In his use of authentic Englsh folksongs Gnostic texts and Vedic hymns one can discern Holst’s search for a compositional Voice beyond the constraints of the European canon in the early 1900’s. In 1916 hepublished Six Choral Folk Songs of which Cornish folk tune I Love My Love is the fifth number.The song is a tale of a girl ‘in Bedlam’ who awaits her love’s return from the sea. It moves into Dorian mode and outagain with a particularly effective sighing motif in the middle section. Gustav Holst has earned a place among the most revered of late 19th and early 20th century composers and is best known for his enduring Orchestral suite ThePlanets.
