
George Percy Aldridge Grainger
About George Percy Aldridge Grainger
Percy Aldridge Grainger was born on 8 July 1882 in Brighton, Victoria (Australia), to the renowned architect John H. Grainger. His musical talent showed when he was only a young boy. Aged twelve, he went on his first concert tour as a pianist. In 1895, he travelled to Europe where he studied piano and composition at the Dr. Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt for four years.Between 1901 and 1914 he lived in London, where he gradually gained fame as a composer and piano virtuoso. His co-operation with Schott started in 1911, when the increasing recognition of his works manifested itself through performances in London Queen's Hall and the Aeolien Hall, for instance. In these days his friendship with the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg developed. Grieg's devotion to the music of his country inspired Grainger to occupy himself with English folk music. With a phonograph he collected numerous examples of English folk music, which he later linked into his own compositions. Also, in these days, his close friendships with composers like Frederic Delius, Cyril Scott or with personalities of English music life like Herman Sanby and Balfour Gardiner developed.
In 1914, Grainger and his mother moved to the United States, where he lived until his death. Although he always saw and called himself an Australian, he became an American citizen and, for a short time, a member of the US Army Bands.
After the First World War Grainger continued his concert tours and lectures, which also led him back to Australia from time to time. In the 1930's he laid the foundation stone of the Grainger Museum at Melbourne University. In 1928, he married the Swedish artist Ella Viola Strom. Grainger also increasingly dedicated himself to the research and the publication of medieval music and the music of foreign cultures. Towards the end of his life, he worked on methods of carrying out "free music", i.e. music without any restrictions of time or determined intervals. Together with scientist Burnett Cross he developed the so-called "Free Music Machines", which were the predecessors of modern electronic synthesizers.
Percy Alridge Grainger died on 20 February 1961 in New York and was buried in his family's grave in Adelaide, South Australia.
Worklist
Gallery



Chronology
Begins his Kipling 'Jungle Book' Cycle composed 'as a protest against civilization'
Completes Youthful Rapture (originally A Lot of Rot) and Love Verses from 'The Song of Solomon'; commences Marching Song of Democracy, inspired by Whitman
Arranges Irish Tune from County Derry for unaccompanied mixed chorus; completes initial setting of Hill Song No. 1
First uses phonograph to record folksongs.
Sets Molly on the Shore for string quartet
His controversial 100-page article 'Collecting with the Phonograph' appears in the Journal of the Folk-Song Society; makes the first gramphone recordings of short passages by Grieg, Liszt and Stanford.
Completes Father and Daughter setting of Faroe Islands music.
Changes his professional name to Percy Aldridge Grainger.
Completes initial setting of Shepherd's Hey.
Schott (London) starts to publish his compositions.
Completes The Warriors: Music to an Imaginary Ballet, dedicated to Delius.
Joins US army as a military musician.
Completes Country Gardens, based on a Morris Dance tune collected by Cecil Sharp.
Completes Children’s March: Over the Hills and Far Away, for band.
Undertakes long concert tours of the American Far West.
Rescores a number of his early works.
Première of The Bride’s Tragedyat Evanston Festival.
Travels to Scandinavia to collect Danish folk music.
Première of To a Nordic Princess.
Completes initial setting of his Danish Folk-Music Suite.
Takes a teaching post at New York University.
Premiere of experimental Free Music No. 1
Official opening of the Grainger Museum in Melbourne.
Begins glossary of his ‘Nordic English’.
Collaborates with Stokowski in Hollywood Bowl performance of Grieg piano concerto, In a Nutshell suite and Suite on Danish Folk Songs.
Performs Danish Folk Music Suite at a Promenade Concert in London.
