Has anyone heard of Percy Grainger?

anyone? He did kind of the same thing as Holst, as in writing for wind ensembles. His best known work "Lincolnshire Posy", is a staple piece among high-level high school bands. He believed the tenor saxophone was the closest to the human voice and so valued it greatly. He wrote in changing meters, free time, and half meters (1 1/2 over 4), and he did this all in the early 1920's. He was really amazing as a composer, and was a seriously strange guy. Kind of like Schumann(or was it Schubert?). Anyway, he is definitely a composer with checking out. It's hard to describe his music to someone who's never heard it. Google him, you'll be glad you did.

Yea Percy Grainger is pretty well known in the band world. Lincolnshire Posy is infamous. I think it's an ok to good piece personally, but the music is simply horrible to read. Constantly meter changes, free time, half meters, and a rest beaming system that is done arbitrarily by groups of tens even though his phrases are in groups of 8 suck. I'm pretty much not a fan of his. I guess there is some reward for writing for band so early in the game. I wish more people would write for band.

Yeah we played "The Dukes went a-fishing" and some love ballad. He has some interesting tempo and expression markings, such as "clingingly"

Heard of him, yes, played a passacaglia of his in my high school All-District band: it was "Passacaglia on Green Bushes".

Wasn't he the guy who alledgedly had an incestuous relationship with his mother?

Ewww...

Yummy!

What, the incestrous relationship or the music?

He also wrote a sampling of piano music. Nothing of what I have heard is wretchedly hard, very easy to listen to.

Yeah, I've heard of him, and heard a little music of his too.

I'm pretty sure the guy with his mother was freud. His band works are the best though. His got sixlets in high winds around 110 depending on the conductors interpretation.

I hadn't heard that Percy had a relationship with his mother....

He was a cutter though of that I am certain. Anyone know the word for person who inflicts pain to gain pleasure?

I've played multiple works of his in band. He is an absolutley wonderful composer. He was one of the pioneers of recording folk music and got ALOT of his motifs from there. In the history of the wind band he is a star.

One of my favorite composers of all time by far. We played all of Lincolnshire Posy in my high school band two years ago. As a saxophonist, of course, I loved it! Although the time signature changes were strange at first, once you get the feel of it, it's actually pretty fun. There's not a lot of pieces you'll find time signatures like 1.5/4 and 2.5/4. I definitely learned a lot from playing it.

Favorite movement in that piece, although I love them all, would have to be the sixth one, The Lost Lady Found.

As TheMeaningofLife said, he is definitely a star in the wind band world.

I'm just not a fan.

I love his music. My favorite piece of his is Irish Tune from County Derry arranged by Larry Daehn, his music is very moving.

Holst and Grainger are 2nd rate at best, but bands will take anything :-(

He was a cutter though of that I am certain. Anyone know the word for person who inflicts pain to gain pleasure?

Masochist or emo?:toothygrin:

There's not a lot of pieces you'll find time signatures like 1.5/4 and 2.5/4. I definitely learned a lot from playing it.

How do you count that?

The same as you would count 3/8 and 5/8.

So then the time signature 1.5/4 is completely pointless?

Well, I wouldn't say pointless.

Yeah, because then as a director you get to hand the parts out to your high school band members and watch as their expression turn to utter horror as they see the time signatures. :toothygrin:

Meh, if I was handed 1.5/4, I'd be quite eager to play it.

I love time signatures like that.

Yeah, because then as a director you get to hand the parts out to your high school band members and watch as their expression turn to utter horror as they see the time signatures. :toothygrin:

Not really, [good] bands play much harder and better music than Lincolnshire Posy now. Not to say Lincolnshire is bad by any means, there are some great moments of band orchestration in that piece.