''Colonial Song'' is a musical composition written by Australian composer Percy Grainger. Although Grainger created versions for different types of musical ensembles, its most commonly used version today is for concert band.

Background

Grainger initially wrote ''Colonial Song'' in 1911 as a piano piece as a gift to his mother, Rose. Of his piece, Grainger wrote that it was "an attempt to write a melody as typical of the Australian countryside as Stephen Foster's exquisite songs are typical of rural America". Although the piece seems to have been intended as part of a series of 'Sentimentals', Grainger never wrote any other pieces in this series. Unlike many of Grainger's other compositions, the melodies of ''Colonial Song'' are not based on folk song, but are original melodies.

Versions

Although originally written as a piano solo, Grainger arranged ''Colonial Song'' in several other versions. Among the versions published during Grainger's life include: * Solo piano * Symphony orchestra *2 voices (

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

and tenor),

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orche ...

, and symphony orchestra *2 voices (soprano and tenor) and piano *Violin, cello, piano * Military band scored for: **Woodwinds: D♭ Piccolo, C

Flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

, Oboe; Solo B♭

Clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

; 1st, 2nd and 3rd B♭ Clarinets;

Alto Clarinet The alto clarinet is a woodwind instrument of the clarinet family. It is a transposing instrument pitched in the key of E, though instruments in F have been made. In size it lies between the soprano clarinet and the bass clarinet. It bears a grea ...

;

Bass Clarinet The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B), but it plays notes an octave bel ...

;

Bassoon The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...

Soprano Saxophone The soprano saxophone is a higher-register variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument invented in the 1840s. The soprano is the third-smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists (from smallest to largest) of the soprillo, sop ...

;

Alto Saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...

; Tenor Saxophone;

Baritone Saxophone The baritone saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass. It is the lowest-pitched saxophone in common use - the bass, contra ...

**Brass: Solo B♭

Cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a sopr ...

, 1st, 2nd and 3rd B♭ Cornet (2nd and 3rd

Flugelhorn The flugelhorn (), also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flügelhorn, is a brass instrument that resembles the trumpet and cornet but has a wider, more conical bore. Like trumpets and cornets, most flugelhorns are pitched in B, though some ...

ad lib.); 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th E♭ Horns; 1st, 2nd and 3rd Trombones;

Baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

; Basses ( Tuba, String Bass and Contra Sarrusophone ad lib.) **Percussion:

Snare Drum The snare (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often used ...

; Cymbals; Gong; Timpani in B♭ and E♭;

Glockenspiel The glockenspiel ( or , : bells and : set) or bells is a percussion instrument consisting of pitched aluminum or steel bars arranged in a keyboard layout. This makes the glockenspiel a type of metallophone, similar to the vibraphone. The glo ...

**Harp and Piano (ad lib.)

Early reception

Early reception of ''Colonial Song'' was not positive. Fellow composer

H. Balfour Gardiner Henry Balfour Gardiner (7 November 1877 – 28 June 1950) was a British musician, composer, and teacher. He was born at Kensington (London), began to play at the age of 5 and to compose at 9. Between his conventional education at Charterhouse ...

disliked the piece, as did critics. Upon hearing the piece in 1914, Sir Thomas Beecham wrote: "My dear Grainger, you have achieved the almost impossible! You have written the worst piece of modern times". Grainger, Percy A. "Anecdotes". Quoted in . However, ''Colonial Song'' was received more positively in America. During his service in the United States Army, Grainger re-worked the piece for military band.

Later reception

By the end of the twentieth century, ''Colonial Song'' had gained acceptance among wind band conductors. Frank Battisti, conductor

emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

of the

New England Conservatory The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest independent music conservatory in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world. The conservatory is located on Hu ...

wind ensemble, included it in a list of 73 "meritorious" compositions. Noted conductor

Frederick Fennell Frederick Fennell (July 2, 1914 – December 7, 2004) was an internationally recognized conductor and one of the primary figures in promoting the Eastman Wind Ensemble as a performing group. He was also influential as a band pedagogue, and grea ...

identified it as "basic band repertoire" in ''

The Instrumentalist ''The Instrumentalist'' is an American monthly magazine for music educators — focusing on scholastic band and orchestra — and performing artists and composers. Founded by Traugott Rohner (1906–1991), its first publication was dated Septembe ...

''. By the late twentieth century, ''Colonial Song'' had been recorded by several college and university wind ensembles.

References

Notes

Bibliography

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External links

*
Recording
by the United States Marine Band {{Italic title 1911 compositions Compositions by Percy Grainger Concert band pieces Compositions for solo piano