Products
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for orchestraComposer: George Percy Aldridge GraingerMedia Type: Hire/performance materialEdition: Performance materialInstrumentation: orchestra
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from R. Wagner's 'Die Meistersinger'Composer: George Percy Aldridge GraingerArranger: George Percy Aldridge GraingerMedia Type: Hire/performance materialEdition: Performance materialInstrumentation: 5 cellos
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theme from the film 'Howards End'Composer: George Percy Aldridge GraingerMedia Type: Hire/performance materialEdition: Performance materialInstrumentation: piano and orchestra
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theme from the film 'Howards End'Composer: George Percy Aldridge GraingerArranger: Walter HartleyMedia Type: Hire/performance materialEdition: Performance materialInstrumentation: concert band
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theme from the film 'Howards End'Composer: George Percy Aldridge GraingerArranger: Alan GibbsMedia Type: Hire/performance materialEdition: Performance materialInstrumentation: mixed choir or female choir, tenor solo (ad libitum) and ensembleLanguage: English
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original music by Josquin DesprezComposer: George Percy Aldridge GraingerArranger: George Percy Aldridge GraingerMedia Type: Hire/performance materialEdition: Performance materialInstrumentation: strings
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for medium voice and pianoComposer: George Percy Aldridge GraingerSeries: Edition Schott
Instrumentation: medium voice and pianoProduct number: ED 12562As low as€3.99Incl. Tax -
anonymous, arranged by P. A. GraingerComposer: George Percy Aldridge GraingerArranger: George Percy Aldridge GraingerMedia Type: Hire/performance materialEdition: Performance materialInstrumentation: mixed choir and stringsLanguage: Latin
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for choir (unison women's, men's or mixed choir) and brass instrumentsComposer: George Percy Aldridge GraingerEditor: Barry Peter OuldMedia Type: Hire/performance materialEdition: Performance materialInstrumentation: choir (unison women's, men's or mixed choir) and brass instrumentsLanguage: English
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English Gothic MusicComposer: George Percy Aldridge GraingerArranger: George Percy Aldridge GraingerMedia Type: Hire/performance materialEdition: Performance materialInstrumentation: strings and choir and organ ad libitum
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original music by William BradeComposer: George Percy Aldridge GraingerArranger: George Percy Aldridge GraingerMedia Type: Hire/performance materialEdition: Performance materialInstrumentation: strings
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No. 6 from Kipling SettingsComposer: George Percy Aldridge GraingerEdition: Choral scoreSeries: Choral Music of Our Time
Instrumentation: baritone, men's choir (or 4 male voices) and pianoProduct number: ED 12511As low as€3.99Incl. Tax -
English Gothic MusicComposer: George Percy Aldridge GraingerArranger: George Percy Aldridge GraingerMedia Type: Hire/performance materialEdition: Performance materialInstrumentation: strings and choir and organ ad libitumLanguage: Latin
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original music by Lyonel PowerComposer: George Percy Aldridge GraingerArranger: George Percy Aldridge GraingerMedia Type: Hire/performance materialEdition: Performance materialInstrumentation: Mezzosoprano and stringsLanguage: Latin
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for middle-fiddle (viola) soloComposer: George Percy Aldridge GraingerSeries: Edition Schott
Instrumentation: violaProduct number: ED 12558As low as€5.99Incl. Tax -
for soli or massed violinsComposer: George Percy Aldridge GraingerMedia Type: Hire/performance materialEdition: Performance materialInstrumentation: violins
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for solo tenor and mixed choirComposer: George Percy Aldridge GraingerEdition: Choral score, Piano part for rehearsal onlyInstrumentation: Tenor solo and mixed choir a cappellaProduct number: ED 12512As low as€3.99Incl. Tax
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for orchestraComposer: George Percy Aldridge GraingerMedia Type: Hire/performance materialEdition: Performance materialInstrumentation: orchestra
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for mixed choir and orchestraComposer: George Percy Aldridge GraingerMedia Type: Hire/performance materialEdition: Performance materialInstrumentation: mixed choir and orchestraLanguage: English
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Composer: George Percy Aldridge GraingerEdition: Choral scoreSeries: Choral Music of Our Time
Instrumentation: mixed choir a cappella; piano ad libitumProduct number: ED 11282As low as€5.99Incl. Tax