News of the International Percy Grainger Society

June 19, 2010 - MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR INEZ BULL Inez Stewart Bull, musician, educator, and long-time Board member of the International Percy Grainger Society, died on February 8 at the age of 89. Ms. Bull wrote many books, among which is the volume 7 Cromwell Place, A Loving Tribute to Percy Grainger, 1989. A memorial service will be held on Saturday afternoon, June 19, at the Montclair Community Church, near her home in Montclair, New Jersey. The memorial will begin at 1:00 PM. Attendees will share stories, memories, and music of Inez Bull. Light refreshments will be served. The church is located at 143 Watchung Ave, Upper Montclair. Please RSVP. The phone number for the church is 973-746-0042. An obituary for Inez Bull can be found at the NorthJersey.com "Obituaries" page http://www.northjersey.com/obituaries/84084972_Dame_Inez_Bull__89.html.

AVAILABILITY OF SCORES AND PARTS Many readers of this Web site have asked about the availability of a particular score for a particular combination of instruments for a particular one of Grainger's compositions or arrangements. We have always endeavored to answer your questions about all aspects of Grainger's life and career as fully as possible, and continue to welcome your correspondence. While we are delighted by the interest shown in bringing Grainger's music to life in performance, to avoid duplication of resources, we are now referring all requests for information about scores and parts to our sister organization, the Percy Grainger Society (U.K.), where music publisher Barry Ould (Bardic Edition Music Publications) has a fantastic collection of scores, parts, recordings, and information about their whereabouts. Bardic Edition is currently in the process of bringing into print most of Grainger’s hitherto unpublished music, in association with the Grainger Society and Estate. The Web site for the (U.K.) Percy Grainger Society is www.percygrainger.org.uk. Barry Ould can be reached by e-mail at info@percygrainger.org.uk.

RECOMMENDED READING ABOUT PERCY GRAINGER We are often asked to recommend books for further reading about the life and music of Percy Grainger. Here are the most highly recommended books that are in print: John Bird, Percy Grainger, Oxford University Press, 1999 (first published 1976). Malcolm Gillies and David Pear, Portrait of Percy Grainger, Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press, 2002 (Eastman Studies in Music, Eastman School of Music). Robert Simon, Percy Grainger, The Pictorial Biography, Grafton, OH: Ludwig Music Publishing Company, 1983. Thomas P. Lewis' Source Guide to the Music of Percy Grainger (1991), a compendium of catalogs to Grainger's works and various essays and reminiscences, is out of print (and the catalogs are likely to be out of date), but two of the most useful chapters, "Biographical/Artistic Vignettes" and "Program Notes," are available online on this Web site. Click here to read them. Mike Miceli has completed a Master's thesis at Western Connecticut State University entitled "Percy Grainger and his Lincolnshire Posy." Some of his research was done at the Grainger House at 7 Cromwell Place in White Plains. If any of our readers know of other useful books on Percy's life and work, let us know. Happy reading.

