He won professional recognition for his design of the princes bridge across the yarra river in melbourne. Percy aldridge grainger was an australianborn composer, arranger and pianist who lived in. Few composers lead outward lives especially interesting. The following 36 pages are in this category, out of 36 total. The published musical compositions of percy grainger 18821961 fall into two main categories. A very complete book, which is special, for, as the author stresses in his preface, making an understandable view of the complicated life of grainger, is not a. The warriors music to an imaginary ballet 1918, wahrscheinlich. February 20, 1961 white plains, new york the australianborn american pianist and composer, percy aldridge grainger, was born to a father who was an architect who emigrated from london, england, and and to a mother, rose, who was the daughter of hoteliers from adelaide. Books by percy grainger author of selfportrait of percy. Percy grainger was born in australia on july 8th, 1882. His 1916 piano composition in a nutshell is the first by a classical music professional in the western tradition. His first compositions were experimental in nature, culminating with hill song i in 1902. Grainger was not as others, of course, and bird doesnt shun this, he presents evidence and comments in a thoughtful and skilful way.
Percy grainger by john bird meet your next favorite book. John grainger was a british architect who had immigrated to australia in 1877. Percy grainger definition of percy grainger by the free. Percy aldridge grainger 8 july 1882 20 february 1961 was an australianborn pianist, composer, and champion of the saxophone and the concert band. Percy aldridge grainger was born in melbourne, australia, on july 8, 1882, to local. John grainger 18551917 came originally from durham, england, and was educated there and in london and france. In a nutshell suite for solo piano by percy grainger percy aldridge grainger on. Percy grainger choral composer biography cd recordings. It consists of four pieces and the composer made the whole suite available in versions for orchestra, solo piano, and piano, fourhands. Percy aldridge grainger july 8, 1882 february 20, 1961 orchestra. Train music is progressive by british standards, and the ravel and debussy transcriptions in their exotic orchestrations demonstrate graingers pianistic background as. Shortlisted for the womens prize for fiction 2020 the wolf hall trilogy, book 3 hilary mantel. Bbc philharmonic orchestra conducted by richard hickox. Percy grainger, simon rattle, city of birmingham symphony orchestra in a nutshell music.
John bird looks in depth at the man, his music, his relationships and his quirky facets. Percy aldridge grainger by eugene migliaro corporon on amazon music. John birds acclaimed biography of the australianborn composer and p. Percy aldridge grainger 18821961 is one of australias best known composers. An introduction to percy grainger with varcoe, stephen, reynish, timothy on cd. July 8, 1882 brighton, suburb of melbourne, victoria, australia died. Fugue for piano, grainger the welltempered clavier, book ii. Begins his kipling jungle book cycle composed as a protest against civilization. Harmonium, four guitars, two mandolas, two mandolins, two ukuleles, piccolo, three clarinets, bass clarinet, bassoon, contrabassoon, two alto saxophones, horn, strings, piano, baritone and choir. Mini bio 2 australian composer percy grainger 18821961, while he wrote little that might be considered serious music, nevertheless produced both original pieces and arrangements that remain popular. Percy grainger synonyms, percy grainger pronunciation, percy grainger translation, english dictionary definition of percy grainger. Percy grainger, simon rattle, city of birmingham symphony. Percy grainger 18821961 was a piano prodigy turned composer who was known for his strange personal habits, his colorful prose, and his equally unusual music his many admirers today still recognize that he possessed the supreme virtue of never being dull.
With worldclass production and customer support, your satisfaction is guaranteed. The couple settled in brighton, a suburb of melbourne where their only son. Composer of numerous odd and enchanting folk song and sea chantey arrangements for soloists, chorus and orchestra. His work and writings reflect a worldview marked by both racial consciousness and an opposition to modernity that coexisted alongside radical artistic modernism. He was educated at home in melbourne by his mother. The inuit from the jungle book cycle by percy aldridge grainger, arr. The australianborn american pianist and composer, percy aldridge. This is one of the few largely unchanged works from the famous leopold stowkowski recording of graingers music. Percy grainger, original name george percy grainger, born july 8, 1882, melbourne, victoria, australiadied feb. Born in australia, he began studying piano at an early age. He studied in frankfurt before beginning a successful career as a concert pianist in england at the turn of the century. Percy aldridge grainger was born on 8 july 1882 in brighton, victoria.
