Percy Aldridge Grainger

Biography

Born: July 8, 1882l Brighton, Melbourne, Australia    Died: February 21, 1961; White Plains, NY  
Percy Grainger was known during his lifetime as a virtuoso pianist and arranger of popular English folk song. His primary contribution to music, however, lies in his prolific output as a composer of expert and highly original works. Grainger's early years were spent in Melbourne where he studied first with his mother, and later with Louis Pabst. From 1895-1899 he attended the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt, Germany, and then settled in London in Read more 1901. The next 10 years or so were devoted to a combination of concert touring and folk song collection. Grainger's early reputation was as a brilliant and eccentric pianist, and it was this talent that not only provided his income for the rest of his life, but also brought him into contact with other composers. Grieg and Delius, in particular, had great influence on Grainger's development of a sympathy and sensitivity toward unique national and folk styles. In 1914, Grainger moved to New York, beginning a long career as a composer, arranger, collector of folk music, and educator; he became an American citizen in 1918. In 1925 and 1927 he collected and published over 200 Danish folk songs, and returned to Australia in 1924, 1926, and from 1934-1935 in order to establish a Grainger Museum at the University of Melbourne devoted to ethnomusicological research. His final years were spent completing and arranging his earlier works and trying to develop a workable form of his "free music" using primarily theremins, one of the earliest electronic instruments. The project remained incomplete, and Grainger died embittered and in relative obscurity, known only for a handful of light works that he referred to derogatorily as his "fripperies."

Early in his life, Grainger rejected the central European tradition of Western classical music, seeking instead a "democratic" music that was more closely related to natural sounds, speech, and world music. In his quest to assimilate as much unique musical culture as possible, Grainger became one of the first ethnomusicologists to use the wax cylinder phonograph in the collection and transcription of indigenous music. His arrangements of many of these are among the best ever done, capturing not only the melodies and harmonies, but also the timbres, inflections, and performance styles of each individual piece. In his own compositions, Grainger experimented with nontraditional rhythms, forms, and instrumental combinations in an attempt to create what he called "free music." He also created a large body of more traditional works and arrangements intended for more popular consumption, motivated, no doubt, by his experience with the Edwardian music hall and later with the U.S. Army Band. Read less

Featured Percy Aldridge Grainger CDs & DVDs:

Grainger Edition Vol 6 - Orchestral Works 2 / Hickox, Bbc Po
Grainger Edition Vol 6 - Orchestral Works 2 / Hickox, Bbc Po
Release Date: 01/20/1998   Label: Chandos  
Catalog: 9584   Number of Discs: 1
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Grainger: Music for Saxophones
Grainger: Music for Saxophones
Release Date: 12/11/2015   Label: Naxos  
Catalog: 8573228   Number of Discs: 1
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Grainger: The Power Of Love / Keith Brion, Slovak Radio So
Grainger: The Power Of Love / Keith Brion, Slovak Radio So
Release Date: 10/06/2000   Label: Naxos  
Catalog: 8554263   Number of Discs: 1
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Grainger: Famous Folk-Settings / Montgomery, Bournemouth Sinfonietta
Grainger: Famous Folk-Settings / Montgomery, Bournemouth Sinfonietta
Release Date: 10/28/1992   Label: Chandos Collect  
Catalog: 6542   Number of Discs: 1
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Grainger Edition Vol 15 - Orchestral Works 3 / Hickox
Grainger Edition Vol 15 - Orchestral Works 3 / Hickox
Release Date: 10/24/2000   Label: Chandos  
Catalog: 9839   Number of Discs: 1
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Browse 251-273 of 273 Available Recordings
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  • 251.
    Twentieth-century Operatic Fantasias / Ronald Stevenson
    Twentieth-century Operatic Fantasias / Ronald Stevenson
    Label: Altarus   Catalog: 9042 Release Date: 09/01/1996   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Ronald Stevenson,  Percy Aldridge Grainger
    Performer:  Ronald Stevenson
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  • 252.
    Danny Boy - Songs & Dancing Ballads by Grainger / Gardiner
    Danny Boy - Songs & Dancing Ballads by Grainger / Gardiner
    Label: Philips   Catalog: 446657 Release Date: 05/14/1996   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Percy Aldridge Grainger
    Performer:  Julian Clarkson,  Simon Davies,  Julian Podger,  Nicholas Robertson  ... 
    Conductor:  John Eliot Gardiner
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Monteverdi Orchestra,  Monteverdi Choir
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  • 253.
    Americana - Holmboe, Norholm, Grainger, Britten, Barber
    Americana - Holmboe, Norholm, Grainger, Britten, Barber
    Label: Danica   Catalog: 8154 Release Date: 01/23/1996   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Ib Norholm,  Samuel Barber,  Benjamin Britten,  Percy Aldridge Grainger  ... 
    Conductor:  Michael Bojesen
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Camerata Chamber Choir
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  • 254.
    University Of Arkansas Wind Symphony Live At All-state 1996
    University Of Arkansas Wind Symphony Live At All-state 1996
    Label: Mark Records   Catalog: 3031 Release Date: 01/01/1996   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  David Maslanka,  Edward Gregson,  Modest Mussorgsky,  Percy Aldridge Grainger  ... 
    Conductor:  W. Dale Warren,  T. W. Gunther
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  University Of Arkansas Wind Symphony
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  • 255.
    Percy Grainger - Salute To Scotland / Ronald Stevenson
    Percy Grainger - Salute To Scotland / Ronald Stevenson
    Label: Altarus   Catalog: 9040 Release Date: 11/29/1995   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Percy Aldridge Grainger,  Traditional
    Performer:  Ronald Stevenson
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  • 256.
    A Christmas Fantasy / Huddersfield Choral Society, Et Al
    A Christmas Fantasy / Huddersfield Choral Society, Et Al
    Label: Chandos   Catalog: 4541 Release Date: 11/21/1995   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Leroy Anderson,  Gordon Langford,  Traditional,  John Francis Wade  ... 
    Performer:  Keith Rhodes,  Anthony Cooke
    Conductor:  Roy Newsome,  Keith Rhodes
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Black Dyke Mills Band,  Huddersfield Choral Society
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  • 257.
    Romance - Greatest Hits
    Romance - Greatest Hits
    Label: Sony   Catalog: 68459 Release Date: 08/22/1995   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Sir Edward Elgar,  Sergei Rachmaninov,  Maurice Ravel,  Edvard Grieg  ... 
    Performer:  Michie Koyama,  Ayako Shinozaki,  Marie-Claire Jamet,  Riri Shimada
    Conductor:  Sir Andrew Davis,  Eugene Ormandy,  John Georgiadis,  Richard Kapp  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Philharmonia Orchestra,  BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra,  Philadelphia Orchestra  ... 
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  • 258.
    The London Viola Sound
    The London Viola Sound
    Label: Cala Records   Catalog: 106 Release Date: 05/23/1995   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Percy Aldridge Grainger,  Billy Strayhorn,  Burt Bacharach,  Sergei Prokofiev  ... 
    Performer:  Rivka Golani
    Conductor:  Geoffrey Simon
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Academy of St. Martin in the Fields violas,  BBC Symphony Orchestra Violas,  English National Opera Orchestras Violas  ... 
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  • 259.
    Gabrilowitsch - Issued And Unissued Recordings (1923-29)
    Gabrilowitsch - Issued And Unissued Recordings (1923-29)
    Label: Vai Audio   Catalog: 1018 Release Date: 02/01/1995   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Robert Schumann,  Anton Arensky,  Percy Aldridge Grainger,  Léo Delibes  ... 
    Performer:  Ossip Gabrilowitsch,  Harold Bauer
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Flonzaley String Quartet
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  • 260.
    Beachcomber - Encores For Band / Frederick Fennell, Et Al
    Beachcomber - Encores For Band / Frederick Fennell, Et Al
    Label: Reference Recordings   Catalog: 62 Release Date: 01/20/1995   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Samuel Augustus Ward,  Bin Kaneda,  Naohiri Iwai,  Jack End  ... 
    Conductor:  Frederick Fennell
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Dallas Wind Symphony
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  • 261.
    The Music Of Percy Grainger Vol 3 / University Of Houston Wind Ensemble
