Singing for Pleasure: An Introduction to the Life and Works of Imogen Holst

The June/July 2023 issue of Choral Journal is online and features an article titled “Singing for Pleasure: An Introduction to the Life and Works of Imogen Holst” by Liza Calisesi Maidens. Following is a portion from the article.
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On March 14, 1984, at seventy-seven years of age, Imogen Holst died of a heart attack. Her burial plot at the Aldeburgh churchyard rests next to that of Benjamin Britten (d. 1976) and Peter Pears (d. 1986). While her funeral contained the words and music of J. S. Bach and her father, British composer Gustav Holst, the most poignant moment occurred when her mourners spontaneously sang Sanctus, the five-voice round she adapted from the music of the Franco-Flemish composer Clemens non Papa.2 She taught this particular round to many amateur singers throughout her life and published it as part of Singing for Pleasure, the collection she composed in 1957 for the National Federation of Women’s Institutes, the largest women’s organization in England.

The goal of this article is to provide an introduction into the life and works of Imogen Holst, and to share composer and repertoire resources. Imogen’s life and works merit closer examination and incorporation into our work as choral musicians. Her musical successes were groundbreaking for women in the early twentieth century, and she holds a unique place in the lineage of the professional female musicians who broke down cultural and social barriers during their lifetime. Imogen was a conductor, music educator, composer, and scholar; yet, unlike the widely celebrated life and works of her contemporary British icons, she has remained in the lesser-known corners of the canon.

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Read the full article in the June/July 2023 issue of Choral Journal. acda.org/choraljournal