 Holst's interest in Indian mythology, shared by many of his contemporaries, first became musically evident in the opera "Sita" (1901–06).During the opera's long gestation, Holst worked on other Indian-themed pieces.These included "Maya" (1901) for violin and piano, regarded by the composer and writer Raymond Head as "an insipid salon-piece whose musical language is dangerously close to Stephen Adams".