IN PARIS, 2011 - RESERVE THE DATE! Graham O'Reilly, director of the Ensemble européen William Byrd, has announced a program to be performed in the Basilica of Saint Clotilde, Paris, Thursday, March 10th, 2011, "The Genius of Percy Grainger." Mr. O'Reilly has been invited to conduct the program by the Choir of the French Radio. The program is to be as follows: Duo piano Always Merry and Bright Three pieces for unaccompanied choir O mIstress Mine (after Thomas Morley) Two "Songs of the North" : - Mo Nighean Dubh - My love's in Germanie Duo piano Eastern Intermezzo Two pieces for unaccompanied choir Brigg Fair (BFMS [British Folk-Music Settings] N° 7) Agincourt Song Duo piano Country gardens Two "Kipling Settings" for choir, piano and harmonium - N° 18 Recessional - N° 12 Danny Deever Two arrangements of "Londonderry Air" - County Derry for unaccompanied choir - Irish Tune from County Derry for choir, piano and harmonium (BFMS N° 29) Choir and piano I'm Seventeen come Sunday (BFMS 8) --- interval ---- Six Pieces from "The Jungle Book" by Rudyard Kipling - N° 2 Morning Song in the Jungle for unaccompanied choir - N° 3 Night Song in the Jungle for unaccompanied mens' voices - N° 8 Hunting Song of the Peeonee Pack for unaccompanied mens' voices - N° 9 Tiger Tiger for unaccompanied mens' voices - N° 5 [The Beaches of] Lukannon for unaccompanied mens' voices - N° 4 The Inuit for unaccompanied choir Solo piano One more day, my John Choir The Three Ravens with baritone solo and harmonium (BFMS 41) Duo piano Let's Dance gay in green meadow Two pieces for unaccompanied womens' voices Love at First Sight melody and words by Ella Grainger, harmonised and arranged by Percy Grainger There was a pig went out to dig (BFMS 18) Duo piano Horkstow Grange (from A Lincolnshire Posy, N°2) Choir : Soldier, soldier (Kipling Setting 13) for choir and harmonium Ye Banks and Braes o' Bonnie Doon for unaccompanied choir (BFMS 30) The Lost Lady Found for choir and piano (BFMS 33) Performers: 36 singers from the Chœur de Radio France, David Selig and Maciej Pikulski (2 pianos and harmonium), Direction : Graham O'Reilly Contact: Graham O'Reilly Directeur Ensemble européen William Byrd 10 rue Massenet 93600 Aulnay-sous-Bois France +33 1 48 66 58 76 Grabyrdy@gmail.com

A COLLECTION OF FALL PHOTOS FROM THE GRAINGER HOUSE Below are some new pictures from in and around the Grainger House, taken in October, 2009 by John Sowa. The front of the house on a beautiful autumn day. Some members of the Grainger Society can be seen talking at the foot of the steps (just behind the telephone pole). Dana Perna is on the left. Notice the historic marker above and to the left of Dana's head. A view of the side yard, looking back from the front porch. Some of these trees were planted by Percy The Music Room, showing the upright piano. Stewart Manville playing Percy's grand piano in the Music Room. An Edison cylinder machine of the kind used by Percy to collect folk songs. Another view of the Edison machine, showing its mechanism. A view of the side yard from the third floor. These cozy attic rooms would have been the servants' quarters in the early days of the house, before the Graingers bought it. The antique fixtures in the house are exemplified by this wall sconce. It is dual-purpose, and can be used as either a gas lamp or an electric lamp. In this grand mansion, even the bathroom has a stained glass window! More antique fixtures: a very old shower head in the bathroom!

WATCH VIDEOS FROM A RECITAL OF GRAINGER SONGS BY SOPRANO JANE THORNGREN Soprano Jane Thorngren and pianist Stephen Sulich, at Percy Grainger's own piano, with a portrait of Percy looking down from the wall. To read more about Jane Thorngren, see her Web site at http://www.janethorngren.com. A recital of songs by Grainger, Grieg, Quilter, and Foster In June 2008, the board meeting of the International Percy Grainger Society, held at the Grainger House, was treated to a recital by soprano Jane Thorngren, singing songs by Grainger, Grieg, Roger Quilter, and Stephen Foster. She was accompanied by Stephen Sulich, playing Grainger's own piano. In a series of sensitive interpretations, Ms. Thorngren, an operatic performer whose voice ranges easily from a mezzo-tinged register to pure soprano, uncovered unexpected meanings and harmonies in the songs, leaving us cheering for more. So that a wider audience can share in Jane's recital, we have put a series of videos of her performance, made by John Sowa, on the Web for your enjoyment. Those who were present at the original recital can relive the performance. Depending on the speed of your connection, these videos may take a longer or shorter time to download. (Due to technical difficulties, the first two selections are not quite complete. The sound quality on these recordings may sometimes hiccup, too, but these are "home movies," after all!) Edvard Grieg was one of Percy's heroes, both as a composer and as a man, and Percy often included Grieg's music in his performances. Roger Quilter was a friend of Percy's. Stephen Foster occupied a special place in Percy's musical affections, for in his childhood it was with Foster's songs that his mother sang him to sleep. I particularly recommend the songs by Grieg, which Jane sings in Norwegian. The texts are by Ibsen. They are preceded by commentary (in English!) by our own Rolf Stang. Click on the names of the selections to see and hear the individual songs. Songs by Grainger: Early One Morning The Sprig of Thyme The Pretty Maid Milkin' Her Cow Died For Love British Waterside Songs by Edvard Grieg (in Norwegian), with commentary by Rolf Stang: Med en Vandlilje (With a Waterlily) En Svane (A Swan) Songs by Quilter, Foster Love's Philosophy, by Roger Quilter Ah, May the Red Rose Live Always, by Stephen Foster Another picture of Jane and Stephen, enjoying the moment.

