Editing Gustav Holst (section)

===1910s===
In June 1911 Holst and his Morley College students gave the first performance since the seventeenth century of Purcell's ''[[The Fairy-Queen]]''. The full score had been lost soon after Purcell's death in 1695, and had only recently been found. Twenty-eight Morley students copied out the complete vocal and orchestral parts. There were 1,500 pages of music and it took the students almost eighteen months to copy them out in their spare time.<ref>Holst (1981), pp. 30–31</ref> A concert performance of the work was given at [[The Old Vic]], preceded by an introductory talk by Vaughan Williams. ''The Times'' praised Holst and his forces for "a most interesting and artistic performance of this very important work".<ref>{{cite news|title=Music—Purcell's 'Fairy Queen'|newspaper=The Times|date=12 June 1911|page=10}}</ref>

After this success, Holst was disappointed the following year by the lukewarm reception of his choral work ''The Cloud Messenger''. He again went travelling, accepting an invitation from [[H. Balfour Gardiner]] to join him and the brothers [[Clifford Bax|Clifford]] and [[Arnold Bax]] in Spain.<ref>Mitchell, p. 118</ref> During this holiday Clifford Bax introduced Holst to [[astrology]], an interest that later inspired his suite ''[[The Planets]]''. Holst cast his friends' [[horoscope]]s for the rest of his life and referred to astrology as his "pet vice".<ref>Holst (1969), p. 43</ref>

In 1913, St Paul's Girls' School opened a new music wing, and Holst composed ''[[St Paul's Suite]]'' for the occasion. The new building contained a sound-proof room, handsomely equipped, where he could work undisturbed.<ref>Mitchell, p. 126</ref> Holst and his family moved to a house in [[Brook Green]], very close to the school. For the previous six years they had lived in a pretty house overlooking the [[River Thames|Thames]] at [[Barnes, London|Barnes]], but the river air, frequently foggy, affected his breathing.<ref>Short, p. 117</ref> For use at weekends and during school holidays, Holst and his wife bought a cottage in [[Thaxted]], Essex, surrounded by mediaeval buildings and ample rambling opportunities.<ref>Holst (1981), p. 40</ref> In 1917 they moved to a house in the centre of the town, where they stayed until 1925.<ref>Short, p. 151</ref>

[[File:The Manse - geograph.org.uk - 845330.jpg|thumb|left|alt=exterior of house in country town|The Manse in Thaxted where Holst lived from 1917 to 1925]]
At Thaxted, Holst became friendly with the Rev [[Conrad Noel]], known as the "Red Vicar", who supported the [[Independent Labour Party]] and espoused many causes unpopular with conservative opinion.<ref>Mitchell, pp. 139–140</ref> Noel also encouraged the revival of folk-dancing and processionals as part of church ceremonies, innovations which caused controversy among traditionally-minded churchgoers.<ref>Short, pp. 126 & 136</ref> Holst became an occasional organist and choirmaster at Thaxted Parish Church. He started an annual music festival at Whitsuntide in 1916; students from Morley College and St Paul's Girls' School performed together with local participants.<ref>Holst (1981), p. 41</ref>

Holst's ''[[a cappella]]'' carol, "[[This Have I Done for My True Love]]", was dedicated to Noel in recognition of his interest in the ancient origins of religion (the composer always referred to the work as "The Dancing Day").<ref>Short, p. 135</ref> It received its first performance during the Third Whitsun Festival at Thaxted in May 1918. During that festival, Noel, who would become a staunch supporter of Russia's [[October Revolution]], demanded in a Saturday message during the service that there should be a greater political commitment from those who participated in the church activities; his claim that several of Holst's pupils (implicitly those from St Paul's Girls' School) were merely "camp followers" caused offence.<ref>Short, p. 158; and Mitchell, pp. 154–55</ref> Holst, anxious to protect his students from being embroiled in ecclesiastical conflict, moved the Whitsun Festival to [[Dulwich]], though he himself continued to help with the Thaxted choir and to play the church organ on occasion.<ref>Mitchell, p. 156</ref>