Gustavus Holst was an English music composer, teacher and arranger, best known for his orchestral suite titled The Planets. Born amidst a family with a generations-long history in music, Gustavus’ father wanted him to become a pianist. However, Gustavus found it difficult to play the piano owing to his health condition and preferred a trombone. Following his initial education, he studied music at the Royal College of Music in London, which was the best formative time of his life. He began playing in several orchestras and embarked on his own career as a composer and teacher. To support himself, he played trombone in orchestras and taught music at Morley College and St Paul’s Girls’ School. Gustavus had multiple influences on his composing work, such as poetry by Walt Whitman and the ancient Hindu Sanskrit texts such as Ramayana. His reputation soared following the massive success of songs such as The Planets and The Hymn of Jesus. However, despite being a great teacher and a composer, he spent most of his life in relative obscurity. Currently, he is known as one of the best music composers from his era whose influences can be seen to this day.