lotus

previous page: 13.5.1 Alfred Hill
  
page up: Australia FAQ
  
next page: 13.5.1 Sir William Francois Entenkopf - a musical satire by David Stybr

13.5.1 Percy Grainger




Description

This article is from the soc.culture.australian FAQ, by Stephen Wales with numerous contributions by others.

13.5.1 Percy Grainger

The history of classical music is closely bound to Europe, but since about
1850, notable composers have begun to appear in other continents. One of the
most individual composers of the 20th Century came from Australia, and that
composer was Percy Grainger.

Born 8 July 1882 in Brighton, Victoria, Grainger grew up in nearby Melbourne,
where he studied piano with his mother and with Louis Pabst. At the age of
10 he gave a series of concerts in Melbourne which enabled him to study in
Frankfurt, Germany. In 1905, after his career had already been underway for
several years he also studied in Berlin, where he received instruction from
Ferruccio Busoni. Grainger settled in London as a concert pianist in 1901,
and he performed throughout Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

His first compositions had begun to appear at that time and already showed
some of the individuality in rhythm, form and instrumentation which was to be
a hallmark of his style. In 1899 before he had left Australia, Grainger had
shown considerable originality in his orchestral tone poem "Fisher's Boarding
House", based on the story by Rudyard Kipling. Though modest in its form,
harmony and instrumentation, Grainger's personality is already apparent in
this work with its angular themes and strong momentum behind its lyricism and
slow tempo.

About 1905 Grainger began to collect British folksongs, which would have a
decisive influence on his composition, as were his meetings with Edvard Grieg
and Frederick Delius. "English Dance" of 1909 is an energetic and athletic
work for orchestra with a prominent part for organ. In 1912 Sir Thomas
Beecham asked Grainger to compose a ballet for the Diaghilev Company, and the
result was "The Warriors". It was his most ambitious work, scored for large
orchestra with an expanded percussion section.

Grainger moved to the United States in 1914, served in the United States Army
Band as a saxophonist during World War I. To raise money for the war effort,
Grainger composed his most popular piano work, "Country Gardens", which is
based on British folk songs. The 2 years Grainger spent with the Band gave
him the opportunity to experiment with a wide variety of combinations of wind
sonorities, and he developed tone colours which were previously unknown. He
also delighted with "tuneful" percussion, and he raised these instruments
from their lowly roles as rhythm-keepers. Under Grainger the concert band
began to sing. His first work for full concert band was the march "Lads of
Wamphrey", which was followed by other works such as "Children's March: Over
the Hills and Far Away" and "Colonial Song". His most outstanding work for
concert band is "Lincolnshire Posy" of 1940, based on 6 English folksongs.

In 1916 Grainger composed the orchestral suite "In a Nutshell" for the
festival of Norwalk, Connecticut. Grainger became a United States citizen in
1919 and settled permanently in White Plains, New York in 1921 but continued
to tour widely throughout the world. Grainger married the Swedish poet and
artist Ella Viola Strm in a sensational ceremony at the Hollywood Bowl in
1928, for which he composed the orchestral work "To A Nordic Princess". That
same year he also composed "Danish Folk-Music Suite", based on folksongs he
had collected in Denmark. In 1935 Grainger founded the Grainger Museum at
the University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, initially conceived as a
centre for ethnomusicological studies. Its repository of memorabilia
relating to his own career and those of certain other composers attempts to
develop in visitors a sense of the creative process. His last large work was
the orchestral "Youthful Suite" of 1945, based on music which he had
originally composed as early as 1899.

Grainger was perhaps best known for his short works for piano, many based on
folk music. In addition to "Country Gardens" these include "Handel in the
Strand", "Mock Morris", "Molly on the Shore", "Shepherd's Hey" and Spoon
River". These works also exist in several other versions for chamber
ensemble, concert band and full orchestra.

The vigour and rhythmic vitality of Grainger's music were typical of the man
himself. Always concerned with keeping himself in good physical condition,
he ate only simple foods and believed in vigourous exercise. He loved the
outdoors and would occasionally hike between cities while on concert tours.
Once in South Africa he hiked 105 kilometres (65 miles) between
Pietermaritzburg and Durban, and another time he hiked 130 kilometres (80
miles) across the desert of South Australia in 3 days. This athleticism
showed itself in his music, as did his independence of mind. He insisted on
using English tempo and dynamic indications in his music instead of Italian.
His use of form was very individual, and his experiments in sonority led him
to unusual instrumentations such as masses of winds or tuned percussion. In
his later years he tried to produce "free music" whose melody, rhythm and
texture were independent of traditional scales, beats and harmony, but this
last project remained unfinished as his death in White Plains, New York on
February 20, 1961.

Personal Note: During a business trip to White Plains, New York I had a
chance to visit the Percy Grainger Home and Museum and meet with archivist
and curator Stewart Manville. The home is lovingly maintained in much the
same way as when Grainger was alive, and the music room is filled with
photographs and other mementoes, as well as 3 of Grainger's own pianos. In
the cellars are tens if not hundreds of sets of performing materials, and in
the attic can be found parts of Grainger's "free music" machinery. The
essence of the composer can be felt everywhere in the house. I had a very
pleasant visit, thanks in large part to the courtesy shown to me by the
curator on very short notice. It was fascinating.

 

Continue to:













TOP
previous page: 13.5.1 Alfred Hill
  
page up: Australia FAQ
  
next page: 13.5.1 Sir William Francois Entenkopf - a musical satire by David Stybr