Klarinet Archive - Posting 001089.txt from 1998/01

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.edu>
Subj: Re Grainger's band music
Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 09:37:53 -0500

In examining the lists of band music which several people indicate
a preference for, I noticed that many of Grainger's works are said
to be have been originally written for band. Such, unfortunately,
is not the case.

Grainger invariably made anywhere from 4-8 transcriptions of almost
everything he wrote that was considered accessible music. The Irish
Tune, Molly on the Shore, Shepherd's Hey, and many more of his
folk song works have so many arrangements that it is not known
which one came first. It could have been the band version but it
is not likely that all of them were.

The Immovable Do, for example, (and which is not a folk song
related work, though it sounds like it) was originally for
an orchestra, then a clarinet choir, then a saxophone choir, and
later for band. Lovely piece.

The fact is that Percy rarely described this or that arrangement
as being the first of many.

Lincolnshire Posy and Hill Song Number 2 (which differs from
the Hill Song Number 1 in measurable ways) were both for band
from the first moment, though he did give me several arrangements
of Lord Melbourne for various ensembles, none of which were ever
published.

=======================================
Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
Rosanne Leeson, Los Altos, California
leeson@-----.edu
=======================================

   
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