THEREMIN MUSIC BY GRAINGER AVAILABLE ON CD FROM MODE RECORDS On a CD called Spellbound, Lydia Kavina, grand-niece of Leon Theremin, performs original works for theremin by various composers, including three pieces by Percy Grainger. Produced by Mode Records from recordings made in 2000, it is available through the Mode Web site at http://www.moderecords.com. Members of the International Percy Grainger Society (Stewart Manville, Mark Grant, Don Gillespie, Barry Ould) aided with financial support and assistance with the Grainger scores, which were written in his own graphic notation. The Grainger pieces are Free Music #1, Free Music #2, and Beatless Music.

HISTORIC PICTURE OF PERCY GRAINGER WITH NAVY BAND LEADERS Band director William Aaron Tomlin was kind enough to send us images of a historic photograph in his collection of Grainger memorabilia. The original 8 x 10 photo shows Percy Grainger with US Navy Band Leader Lt. Commander Charles Bendler and his assistant Richard Townsend during World War II. The images below show both the front (entire picture and detail) and the back of the picture. The back bears Percy's name (signature?).

STILL AVAILABLE! ATTENTION VINYL COLLECTORS, EDISON CYLINDER ENTHUSIASTS, AND FANS OF ROOTS MUSIC! We have received a number of inquiries about the old Edison cylinders that Percy Grainger used to record the voices of singers, whose folk songs Grainger later wove into works like "Lincolnshire Posy" and many other settings. Many of them are now in the Library of Congress. Our correspondents have asked whether these performances are available in any modern form. We have a supply of LP records, made in 1972, of a selection of English songs recorded by Grainger in Lincolnshire in 1908, sung by Joseph Taylor and other singers. These are amazingly fine recordings, remastered from cylinders and from early discs. The liner notes are in the form of an extensive booklet, with commentary and the complete words to the songs. The price is $35, including shipping and handling, within the U.S (for mailing costs outside the U.S., please ask us.) Check or money order should be made out to the International Percy Grainger Society and sent to 7 Cromwell Place, White Plains, NY 10601. You can order a record by writing to Mr. Stewart Manville at the above address. If you contact us by e-mail, please give us your complete mailing address (and, if you wish, a phone number where you can be contacted). The songs on the record are as follows (some songs appear more than once, sung by different singers or in different recordings): A side: Sprig o' thyme Died for love Brigg Fair The white hare Lord Bateman Rufford Park poachers The gypsy's wedding day Worcester City Creeping Jane Murder of Maria Martin Sprig o'thyme B side: Bold William Taylor Lord Bateman Green bushes The Sheffield apprentice Horkstow Grange Landlord and tenant Bold Nevison Lord Melbourne Bold Robin Hood T'owd yowe wi' one horn The cover of the record: A picture of the singers (with Percy Grainger, center of back row):

Remembrance of Grainger fans past -- the Flonzaley Quartet The basement of the Grainger House, which contains Grainger's fireproof archives, also holds many other wondrous things. In addition to Percy's wheelbarrow, with which he wheeled his luggage to the White Plains train station, there are stacks of old concert programs, publicity materials, and other items. We recently ran across a supply of postcards, whose front side depicts the Flonzaley Quartet listening (as it tells us, we assume truthfully) with rapt attention to one of their own recordings, of Grainger's "Molly on the Shore." The Flonzaley Quartet was founded by Edward J. de Coppet, a New York banker and patron of the arts of Swiss descent. De Coppet had a summer home, Le Flonzaley, near Lake Geneva. An amateur musician, in 1886 he formed a semi-professional chamber group with his wife and some friends. However, outside demands left insufficient time for rehearsals, and in 1903 de Coppet assembled a group of professional musicians -- Adolfo Betti, first violin, Alfred Pochon, violin, Ugo Ara, viola, and Iwan d'Archambeau, cello -- to devote their entire time and effort to playing and touring as the Flonzaley Quartet. In addition to the standard repertoire, they introduced audiences to both modern and early music, including forgotten pieces by 18th century composers such as Sammartini, Leclair, and Boyce. The Flonzaley Quartet was one of the first quartets to make recordings. The Quartet disbanded in 1929.

