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The art of agony (Percy Grainger)

from Stalin's Piano by Sonya Lifschitz & Robert Davidson

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about

Composer Percy Grainger speaks to Wayne Howell on “Favorites of the Famous”, CBS-WQXR Radio, 3 August 1952. Howell asks Grainger what makes his music so warm and natural, and Grainger instead claims that music is derived from screaming, and is the art of agony. Their voices' intonation are woven into music by the piano. National Film and Sound Archive, used by permission.

lyrics

Wayne Howell: To what would you attribute your... the warmth and the naturalness of your music?
Percy Grainger: Well, I don't know that my music is consistently warm and natural, but I think the impression that it's ah, what was it, cheerful? Comes from people not knowing the most of my compositions for I think I'm very morose, musically.
Howell: You suppose they're misinterpreting you like you said before?
Grainger: Well they know one piece out of twenty, and that one piece happens to be lively and they like that, they ignore the other nineteen as they generally do with most music.
Howell: Well, you don't actually feel morose you, you simply...
Grainger: Yes, I do
Howell: You do? You enjoy feeling sad?
Grainger: I enjoy it very much
Howell: Ha ha! well I think that’s wonderful. I mean, if you enjoy being sad, you should be honest…
Grainger: Well, it isn’t a question of whether I enjoy it so much only, but I think music is the art of agony. Music is after all derived from screaming; it’s not derived from laughing.
Howell: Right, from screaming, that I…
Grainger: Well, when you think most music originated in trying to placate hostile deities
Howell: Well, certainly, of course
Like the Chinese banging a gong in a storm, and, ah, screaming with fear and screaming in supplication are not so very far removed, and music is of course the child of all that. I think the best thing for a composer is to be badly treated in every way.

credits

from Stalin's Piano, released May 17, 2019
Robert Davidson, composer, engineer, editor
Sonya Lifschitz, pianist

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Sonya Lifschitz & Robert Davidson Brisbane, Australia

Sonya Lifschitz' bold adventurousness & unparalleled musicianship, described as “a life force of extraordinary density and capacity” see her active as soloist, collaborator, artistic director, educator, radio personality and arts advocate.

Robert Davidson has been making music from language since childhood. With his ensemble Topology he explores a wide range of cross-genre collaboration. ... more

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