gustav and I were both stuck – so I suggested we should both set the same words in competition – suggesting “Darest thou”. The prize was awarded by us to me') – but the song itself is completely unknown: it's never been performed and never been published, so it'll be fun to give a taste of it at the talk.

Preparing this talk has been a revelation: I knew some of the pieces (I remember singing the wonderful "Ode to Death" when I was a student), and I've always had a very soft spot for unusual Holst, but until I started looking around properly, I hadn't come across "The Cloud Messenger" or the complete opera version of "The Perfect Fool" - among other delights. My admiration for Holst's music has gone up significantly as a result of doing the research for this - it's not only been fascinating but very rewarding.

[ardcarp]

Good luck with the talk, makro. Wish I could be there. Far be it from me or choral wiki to add anything to your scholarship, but IMO he had a real flair for vocal writing, whether it be part-song, sacred piece or choral work with orchestra. This is quite a list:

http://www3.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Gustav_Holst

[BBMmk2]

Holst was rather a daring composer, imo. One of my favourites is from the Chandos recording of The Cloud Messenger.

[visualnickmos]

This sounds absolutely fascinating - I don't know much (any!) of Holst's vocal music at all. I wish I was able to come along. But even your mentioning of it here has got my interest going - to investigate Holst's vocal music....

Hope it goes well, ...and thank you for the spur.

[Pulcinella]

Another Whitman poem both RVW and Holst set is Dirge for two veterans.

[EdgeleyRob]

Good luck with the talk, makro. Wish I could be there. Far be it from me or choral wiki to add anything to your scholarship, but IMO he had a real flair for vocal writing, whether it be part-song, sacred piece or choral work with orchestra. This is quite a list:

http://www3.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Gustav_Holst

Lots of super recordings of Holst choral stuff to be had.
This is a particular favourite of mine

[makropulos]

Another Whitman poem both RVW and Holst set is Dirge for two veterans.

Yes indeed - and they're examples 6 and 7 in my talk :)
It's interesting that they are also contemporary with each other (even though the rest of Dona nobis pacem came 22 years later).

A lot of composers have set the "Dirge". There's a setting by Charles Wood from 1901 which certainly looks interesting from the score, but I've never heard it. And there's Kurt Weill's version of it.

In terms of curiosity value, there's an extremely early setting (1880) of the Dirge as a "poem for recitation" with music by Frederic Louis Ritter –a project to which Whitman himself gave his blessing. There's a copy of the score on imslp together with the letter from Whitman to Ritter's wife –'Am curious to see how they go. Am sure I shd be impressed and pleased.'

[NatBalance]

Oh this is fantastic Makropulos. I love Holst's choral music and I have really been considering travelling down there from North Wales for tomorrow evening's lecture, plus also visit the museum during the day but I think it is just too short notice, but you've had me exploring the museum's wondefull web site for the last hour and encouraged me to get down there sometime.

Possibly my favourite piece of all time is Neptune from his Planets suite. The way he used a choir at the end of that piece really blew my mind, and still does. Then I heard his Choral Symphony and the slow 2nd movement of that in particular is an absolute classic in my opinion. Then there is of course his Hymn of Jesus which I think is generally considered a classic in the choral repertoire …. and then his Rig Veda Hymns, I got completely hooked on The Hymn of the Travellers and many others. I would love to hear the VW and the Holst version of the same poem, that would be fascinating.

He has a way with choral music that takes you to the world of myths and legends and mystery, and there is something incredibly warm and comforting about the sound he creates, especially the way he uses the female choir. I would love to be there tomorrow. I hope it goes well and that it encourages more interest in his choral music and getting it performed and recorded. I will visit the web site more often from now on.

Rich

[Pabmusic]

I wish I could be there, but 8,000 miles is a bit much.

Break a leg, Mak!

[Ferretfancy]

I think that Holst is really underrated, thought by some to be a cold and clinical composer. Performances of The Planets have overshadowed so much of his output, and that's unfortunate. I have always loved the melancholy of Egdon Heath, and the young Janet Baker's recording of the Ode to Death just has to be heard, as is Boult's marvellous performance of The Hymn of Jesus -no lack of warmth there!
I'm not sure if the very comprehensive series of recordings from Lyrita are still in circulation, there are many discoveries to be made, and the sound on these discs is superb.

[makropulos]

Thanks! :)

[makropulos]

I think that Holst is really underrated, thought by some to be a cold and clinical composer. Performances of The Planets have overshadowed so much of his output, and that's unfortunate. I have always loved the melancholy of Egdon Heath, and the young Janet Baker's recording of the Ode to Death just has to be heard, as is Boult's marvellous performance of The Hymn of Jesus -no lack of warmth there!
I'm not sure if the very comprehensive series of recordings from Lyrita are still in circulation, there are many discoveries to be made, and the sound on these discs is superb.

I completely agree with you about him being underrated (apart from the obvious piece, of course). When you say "the young Janet Baker's recording of the Ode to Death" - which recording is that? There are no soloists in the Ode to Death (a work of which I'm extremely fond) so I wonder if you mean something else (like the Choral Fantasia?)

[makropulos]

Oh this is fantastic Makropulos. I love Holst's choral music and I have really been considering travelling down there from North Wales for tomorrow evening's lecture, plus also visit the museum during the day but I think it is just too short notice, but you've had me exploring the museum's wondefull web site for the last hour and encouraged me to get down there sometime.

Possibly my favourite piece of all time is Neptune from his Planets suite. The way he used a choir at the end of that piece really blew my mind, and still does. Then I heard his Choral Symphony and the slow 2nd movement of that in particular is an absolute classic in my opinion. Then there is of course his Hymn of Jesus which I think is generally considered a classic in the choral repertoire …. and then his Rig Veda Hymns, I got completely hooked on The Hymn of the Travellers and many others. I would love to hear the VW and the Holst version of the same poem, that would be fascinating.

He has a way with choral music that takes you to the world of myths and legends and mystery, and there is something incredibly warm and comforting about the sound he creates, especially the way he uses the female choir. I would love to be there tomorrow. I hope it goes well and that it encourages more interest in his choral music and getting it performed and recorded. I will visit the web site more often from now on.

Rich

Thanks very much - you put it very well and you've obviously been exploring some of the same (wonderful) pieces that I have, with the similar rewards. The second movement of the Choral Symphony is utterly marvellous music, isn't it? And for sheer exhilaration it's hard to beat "To Agni" from the Rig Veda Hymns - and it's successor in the "dance" section of the Hymn of Jesus. Have you come across the Ode to Death yet? If not, from what you say I am sure you'd love it!

[ardcarp]

The Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda were 'set works' for...well, I can't remember whether it was O-level or A-level, but whatever, I've loved them and their special sound-world ever since. I wish they were aired more frequently.

[EdgeleyRob]

Thanks very much - you put it very well and you've obviously been exploring some of the same (wonderful) pieces that I have, with the similar rewards. The second movement of the Choral Symphony is utterly marvellous music, isn't it? And for sheer exhilaration it's hard to beat "To Agni" from the Rig Veda Hymns - and it's successor in the "dance" section of the Hymn of Jesus. Have you come across the Ode to Death yet? If not, from what you say I am sure you'd love it!

Without a doubt.
Hope the evening goes well.