Q 01/05

Which instrument did Gustav Holst take up at twelve to ease his asthma, then play in theatres for a living?

A) Trombone

B) Clarinet

C) French horn

D) Trumpet

Answer · why

A) Trombone

The trombone paid Holst's way as a student, with jobs at seaside resorts in summer and in London theatres in winter. He gave up orchestral playing in ...

Q 02/05

Which patriotic hymn, sung at Princess Diana's wedding and funeral, borrows the broad tune from Holst's Jupiter?

A) Land of Hope and Glory

B) Abide with Me

C) I Vow to Thee, My Country

D) Onward, Christian Soldiers

Answer · why

C) I Vow to Thee, My Country

I Vow to Thee, My Country began as a poem by a British diplomat, and an overworked Holst was relieved to find it fitted a melody he had already writte...

Q 03/05

Which interest, picked up on a holiday in Spain with friends, did Gustav Holst call his 'pet vice'?

A) Palmistry

B) Astrology

C) Spiritualism

D) Gambling

Answer · why

B) Astrology

Astrology gave Holst the idea for The Planets, with each movement painting the character a planet is said to carry. He went on casting his friends' ho...

Q 04/05

Which Christmas carol, a poem by Christina Rossetti, did Holst set to a hymn tune called Cranham?

A) Once in Royal David's City

B) The Holly and the Ivy

C) O Little Town of Bethlehem

D) In the Bleak Midwinter

Answer · why

D) In the Bleak Midwinter

In the Bleak Midwinter got a tune from Holst in 1906 that was simple enough for a whole congregation to sing. He named the tune Cranham after a villag...

Q 05/05

Which sport's World Cup anthem, World in Union, sets new lyrics to a melody from Holst's Jupiter?

A) Rugby

B) Cricket

C) Football

D) Hockey

Answer · why

A) Rugby

Rugby gained the song for its 1991 tournament, when the soprano Kiri Te Kanawa made the first recording. New versions have been recorded for later tou...