Army and while there made a piano arrangement of a popular english folk song, the vicar of bray. Percy aldridge grainger, bournemouth sinfonietta free rambles, roommusic titbits and. Graingers compositional career lasted for more than half a century, from the end of the 19th century until the middle 1950s. In a nutshell is agreeable british light music and serves as overture to more substantial works to follow, especially the rumbustious lincolnshire posy, the discs highlight. In 1942 a collection of his kipling settings, the jungle book cycle, was performed in eight cities by the band of the. I do not mean to exalt music over the other arts when i say that it is more largely than they are, an art of love. He was a promethean, germantrained pianist wellknown the world over early in the 20th century, especially for. Australian composer percy grainger, by his own preferred description, dished up the suite in a nutshell between 1914 and 1916.
Ye banks and braes o bonnie doon by percy grainger, dished up for band with tuneful percussion by chalon ragsdale. Handel in the strand by percy aldridge graingera j. Percy aldridge grainger sheet music and music books at. It has been prepared from the composers manuscript score with the approval of the percy grainger society, and includes the piano part. Composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor, educator, inventor, collector and transcriber of the folk music of many cultures percy aldridge grainger was born at brighton, near melbourne, australia. Londonderry air, the music of percy grainger percy grainger. He is popular in his own right as the designer of the famous princes bridge across the yarra river, melbourne. Train music is progressive by british standards, and the ravel and debussy transcriptions in their exotic orchestrations demonstrate grainger s pianistic background as. His 1916 piano composition in a nutshell is the first by a classical music. In the course of a long and innovative career, he played a prominent role in the revival of interest in british folk music in the early years of the 20th century.
Born in melbourne, grainger was a gay composer and pianist. Find out information about grainger, george percy aldridge. Discover percy grainger tshirt, a custom product made just for you by teespring. The presidents own united states marine band presents percy grainger s in a nutshell, transcribed by master sgt. Percy grainger has 22 books on goodreads with 34 ratings. On the dustjacket cover of this excellent book, the composer percy aldridge grainger looks out like a child with a naughty secret he hopes you share, so intently that the air between you and the portrait seems to vibrate. Room music titbits like mock morris and the in a nutshell suite. Rosa rose annie aldridge percy graingers mother born in adelaide, south australia. Percy graingers father, john grainger 18541917, was an englishborn architect who emigrated to australia in 1877. He later became interested in what would become known as ethomusicology. As his admirers are aware, grainger had become an inveterate collector of folk.
Percy aldridge grainger july 8th, 1882 1961 australia u. Youll find a wide selection of percy aldridge grainger sheet music, songbooks, and music books at sheet music plus. George percy grainger australian dictionary of biography. I feel that if we are to go on spending as much time for instance in schools as we do on music, that at least a considerable. Facing percy grainger national library of australia. He entitled it country gardens and later fashioned an orchestral version at the behest of leopold stokowski. Percy grainger australian recordings, performances. In this biography, john bird masterly tells us about the live, thoughts and adventures of one of the strangest music makers of all times, composer and pianist percy aldridge grainger.
Percy grainger piano, composer, arranger short biography. Order from your preferred classical music cd store arkivmusic. In 1917 percy grainger, an australian who had moved to america in 1914 with his mother, enlisted in the u. This reissue commemorates the 50th anniversary of graingers death in february 1961. He was one of the most celebrated pianistcomposers of the early twentieth century. In a nutshell suite for solo piano by percy grainger. A visual timeline of the life of percy grainger, the inventor and composer behind the grainger. George percy grainger 8 july 1882, brighton, victoria, australia 20 february 1961, white plains, new york was an australianborn composer, pianist and champion of the saxophone and the concert band, who worked under the stage name of percy aldridge grainger. Percy aldridge grainger born george percy grainger. There are also numerous unpublished works, sketches and juvenilia. Percy grainger united states composer who lived in london and collected english folk songs george percy aldridge grainger, grainger, percy.
Grainger s compositional career lasted for more than half a century, from the end of the 19th century until the middle 1950s. All 36 recordings 5 naxos 30 s scores 24 p parts 3 v vocal scores 4 a arrangements and transcriptions 19 childrens march. Percy grainger was born in melbourne, australia on july 8, 1882 to john grainger and rose annie aldridge. Bbc philharmonic orchestra conducted by richard hickox 00. Percy grainger biography percy grainger childhood, life. Graingers copy of rudyard kiplings the jungle book. Shepherds hey by percy grainger wind band literature. In october 1880 he married rose annie aldridge, daughter of adelaide hotelier george aldridge.