AWARDING OF THE GRAINGER MEDALLION Percy Grainger was adept in many aspects of music, as a performer, as a collector of folk songs, and as an inventor of music-making machines. To band leaders, teachers, and musicians, however, he is known, in his compositions and arrangements for wind ensembles, as an originator of the concert band, In his hands, the band, which was largely confined to marches in the manner of Sousa, became an instrument for serious concert music. Each year, the International Percy Grainger Society awards the Grainger Medallion to one or more recipients who have made a contribution to band music, especially in the state of Texas. Grainger spent a great deal of time in the last decade of his life working with college, high school, and other bands in Texas, including Baylor and in the Austin area. He also conducted the Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra. The Grainger Medallion was made possible by a generous grant from music store owner Billy Everett (H&H Music of Houston). The design of the Medallion was by Dr. Cay Smith Osmon and the casting took place in Houston, Texas in a one-time production of only 50 medallions. So far, more than 30 have been awarded. It is the wish of Mr. Everett that, when possible, the Medallion be awarded in Texas, to Texas band directors. One Medallion is given out each year at the Texas Bandmasters Association state convention or at the Texas Music Educators Association state convention. (In some years, more than one has been awarded.) Others can be awarded by the International Percy Grainger Society. The first year the Medallion was awarded to the following: Frederic Fennell John Bird (England) John Hopkins (Australia) Frederic Fennell was the legendary conductor who introduced many of Grainger's works. John Bird is Grainger's biographer. Conductor John Hopkins also recorded works of Grainger. Texas recipients have included: Eddie Green* (Univ. of Houston, ret.) - 1994 Richard Kole* (Del Mar College, ret.) - 1995 Harry Begian* (Univ. of Illinois, ret.) - 1996 Mark Rogers* (SMC) - 1997 Peter Warshaw* - 1998 Col. John Bourgeois, USMC (awarded at TMEA) - 1998 James Keene* (Univ. of Illinois) - 1999 Maurice McAdow - 2000 Sir Geoffrey Brand* (London, England) - 2002 Chal Ragsdale* (Univ. of Arkansas) - 2003 Tom Bennett* (Univ. of Houston) - 2003 Mark Morette* (Mark custom recordings, NY) - 2004 Jerry Junkin* (Dallas Wind Symphony/Univ. of Texas, Austin) - 2005 Paula Crider (Univ. of Texas, ret.) - 2006 Eugene Corporon (Univ. of North Texas) - 2007 * presented at the TBA. Other recipients of the Medalllion have included the following: Penelope Thwaites (England), who has made many recordings of Grainger's piano music, and has organized Grainger concerts and festivals (1991) The Aldeburgh (England) Festival David Mruzek (Colby Community College, Kansas). The 2007 recipient of the Grainger Medallion is Eugene Migliaro Corporon, conductor of the Wind Symphony and Regents Professor of Music at the University of North Texas (Denton, TX). Particularly noteworthy is his CD "Composer's Collection: Percy Aldridge Grainger," with a selection of pieces by Grainger. The above information was supplied by Leroy Osmon of the Texas Bandmasters Association and the Texas Music Educators Association, and by Stewart Manville of the International Percy Grainger Society.

(Past) News, books, and other announcements Archived news that previously appeared on this home page, can be found on the Past News and Announcement page.

PRESERVING A MUSICAL LEGACY

The International Percy Grainger Society is dedicated to preserving the musical legacy of Australian-American composer Percy Grainger, with his many innovations in composition, in the recording of folk-song, and in the creating of original musical instruments. The Society is headquartered in Grainger's long-time home in White Plains, New York. The Society keeps the Percy Grainger archives, containing Grainger's manuscripts, and owns the copyright to his compositions.

