The Percy Grainger Society

The Percy Grainger Society was founded in June 1978 in London. It has of the order of 500 members world-wide. Membership is open to all by payment of an annual subscription, and for this members receive two journals a year and the newsletter Random Round which keeps them informed of international activities in performance and scholarship. Contributors to the Grainger Society Journal include John Amis, Kay Dreyfus (author of Grainger’s letters Vol. 1), John Bird (Grainger’s main biographer), D. C. Parker (author of the first published monograph on Grainger) and Percy Grainger himself, through the medium of his many writings.

Membership to the Grainger Society carries with it access to the ever-growing Music Archive of Grainger’s compositions, the most extensive collection of his music in Europe. The majority of Grainger’s hitherto unpublished music is in the process of being brought into print by Bardic Edition in association with the Grainger Society and Estate.

A sound archive is also maintained including a number of rare recordings and performances made by the composer together with an extensive collection of CD albums, cassettes and LP albums of modern performances by others.

The Society is active in encouraging and organising recordings of Grainger’s compositions as well as assisting with programme building for concerts and other Grainger activities in general.

QUESTIONS

I have a question regarding Grainger that I'm hoping someone can answer. Grainger championed Cyril Scott's Op.66 Piano Sonata for several decades, in concerts from about 1910 to the 1950s. I have not found any reference to the existence of a recording or a tape of Grainger playing this sonata. Does anyone know if such a tape (private or otherwise) might exist? He was concertizing with it in the 1950s, when reel-to-reel tape recorders were around. I wouldn't be surprised if someone has such a tape. I would be very interested in hearing his rendition, since I am releasing my own recording of the work, which has been influenced by Grainger's profusely annotated working copy of it in the Grainger Museum.

Many thanks

Leslie De'Ath

37 Chisholm Street

Cambridge
Ontario
N1R 4E3

Canada

de-ath@sympatico.ca

For further information, membership subscription forms and general information contact The Percy Grainger Society, 6 Fairfax Crescent, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP20 2ES. Tel. 01296 428609 or Fax: 01296 581185 (International: + 44 1296 428609 or + 44 1296 581185) or e-mail: info@percygrainger.org.uk. If you are in the USA, you now can now call us direct on a dedicated phone line using the new Skype phone system. The number is: (914) 816 1137. Calls charges apply but they will be cheaper than phoning direct to the UK. Please take note that time differences still apply when calling this number (UK currently 5 hours ahead of US Eastern time) (When requesting details by e-mail please include your full name and postal address ("snail-mail") alternatively you can print out a subscription form for UK Membership or for All Other Countries (Not USA see below). In order to open these files you need to obtain the free Acrobat Reader from Adobe.

Membership details for the USA and Canada are available from: The International Percy Grainger Society, 7 Cromwell Place, White Plains, NY 10601 or via their new website.

World première recordings on Chandos:

Grainger Edition (Volumes 1 - 19 now available)
An introduction to Percy Grainger - from Chandos Records CD: CHAN 2029
Grainger's “Chosen Gems for Winds and other works for wind band” - forthcoming from Chandos Records

CD recordings by Penelope Thwaites:

Penelope Thwaites, piano:

SOLO PIANO

Grainger Edition Vol. 16 (music for piano solo I) - from Chandos Records CD: CHAN 9895
Grainger Edition Vol. 17 (music for piano solo II) - from Chandos Records CD: CHAN 9919
Grainger Edition vol. 19 (music for piano solo III) - from Chandos Records CD: CHAN10205
Chosen Gems for Piano - Unicorn-Kanchana CD: DKP 9127
(Although this recording is now unavailable in the UK, copies can still be obtained from the Berkshire Record Outlet in the USA)
Re-released as ‘Shepherd's Hey!’ Gems for Piano on Regis Records CD RRC 1107 - review

DUO RECORDINGS with John Lavender

Piano Music for 4 Hands Vol. 1 - Pavilion Records (Pearl) CD: SHE CD 9611
Piano Music for 4 Hands Vol. 2 - Pavilion Records (Pearl) CD: SHE CD 9623
Piano Music for 4 Hands Vol. 3 - Pavilion Records (Pearl) CD: SHE CD 9631
Grainger Edition (music for 4 hands I) - forthcoming from Chandos Records
Grainger Edition (music for 4 hands II) - forthcoming from Chandos Records

MULTI-PIANO with John Lavender, Wayne Marshall, Rhonda Gillespie, Anthony Gray and Barry Peter Ould

