Percy Grainger speaks and plays (1948)

Percy Grainger (1882-1961) was a multi-talented universalist who wanted to embrace and encompass all the arts... he was not only a musician, but also a folklorist, editor, musicologist, lecturer, writer, inventor etc etc.
Playing the piano was just one of his many interests... though he had enough skills to impress Busoni and Grieg with his playing, and he had original ideas about phrasing, making contrasts and pedaling.

Here at 2:33 we can hear him play Claude Debussy's "Pagodes" (from "Estampes") during a recital at the University of Texas in 1948. Before he plays he briefly talks about the influence of Oriental music on Debussy, notably the Javanese gamelan orchestra's that Debussy heard for the first time during the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1888 (or 1889?).

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Percy
• Grainger
• Claude
• Debussy
• piano
• lecture
• Estampes
• Pagodes
• Java
• gamelan
• Cyril
• Scott
• jazz

[Noshirm]

Sir Erwin - what an incredible post! Thanks for posting this treasure!

[pianopera]

@Noshir-san You're welcome! A characteristic tenor-voice he had... and what about the comparison he made:

"...Just as Orientals, on the whole, are unwilling to kill animal- or insect-life -- when they need it, just gently laying it aside -- so also, they are unwilling to kill tones that have been brought into life. The tones in the Javanese Gamelan-orchestra's are never dead -- they sing on..."

[brianCIM]

i have this on an old Pearl CD but its awesome you posted this. Grainger was a genius. One of the most brilliant musicians and thinkers of the 20th century. AWESOME Erwin!

[markarama23]

Fantastic! I didn't know this existed - thanks so much for posting!

[camaysar222]

Wonderful!

[LoverOfDebussy]

Absolutely wonderful!

[wkhhh]

Thanks very much. Percy Grainger was an original, a rare breed. This comment brought to mind Mahler (another original, and indeed there has never been anyone else like him) and Das Lied von der Erde.

[Noshirm]

@pianopera Poetically put!