    The Music Of Percy Grainger Vol 3 / University Of Houston Wind Ensemble
    Label: Mark Records   Catalog: 1523 Release Date: 07/17/1994   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Percy Aldridge Grainger
    Conductor:  Eddie Green
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  University of Houston Wind Ensemble
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  • 262.
    Grainger: Country Gardens & Other Piano Favourites / Jones
    Grainger: Country Gardens & Other Piano Favourites / Jones
    Label: Nimbus   Catalog: 7703 Release Date: 05/02/1994   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Charles Villiers Stanford,  Percy Aldridge Grainger,  Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky,  John Dowland
    Performer:  Martin Jones,  Philip Martin,  Richard McMahon
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  • 263.
    Pomp & Pipes! - Powerful Music For Organ, Wind Symphony, Etc
    Pomp & Pipes! - Powerful Music For Organ, Wind Symphony, Etc
    Label: Reference Recordings   Catalog: 58 Release Date: 02/04/1994   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Ron Nelson,  Jaromir Weinberger,  Charles-Marie Widor,  Marcel Dupré  ... 
    Performer:  Paul Riedo
    Conductor:  Frederick Fennell
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Dallas Wind Symphony
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  • 264.
    Romantic Violin Favourites / Takako Nishizaki, Wolf Harden
    Romantic Violin Favourites / Takako Nishizaki, Wolf Harden
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8550125 Release Date: 06/25/1993   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Franz Schubert,  Georges Bizet,  Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov,  George Frideric Handel  ... 
    Performer:  Takako Nishizaki,  Wolf Harden
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  • 265.
    To The Fore! Percy Grainger's Great Symphonic Band Music
    To The Fore! Percy Grainger's Great Symphonic Band Music
    Label: Delos   Catalog: 3101 Release Date: 12/11/1992   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Gabriel Fauré,  César Franck,  Percy Aldridge Grainger  ... 
    Performer:  David Cleveland
    Conductor:  Keith Brion
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Michigan State Symphony Band
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  • 266.
    Grainger: Famous Folk-Settings / Montgomery, Bournemouth Sinfonietta
    Grainger: Famous Folk-Settings / Montgomery, Bournemouth Sinfonietta
    Label: Chandos Collect   Catalog: 6542 Release Date: 10/28/1992   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Percy Aldridge Grainger
    Performer:  Philip Martin
    Conductor:  Kenneth Montgomery
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Bournemouth Sinfonietta
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  • 267.
    The Music Of Percy Grainger Vol 1 / University Of Houston Wind Ensemble
    The Music Of Percy Grainger Vol 1 / University Of Houston Wind Ensemble
    Label: Mark Records   Catalog: 1086 Release Date: 07/22/1992   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Percy Aldridge Grainger
    Conductor:  Eddie Green
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  University of Houston Wind Ensemble
    CD: $11.99
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  • 268.
    The Begian Years Vol 2 / University Of Illinois Symphonic Band
    The Begian Years Vol 2 / University Of Illinois Symphonic Band
    Label: Mark Records   Catalog: 1211 Release Date: 01/01/1992   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Richard Strauss,  Dmitri Shostakovich,  Percy Aldridge Grainger
    Conductor:  Harry Begian
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  University of Illinois Symphonic Band
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  • 269.
    Grainger, Persichetti, Et Al / Eastman Wind Ensemble
    Grainger, Persichetti, Et Al / Eastman Wind Ensemble
    Label: Mercury Living Presence   Catalog: 432754 Release Date: 08/09/1991   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Vincent Persichetti,  Percy Aldridge Grainger,  Bernard Rogers,  Walter Hartley  ... 
    Conductor:  Frederick Fennell
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Eastman Wind Ensemble
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  • 270.
    The University Of Texas Wind Ensemble At Carnegie Hall
    The University Of Texas Wind Ensemble At Carnegie Hall
    Label: Mark Records   Catalog: 2697 Release Date: 01/01/1991   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky,  Richard Wagner,  Traditional,  Gustav Mahler  ... 
    Conductor:  Jerry Junkin
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  University of Texas Wind Ensemble
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  • 271.
    Stars & Stripes / Fennell, Cleveland Symphonic Winds
    Stars & Stripes / Fennell, Cleveland Symphonic Winds
    Label: Telarc   Catalog: 80099 Release Date: 10/25/1990   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Percy Aldridge Grainger,  John Philip Sousa,  Ralph Vaughan Williams,  Johann Strauss Sr.  ... 
    Conductor:  Frederick Fennell
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Cleveland Symphonic Winds
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  • 272.
    Vaughan Williams, Barber, Grainger, Fauré / Slatkin, St Louis So
    Vaughan Williams, Barber, Grainger, Fauré / Slatkin, St Louis So
    Label: Telarc   Catalog: 80059 Release Date: 10/25/1990   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Erik Satie,  Ralph Vaughan Williams,  Percy Aldridge Grainger,  Gabriel Fauré  ... 
    Performer:  John Korman,  Beverly Schiebler,  John Sant'Ambrogio,  Thomas Dumm
    Conductor:  Leonard Slatkin
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
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  • 273.
    Agony & Ecstasy: Australian Music From The Time Of Arthur Boyd
    Label: Abc Classics   Catalog: 4811210 Release Date: 09/05/2014   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Percy Aldridge Grainger,  Miriam Hyde,  Alfred Hill,  John Antill  ... 
    Performer:  Miriam Hyde,  Donald Hazelwood,  Karin Schaupp
    Conductor:  John Hopkins,  Geoffrey Simon,  Patrick Thomas,  Sir Eugene Goossens  ... 
    CD: $18.99
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