Percy Aldridge Grainger

Overview - Recordings - Scores - Books - Links

Born: July 8, 1882, Brighton, Melbourne, Australia
Died: February 20, 1961, White Plains, New York, USA

Percy Grainger was the first significant 20th-century composer who wrote much of his finest music for the concert band. Many composers have contributed a few works to the repertoire, but the scope of Grainger's contributions was probably unmatched until the 1950s with the work of composers like Vincent Persichetti.

Grainger's works for band include the folk song settings, such as the Irish Tune from County Derry and Shepherd's Hey, as well as works with original themes such as the Hill Songs and The Power of Rome and the Christian Heart. But then there's a work like Lincolnshire Posy, which many hold to be his masterpiece: a suite of highly original music based on folk song settings. The "original vs. folk" dichotomy has severe limits when we talk about Grainger's music!

Grainger is finally getting serious attention paid to his music on recordings, thanks in large part to Chandos's cycle of his works. We are extremely fortunate that the two band recordings in this series (Volumes 4 and 8) are among the best in the bunch. In their two CDs, the Royal Northern College of Music Wind Orchestra covers just about everything significant that Grainger wrote for band, omitting only the "Chosen Gems for Winds" series of transcriptions. The performances are stunningly good. Under the direction of Timothy Reynish, with much guest conducting by Clark Rundell, these recordings are the start of the best band series since Frederick Fennell.

So if you are new to Grainger's recordings, the choice is easy: start with the two Chandos recordings. Then you can move on to alternate interpretations, the most noteworthy of which are Fennell's and Rattle's. A piece like Lincolnshire Posy in particular allows lots of room for different interpretations, so there are many other interesting recordings to listen to as well. Sir Simon Rattle's CD is especially recommended for those who wish to explore Grainger's orchestral music; it includes The Warriors and In A Nutshell Suite. In Lincolnshire Posy, Reynish, Rattle, Corporon, Westbrook, and Aadland use version B of Rufford Park Poachers with the soprano saxophone; Fennell and Hunsberger use version A with flugelhorn; I have not heard the others yet.

John Bird's classic Grainger biography is back in print after nearly a year's absence. We highly recommend that you get this wonderful book while you can! The collection of Grainger's writings on music makes fascinating reading. Portrait of Percy Grainger focuses on oral histories from people who knew Grainger.

Recordings

Works	Performers	Reviews	Stores
Lincolnshire Posy Hill Song No. 2 Colonial Song The Lads of Wamphray March The "Gum-Suckers" March Faeroe Island Dance Ye Banks and Braes O' Bonnie Doon Irish Tune from County Derry Shepherd's Hey Country Gardens The Merry King Molly on the Shore	Royal Northern College of Music Wind Orchestra Timothy Reynish and Clark Rundell	Rabinowitz	Tower Amazon
The Power of Rome and the Christian Heart Hill Songs I and II Children's March The Immovable Do Marching Song of Democracy Bell Piece Blithe Bells Irish Tune from County Derry	Royal Northern College of Music Wind Orchestra Timothy Reynish and Clark Rundell	Rabinowitz	Tower Amazon
Lincolnshire Posy Hill Song No. 2	Eastman Wind Ensemble Frederick Fennell	Simmons	Tower Amazon
Lincolnshire Posy The Lads of Wamphray March	Eastman Wind Ensemble Donald Hunsberger	North	Tower Amazon
Lincolnshire Posy	City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Simon Rattle	Rabinowitz	Tower
Lincolnshire Posy	Cleveland Symphonic Winds Frederick Fennell	Albacete	Tower Amazon
Children's March The Immovable Do Colonial Song Molly on the Shore Ye Banks and Braes O' Bonnie Doon Country Gardens Chosen Gems for Winds selections	Michigan State University Concert Band Keith Brion and Kenneth G. Bloomquist	McColley	Tower Amazon
Lincolnshire Posy Faeroe Island Dance The Duke of Marlborough Fanfare Colonial Song Molly on the Shore Irish Tune from County Derry Shepherd's Hey	UCLA Wind Ensemble James Westbrook		Amazon
Lincolnshire Posy Molly on the Shore Irish Tune from County Derry Shepherd's Hey	Norwegian Armed Forces Staff Band Eivind Aadland	Rabinowitz	Tower Amazon
Lincolnshire Posy Molly on the Shore Irish Tune from County Derry Shepherd's Hey	London Wind Orchestra Denis Wick	Wiser	Tower Amazon
The Power of Rome and the Christian Heart	Dallas Wind Symphony Frederick Fennell with Paul Riedo, organ	Salas	Tower Amazon
Lincolnshire Posy Irish Tune from County Derry	University of Michigan Symphony Band H. Robert Reynolds		Tower Amazon
Lincolnshire Posy	North Texas Wind Symphony Eugene Corporon	Salas	Tower Amazon
Lincolnshire Posy	University of Georgia Wind Symphony	Ellis	Tower Amazon
Lincolnshire Posy Molly on the Shore	University of Massachusetts Wind Ensemble Malcom Rowell	Salas	Tower Amazon
The "Gum-Suckers" March Irish Tune from County Derry	Cincinnati Wind Symphony Terence Milligan	Salas	Tower Amazon
Ye Banks and Braes O' Bonnie Doon	Dallas Wind Symphony Frederick Fennell	Snook Salas	Tower Amazon
The Lads of Wamphray March	North Texas Wind Symphony Eugene Corporon	Ellis	Amazon
The "Gum-Suckers" March	North Texas Wind Symphony Eugene Corporon	Ellis	Amazon
Irish Tune from County Derry	North Texas Wind Symphony Eugene Corporon	Ellis	Amazon
Irish Tune from County Derry Shepherd's Hey	Edmonton Wind Ensemble Harry Pinchin		Tower Amazon