Portrait of Percy Grainger. (Book Reviews: Composers).(Book Review)

Portrait of Percy Grainger. Edited by Malcolm Gillies and David Pear. (Eastman Studies in Music.) Rochester, N.Y.: University of Rochester Press, 2002. [xxxv, 220 p. ISBN 1-58046-087-9. $55.) Illustrations, bibliography, index.

This is a delightful book. Its aim is not to criticize, analyze, theorize, or deconstruct its subject, but to build a portrait of a creative human being through the words of people who knew him. Readers who admire Percy Grainger in any or all of his many roles may well wonder what there might be left to say, after all the thousands of words that have been written and spoken by and about this "ever-loquacious musician" (p. xxxiii). This book offers a refreshingly new perspective, since we only briefly hear Grainger speak in his own voice, in a single, linguistically colorful extract from one of his autobiographical writings. For the rest, we see him reflected and refracted through the eyes of others. And it is in the reactions of those others that we may take the measure of his humanity.

In a sense Grainger himself planted the seed that has germinated in this book, for as part of the quest for understanding anti self-knowledge that guided the development of the collections of his autobiographical museum in Melbourne, Australia, he invited people with whom he felt he had forged meaningful relationships to contribute recollections of their friendship or acquaintance. The ones collected in this book include many previously unpublished solicited memoires, as well as material from various published sources, radio and oral history interviews, and extracts gathered more recently by the editors. The time span ranges broadly from memories that are almost contemporaneous with the events they describe to those the majority) recalled many years later, with all the benefits of hindsight. What is remarkable about the book is its freshness: the vividness of Grainger's personality--its originality, forcefulness, and impact seem undimmed by the passing of time.

The selections are organized in chronological periods corresponding to the defining events and settings of Grainger's life: his childhood in Melbourne (1882-95), student years in Frankfurt (1895-1901), and early career in London as a society pianist and touring concert artist (1901-14). The years in America from 1914 are divided by the death of his mother (1922) and the outbreak of war (1939), ending with his death in 1961. Each contribution is prefaced by an explanatory paragraph identifying the author, the situation, and the writer's relationship with Grainger. A detailed chronology further assists the reader to place and verify the events described.

Contributors include fellow musicians and professional associates, family members (his father, mother, wife, and cousins), friends, piano students, and critics. They include people who knew him well over long periods of time, those who worked with him only on a particular project, and those who were casual acquaintances. The contributions take the form of anecdotes, stories, memories of particular incidents, and critiques of particular concerts as well as efforts at a more wide-ranging assessment. The book is nicely illustrated with photographs of Grainger and of some of the contributors.

And what is the ...