Grainger, Percy Aldridge

Grainger, Percy Aldridge (grān`jər), 1882–1961, Australian-American pianist and composer. A friend of Grieg, whose music he often played, he settled (1914) in the United States after establishing an international reputation as a pianist and composer. His interest in folk music is exemplified in his many settings of English folk melodies.

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Grainger, Percy Aldridge

 orig. George Percy Grainger

(born July 8, 1882, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia—died Feb. 20, 1961, White Plains, N.Y., U.S.) Australian-born U.S. composer and pianist. After studying music in Frankfurt, he established himself as a piano virtuoso in England, while also pursuing ethnomusicological interest, collecting folk tunes in England and Denmark. He moved to the U.S. permanently in 1914, teaching in Chicago and New York, but invested much energy in establishing an ethnomusicological centre at the University of Melbourne. Though an inveterate experimenter in the realms of timbre, rhythm, harmony, and texture, he is known for his tuneful short works for orchestra, piano, and concert band, including Country Gardens, Molly on the Shore, Mock Morris, and Lincolnshire Posy.