The International Percy Grainger Society was founded by his widow, the Swedish-born painter Ella Ström Grainger, who was its leading spirit until her death in 1979. A great debt for keeping up this legacy is also owed to Mr. Stewart Manville, Archivist and Curator, and to Mr. Rolf Stang, President of the Society.

The house itself, at 7 Cromwell Place in White Plains, was Grainger's last home, where he lived from 1921 (when he bought the house with his mother, Rose) until his death in 1961. From the time of his marriage, in 1928, he lived there with Ella. The house looks as it did when he lived there, with his instruments and other furnishings. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. Grainger scholars, composers, and aficionados are invited there to study Grainger's life and works. Visits can be arranged with the Archivist, Mr. Stewart Manville (see the map below).

Percy and Ella Grainger at the Hammond organ, 1950. From Thomas P. Lewis, A Source Guide to the Music of Percy Grainger.

How to get there:

The map below shows how to get to the Grainger House, by car or by Metro-North Railroad.

Grainger's Music Machines

Percy Grainger's innovations, which seem avant-garde even today, included work with Hammond organs, electronic sound-producing mechanisms, and hand-built machines to create "free music" (i.e. unconstrained by traditional pitch or beat). Percy's work on these early music synthesizers, installed in his living room, can be seen in the archival photos reproduced below: (1) Percy's "Kangaroo Pouch" Free Music machine, set up in his living room, ca. 1950, (2) Burnett Cross and Percy working on the Free Music machine, 1951. (From Inez Bull, 7 Cromwell Place: A Loving Tribute to Percy Grainger.)

Although the full-scale Free Music machines can no longer be seen (or heard) at the Grainger House, a small (non-working) model of the machine, pictured here, can be seen by visitors:

Current administration of the Society

The Society is administered by its Board of Trustees, which meets several times a year. These are the current board members:

Rolf K. Stang, President
Mark N. Grant, Vice President
Lucinda Hess, Treasurer
Dana Paul Perna, Secretary

Neely Bruce
Don Gillespie
Matthew McGarrell
Robert S. Simon
Margaret Leng Tan

Stewart Manville, Archivist
Cora Angier Sowa, Webmaster

Meetings are held in the Grainger House

Board meetings are usually held in the dining room of the Grainger house, where members sit around the big table at which Percy used to write his music. Here are some pictures taken at our meeting in the fall of 2002 (not everyone was present):

(left to right) (the late) Robert Beckhard, Don Gillespie, Stewart Manville, Robert Simon, Dana Perna, Mark Grant

(clockwise, from left) Stewart Manville, Robert Simon, Dana Perna, Neely Bruce, Robert Beckhard, Cora Sowa, Don Gillespie

VISITORS AT THE GRAINGER HOUSE

Many visitors take a personal tour of the Grainger House at 7 Cromwell (as opposed to the pictorial "virtual tour" offered on this Web site). In 2006, the Society was host to two large groups of musicians: The third weekend in March, some forty members of the Carroll College Wind Band from Wisconsin visited the house, and the following weekend, on March 25, we hosted sixteen music teachers from the College Band Directors' National Association, Eastern Division. Below are some pictures from the band leaders' visit:

Stewart Manville shows off an Edison cylinder recording machine of the kind used by Percy to collect folk songs:

Visiting band directors sign the guest book:

Percy Grainger Society board members Dana Perna and Mark Grant in conversation with Columbia University Wind Ensemble director Andrew Pease:

The visitors also saw the small model of Percy's Free Music Machine, pictured above with archival pictures of the full-scale machines.

PROCLAMATION BY THE MAYOR OF WHITE PLAINS, PRESENTED AT THE 2004 HUDSON VALLEY WIND SYMPHONY GRAINGER CONCERT

Below is a reproduction of the Proclamation by Mayor Joseph M. Delfino of White Plains, honoring Percy Grainger and the International Percy Grainger Society and proclaiming May 15, 2004 "Percy Grainger Day." It was presented at the concert by the Hudson Valley Wind Symphony at SUNY Purchase in May, 2004 (see "An Evening of Music By Percy Grainger" on the "(Past) News and Announcements" page.

A second Grainger concert by the Hudson Valley Wind Symphony, featuring pianist Margaret Leng Tan and violinist James Graseck, with Fernando Jimenez conducting, was given at SUNY Purchase on May 21, 2005. You can also read about the 2005 concert on the "(Past) News and Announcements" page.

