Percy Grainger (Oxford Studies of Composers) - Softcover

Mellers, Wilfrid

2.83

6 ratings by Goodreads

9780198162704: Percy Grainger (Oxford Studies of Composers)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0198162707 ISBN 13: 9780198162704

Publisher: OUP Oxford, 1992

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Percy Grainger, if not a great composer, was a phenomenon. A man of extraordinary charisma, he was at once a legendary virtuoso pianist, a composer of highly original music, an arranger and `disher up' of folk music who pierced to the music's heart, and a figure of some historical significance in relation to ethnomusicology and music education. This book is a study of this paradoxical figure. It looks at the musical influence on his compositions of folk-song and of Grieg, and of those apparent polar opposites, Delius and Bach. It examines some of his more significant pieces in detail; considers his work in recreating traditional material and the music of others; sees him as a champion and transcriber of what is now known as Early Music; and looks at his sometimes alarmingly eccentric notions as to music's nature and purpose. Overriding barriers between art, folk, and pop music, Grainger is difficult to categorize, and may be, in the story of music, unique. Ultimately, his importance may lie in what he suggests about the potential functions of music in a rapidly changing world.

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Review:

"This welcome addition...is remarkable for its strong focus on the composer's music....For a detailed, analytical look at the music and an insightful assessment of Grainger's hard-to-classify contribution, Mellers is indispensable....Highly recommended."--Choice "The editors have handled a tricky task efficaciously....This book is a document essential to our understanding not only of Grainger, but also of our bewildered and bewildering world....The editorial appendages to this book...are exemplary; and the production, as one would expect of Clarendon Press, is handsome. The illustrations are plentiful, cunningly chosen, and clearly produced."--The Musical Times "This welcome addition...is remarkable for its strong focus on the composer's music....For a detailed, analytical look at the music and an insightful assessment of Grainger's hard-to-classify contribution, Mellers is indispensable....Highly recommended."--Choice "The editors have handled a tricky task efficaciously....This book is a document essential to our understanding not only of Grainger, but also of our bewildered and bewildering world....The editorial appendages to this book...are exemplary; and the production, as one would expect of Clarendon Press, is handsome. The illustrations are plentiful, cunningly chosen, and clearly produced."--The Musical Times "This welcome addition...is remarkable for its strong focus on the composer's music....For a detailed, analytical look at the music and an insightful assessment of Grainger's hard-to-classify contribution, Mellers is indispensable....Highly recommended."--Choice "The editors have handled a tricky task efficaciously....This book is a document essential to our understanding not only of Grainger, but also of our bewildered and bewildering world....The editorial appendages to this book...are exemplary; and the production, as one would expect of Clarendon Press, is handsome. The illustrations are plentiful, cunningly chosen, and clearly produced."--The Musical Times "This welcome addition...is remarkable for its strong focus on the composer's music....For a detailed, analytical look at the music and an insightful assessment of Grainger's hard-to-classify contribution, Mellers is indispensable....Highly recommended."--Choice "The editors have handled a tricky task efficaciously....This book is a document essential to our understanding not only of Grainger, but also of our bewildered and bewildering world....The editorial appendages to this book...are exemplary; and the production, as one would expect of Clarendon Press, is handsome. The illustrations are plentiful, cunningly chosen, and clearly produced."--The Musical Times

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