Grainger Edition Vol. 10 - Chandos Records CD: CHAN 9702

SONG RECORDINGS with Stephen Varcoe, Martyn Hill and Della Jones

Grainger Edition Vol. 2:     Songs for Baritone - Chandos Records CD: CHAN 9503 - review - Also available as MP3 download
Grainger Edition Vol. 7:     Songs for Tenor - Chandos Records CD: CHAN 9610
Grainger Edition Vol. 12:   Songs for Mezzo - Chandos Records CD: CHAN 9730

PARTICIPATION IN

Debussy - Pagodes (arr. Grainger) - Cala Records CD: CACDS4025
“Jungle-Book Cycle” - Hyperion Records CD: CDA66863
Grainger Edition Vol. 3 - Handel in the Strand - Chandos Records CD: CHAN 9499 - Also available as MP3 download

Full details of Penelope Thwaites’ important Grainger recordings can be viewed by clicking here.

ABC (Australia) Grainger recordings:

The Best of Percy Grainger (Collection) - ABC Classics/Eloquence CD
Over the Hills and Far Away (Piano Music Vol. 1, Leslie Howard, piano) - ABC Classics/Eloquence CD
Country Gardens (Piano Music Vol. 2, Leslie Howard, piano) - ABC Classics/Eloquence CD
Ye Banks and Braes (Collection - Cantillation) - ABC Classics

Piano Roll Recordings from Dal Segno

The Great Pianists, Vol. 4 - Percy Grainger

World première recordings on Hyperion:

Polyphony/Stephen Layton:

Grainger: ‘At Twilight’ (CDA66793)
Grainger: Jungle Book (CDA66863)

Marc-André Hamelin, piano:

Grainger: Piano Music (CDA66884)

Piers Lane, piano:

Rambles and Reflections (Grainger transcriptions) (CDA67279)
Bach Transcriptions (CDA 67344)

Other albums from Hyperion featuring Grainger’s music:

English Music for Viola (CDH 55085)

Shakespeare's Kingdom (CDA 66136)

Smörgasbord (CDA 67184)

World première recordings on Mark Custom Records:

The Music of Percy Grainger Vol. I (University of Houston Wind Ensemble, Eddie Green, Conductor)
The Music of Percy Grainger Vol. II (University of Houston Wind Ensemble, Eddie Green, Conductor)
The Music of Percy Grainger Vol. III (University of Houston Wind Ensemble, Eddie Green, Conductor)
The Music of Percy Grainger Vol. IV (University of Houston Wind Ensemble, Tom Bennett, Conductor)
The Begian Years Vol. I (University of Illinois Symphonic Band, Harry Begian, Conductor) - Music of Percy Grainger [1st time on CD]
The Begian Years Vol. II (University of Illinois Symphonic Band, Harry Begian, Conductor) - Music of Percy Grainger [1st time on CD]
Grainger’s Saxophone Music (Karen Wylie, Saxophone) - forthcoming

Visit the website of Mark Custom Recording Service, Inc.

World première recordings on Mode Records:

Lydia Kavina plays “Free Music No. 1” for 4 Theremins
Lydia Kavina plays “Free Music No. 2” and “Beatless Music” for 6 Theremins (also includes a different recording of “Free Music No. 1”)
Cowell and Grainger Saxophone Music (Ulrich Krieger, Saxophone) - forthcoming

World première recordings on Move Records:

List of Grainger CD albums available

Pioneering CD recordings of Grainger’s piano music by Martin Jones

Other CD albums:

Janine Sowden, piano:

“Free Rambles Dished Up” by Percy Grainger

Dallas Wind Symphony Recordings (Reference Recordings):

Lincolnshire Posy: Music for Band by Percy Grainger (Dallas Wind Symphony, Jerry Junkin, conductor) - HDCD RR-117
Crown Imperial: Festive Music for Organ, Winds, Brass and Percussion (Dallas Wind Symphony, Jerry Junkin, conductor; Mary Preston, organ) - HDCD - RR112 (includes: County Derry Air)
Pomp and Pipes: Powerful Music for Organ, Winds, Brass and Percussion (Dallas Wind Symphony, Frederick Fennell, conductor; Paul Riedo, organ) - HDCD - RR-58CD (includes: The Power of Rome and the Christian Heart)
Beachcomber (Dallas Wind Symphony, Frederick Fennell, conductor) - HDCD - RR62CD (includes: Ye Banks and Braes O Bonnie Doon)