Grainger, Grieg and Folksong

When Danish cellist Herman Sandby introduced Edvard Grieg to some of Percy Grainger’s folk-song arrangements, Grieg liked what he saw. Grieg sent Grainger an autographed photograph with a note complimenting him on his “splendid folk-song settings for mixed voices”.  When they met several years later, Grainger played two of Grieg’s Norwegian Peasant Dances “in a dazzling manner,” according to the composer, who recorded in his diary: “Yes, he is brilliant, that’s for sure. I am happy about having gained a young friend such as he.” Grainger became a Grieg protégé and performed Grieg's music for the rest of his life.

Presented by Barry Peter Ould, President of the International Percy Grainger Society as well as administrator and UK representative for the Grainger Estate. As a leading world authority on Grainger’s music, he has and continues to work on editing numerous Grainger works.