(Apologies for the unevenness of the image below. Because of its size, the Proclamation was too big to fit all at once in the scanner, and it had to be scanned in sections and digitally reassembled. It also had to be scanned through the glass of its frame. The actual size of the proclamation, which is to be installed at the Grainger House, is about 12" by 18". Since we at Percy Grainger lack the resources of a Lucasfilm or a Pixar, it was difficult to rematch colors exactly. (One more reason to see the original at the Grainger House!)

Since the illustration may be difficult to read, we suggest that you READ THE COMPLETE TEXT OF THE PROCLAMATION on the "(Past) News and Announcements" page.)

About Our Web Site

A house tour, Grainger information, and other news

This Web site has been designed to bring news of activities of the International Percy Grainger Society, as well as other information concerning Grainger's life and music. Since the Society is headquartered in Grainger's actual house in White Plains, an important part of the site is devoted to a pictorial tour of the house, where we hope that visitors will feel that they are welcome guests of Percy and Ella.

Other pages of this site can be accessed by clicking on the appropriate icons below or on the names on the sidebar down the left of the page. These provide information on the Grainger archives, his cataloged works, membership information, news and announcements. In our "news" category, we like to include the names of new (or newly discovered!) books on Grainger or other materials having to do with Grainger's life and work. The most recent news is put at the top of this home page. Older items are archived on our (Past) News and Announcements" page.

If you have written a book or are giving a a concert or festival that you would like to announce, please contact us.

Grainger house virtual tour

A spacious Victorian home

The Grainger house is a spacious late Victorian house (1893), literally from the "gaslight" era--the gas light fixtures are still there! To it, Percy added his own original enhancements, such as an enlarged window in the living room to let in sunshine, fireproof vaults in the basement, and an exercise bar over the living room doorway.

Artifacts, such as Percy's pianos, an Edison cylinder recorder, and the wheelbarrow in which he wheeled his music to the train station en route to his performances, can still be seen.

The basement vaults contain manuscripts and copies of the composer's works, as described below.

A virtual "guided tour" of the Grainger house is available on this Web site. The "tour" can be taken by clicking on Grainger house or on the accompanying picture.

The Grainger archives

Fireproof basement vaults

Percy Grainger designed special fireproof vaults in his basement to store his manuscripts. The small picture shows the opening bars of one of his compositions. Click on the name Hill Song No. 1 or on the image for information on the Grainger Archives.

A Source Guide to the Music of Percy Grainger (biographical reminiscences, lists of works, and commentaries)

Catalogs, commentaries, and biographical essays

A volume of catalogs to Grainger's works, scores, recordings, and other materials, along with "Biographical/Artistic Vignettes" and "Program Notes" or commentaries, has been prepared by Thomas P. Lewis (1991). The "Vignettes" are a collection of essays and reminiscences, both biographical and musical, by friends, colleagues, and students. The biographical/artistic essays and the "Program notes" are perhaps the most valuable parts of the book, since discographies and locations of scores can get out of date and be superseded by more complete listings.

Originally published by Pro/Am Resources, Inc. of White Plains, NY, this volume, or at least parts of it, is being put online, piece by piece. Chapters 1 and 4 are now available to be read on this site. Click on "Biographical/Artistic Vignettes" or "Program Notes" to go directly to these chapters. Or click on A Source Guide to the Music of Percy Grainger or on the reproduction of its cover below to see the complete Table of Contents of the book.

Membership information

All are invited to become members of the International Percy Grainger Society. Click on this invitation to membership to obtain more information.

Other Web sites

There are other Web sites devoted to the life and work of Percy Grainger. The Percy Grainger Museum in Grainger's native Melbourne, Australia maintains its own site, as do musicians and enthusiasts in the U.K. and other countries. Click to learn about some of these related Web sites.

Materials not otherwise credited on this Web site are copyrighted by the International Percy Grainger Society.

   The Percy Grainger Web site is maintained by Dr. Cora Angier Sowa of Minerva Systems, a member of the board of the International Percy Grainger Society. You can reach her at her Web site www.minervaclassics.com or send comments by e-mail to casowa@aol.com.

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