Percy Grainger
KLAVIERSTUCK in D major for piano solo
Bardic Edition BDE438
Edited by Penelope Thwaites.
This early piano piece was composed in June 1897 during Grainger’s period of study at the Hoch Conservatorium of Music in Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany. The piece is dedicated to Grainger’s father John, for his birthday on October 27, 1897. There are three separate manuscripts relating to this particular work and this edition has been based on all three. These early pieces leave room for musicianly interpretation. Phrasing is largely missing; dynamics are sparse, pedalling non-existent. Whilst acknowledging the creative achievement of Grainger the gifted child and teenager, it is also clear that these were works awaiting his own editorial hand in later years. Sadly, this never happened.
Based on my own research and performances, I have presumed to suggest some phrasings and dynamics as a guide, and I have redistributed notes between hands on occasions where Grainger wrote chords spanning a tenth or more. Grainger himself often recommended “harping” wide chords, although this should be done with discretion. There are times when it may sound better, for example, to take the bass note in a left hand chord with the pedal (as an acciaccatura or appoggiatura) before playing the remaining notes.
Much is still left for the interpreter. The starting point is to grasp the mood of each piece (which in Grainger’s case is not always what it may first appear). Background reading is recommended. There is no doubt that Grainger absorbed contemporary influences as he developed, and research is therefore the best interpretative guide. Penelope Thwaites
This early piano piece was composed in June 1897 during Grainger’s period of study at the Hoch Conservatorium of Music in Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany. The piece is dedicated to Grainger’s father John, for his birthday on October 27, 1897. There are three separate manuscripts relating to this particular work and this edition has been based on all three. These early pieces leave room for musicianly interpretation. Phrasing is largely missing; dynamics are sparse, pedalling non-existent. Whilst acknowledging the creative achievement of Grainger the gifted child and teenager, it is also clear that these were works awaiting his own editorial hand in later years. Sadly, this never happened.
Based on my own research and performances, I have presumed to suggest some phrasings and dynamics as a guide, and I have redistributed notes between hands on occasions where Grainger wrote chords spanning a tenth or more. Grainger himself often recommended “harping” wide chords, although this should be done with discretion. There are times when it may sound better, for example, to take the bass note in a left hand chord with the pedal (as an acciaccatura or appoggiatura) before playing the remaining notes.
Much is still left for the interpreter. The starting point is to grasp the mood of each piece (which in Grainger’s case is not always what it may first appear). Background reading is recommended. There is no doubt that Grainger absorbed contemporary influences as he developed, and research is therefore the best interpretative guide. Penelope Thwaites
