In this instalment we explore the particular quirks of a composer.
Grainger: Genius or Nuts?
There are many composers out there known for quirks of their personality, perhaps as a result of their genius. Some examples of eccentricities and obsessions that are famously known would be Mozart and his cat imitations of a cat whilst he was bored, or Erik Satie and his obsession with food which was coloured white - he would only eat white food throughout his whole life. Have a quirky friend? He could be a genius.
Percy Grainger is a composer with equally strange behaviors that could have possibly fueled his creative compositions. Born in Australia, he was a well-known composer and pianist in the 20th century. One of his habits that resulted in the title “the jogging pianist” in London was jogging to his performance venues when he had a concert. Preferring to perform in a state of utter exhaustion, he often jogged through the streets, appearing right at the last minute before he was due to perform. Even when he was in South Africa on a concert tour, after finishing a concert, he walked 105 km to the next town, arriving right on time to perform. When he travelled by ship, jogging was physically impossible, so he woulc compensate by spending his free time shoveling coal in the boiler room.
Grainger’s morals and philosophies in life influenced much of his quirks and also extended to influence the way he wrote his music. Grainger greatly admired those who lived a wild, free life and that of the natural in nature. This philosophy of his can be seen manifested particularly in the way he dressed and spent his days in seasons. Advocating a life wild and free, Grainger never ironed his clothes and often wore the same clothes for days, even if he was slated to perform. Furthermore, he believed in natural forces and slept cold in winter months and hot in summer months. He took it one step further, sleeping naked with his bedroom windows open in winter, whilst in summer he endured the stifling heat wearing heavy wool.
In music, we see his penchant for the free and wild life through his writings of expressions of music in his score. Believing that German and Italian musical forms and terms were impositions upon classical music, he stubbornly refrained from using them. Instead of "poco a poco crescendo molto”, he uses the expression “louden lots bit by bit”. These directions can be quite fun to read as a pianist playing his works. He also shunned the standard sonata form, and delved in folk music tunes, forms, and instrument. As a result, his works were more often than not based off or influenced by folk music, as seen in his famous works such as “Molly on the Shore” or “Lincolnshire Posy”.
--
Interested in this quirky composer’s music? Have a listen to Molly on the Shore & Lincolnshire Posy.
Grainger’s Eastern Intermezzo and English Waltz as well as one of his arrangements - for Addeinsell's Warsaw Concerto - will be featured during Touch. Come down and listen! (: