The Holst Archive

The Britten-Pears Foundation acquired the Holst Archive in 2008. The archive principally comprises Imogen Holst’s personal papers, correspondence, working files, music manuscripts and published music; but also includes important personal papers, correspondence, music manuscripts and published music of her father, Gustav Holst. Files of the Holst Foundation and G and I Holst Limited also form part of the collection. The archive represents the most significant father-daughter relationship in twentieth-century British music and culture, and tells the story of two creative and professional lives that added immeasurably to the democratisation of music-making during this period. Both Imogen and Gustav were passionate about music education and amateur music-making and this is reflected in their papers.

At present there is a collection-level description and some series-level descriptions of the archive available on the Britten-Pears Foundation online catalogue. Simply enter HOL in the RefNo field to access these. You can also read more about the collection and Imogen Holst’s life and work here.