Which composer once questioned Franklin's mother about her musical weakness?

The composer who once questioned Franklin’s mother about her musical weakness was Gustav Holst.

Franklin attended St Paul’s Girls’ School in Hammersmith, where Holst served as the school’s music director. She was outstanding in science, Latin, and sport, but music was her clear academic weakness. Holst reportedly contacted her mother to ask whether Franklin might have a hearing problem or had suffered from tonsillitis.

The episode is memorable because it reverses the usual image of Franklin as an exceptionally gifted student: she was not uniformly brilliant at every subject. Her difficulty with music did not prevent her from becoming fluent in French or from winning academic distinctions in science.

Holst is best known for works including The Planets. He taught at St Paul’s Girls’ School from 1905 until his death in 1934, making him a direct part of Franklin’s school environment rather than merely a famous contemporary composer.