PGS AGM 2023
- 2. 1. The Year in Review 2. Interlude: The Graingers in White Plains 3. The Year Ahead 4. Q & A and Open Discussion Please post questions, thoughts, contributions and ideas in the chat during the presentation. Introduction and Format of Meeting
- 3. Year in Review The Percy Grainger Society
- 4. Communication with Members of Note Blogs Journal
- 5. New for 2024 Expanded Review Group News from the Grainger Museum News from Members
- 7. Resources Expansion of content Redesign New Projects Location of manuscripts Word-List
- 9. Percy Grainger and Free Music Ihaveheardfreemusicinmyheadsince Iwasaboyofelevenor twelve it ismy onlyimportant contributiontomusic. Conservation In 2021,thePercy Grainger Society applied for, and wasawarded,aNYSCA/GHHN Conservation Treatment Grant for theconservation of our Free Musicmachine,GlidingTonesofWhistle,Noteson Recorders.Theconservation project hasbrought about astriking transformation through thecleaning processand theplacing back of theelementsthat had been removed and saved during thelong years of storageon theupper f oor of thehouse. In common with all of theFreeMusicmachines, it incorporatesatwo- part design,acontrol mechanism and asound producing element. Grainger drew on hisearly experiencesasa recording artist with player pianosin thedesign of many of themachines,using paper rollswith slitsand holescut into them to play thevarious instruments.Thesecomprised organ pipes, harmonium reeds,simpleelectronicoscillators,and, in thecaseof thismachine,two recorders,and a slide,or swaneewhistle.Therecordersand whistle would havebeen connected to avacuum cleaner or hair dryer by meansof rubber tubes,which provided thenecessary amount of air to producea continuoussound.Asthepaper rollspassed over theholesof therecorders,emulating thef ngersof ahuman player,dif erent noteswould havebeen produced.Thismadepossiblean approximation of apitch glideastherecordersmay havebeen tuned to realizefractional tones,smaller than thestandard musical semitone.Theslidewhistle,theonly part of themachineableto producecontinuously gliding sounds,may havesimply been controlled by hand by pulling and pushing themetal control lever. It isunlikely that theGlidingToneson Whistle,Notes on Recordersmachinewasparticularly successful, asthetension required to ensurethat thepaper rolls stayed suf ciently closeto thebody of therecorders would havemeant that the paper wasliableto tearing and uneven f ow,problemsthat Grainger experienced in many of themachines.But it remains afascinating testament to Graingersdogged pursuit of hisvision of FreeMusic,encapsulating hismulti- faceted character asvisionary composer,performer, artist,designer and inventor. Through closeexamination of thethreeperiod photographsfrom the1950s,and with clues drawn from Percysday- bookswherehemadeshort notesof hisexperiments,it waspossibleto identify themissing components.A rolling pin,visually matching theonein theperiod photograph,was found in thekitchen. Therecorderswereidentif ed asthosemadeby Arnold Dolmetsch,thenoted English instrument maker with whom Grainger collaborated in theediting of anumber of early musiccompositionsin the1930sand 1940s.The curiouscircular object at thesideof themachine wasalso identif ed asaBlow- a- Tune,achildstoy madeby theAmerican toy manufacturer Kenner in 1949.Theseinstrumentshavebeen re- introduced into themachineto allow correct routing of the paper rollsand to completetheimpression of how themachinemay haveoperated. GlidingTonesonWhistle,Noteson Recordersis now on display on thef rst f oor of thePercy Grainger Homeand Studio,thesamespaceswhere Grainger created all hisfreemusicmachines.It is arevealing illustration of histhought processes, methodsof construction and creativity,and providesinsight into Graingerscontribution during an important moment in thedevelopment of electronicmusic. TheconservationofGlidingTonesonWhistle,NotesonRecorders wassupportedthroughtheNYSCA/GHHNConservationTreatment Grant ProgramadministeredbyGreater HudsonHeritageNetwork. ThisprogramismadepossiblebytheNewYorkStateCouncil onthe Artswithsupport oftheOf ceoftheGovernor andtheNewYork StateLegislature. FreeMusicdemandsanon- human performance.Likemost truemusic,it isan emotional,not acerebral,product andshould passdirect fromtheimaginationofthe composer totheear ofthelistener bywayof delicatelycontrolledmusical machines. Percy Grainger Society 7Cromwell Place White Plains,NY10601 (914)281- 1610 percygrainger.org GlidingTonesonWhistle,NotesonRecorders (after conservation) Kangaroo- Pouchmachine,c.1952 GlidingTonesonWhistle,NotesonRecorders, (detail)
- 10. Members Meetings and Programs: 20222023 Lincolnshire Posy Roundtable Rambles Grainger and Choral Music Volunteer Orientation Third-Sunday Tours The Jungle Book immersive reading
- 11. Membership and Programs Committee Recruitment and Retention Developing plans to spread the word of the Percy Grainger Society to: Professional and Trade Bodies College and Universities Music Associations, Societies, and Organizations Music Conventions and Conferences Chair: Bill Garlette
- 12. Membership and Programs Committee Programs Continue to offer programs of value and worth to the members: The Grainger Journal Website Content Members Webinars 202122: Lincolnshire Posy 2023: Grainger and Choral Music 202324: Grainger Reimagined Chair: Bill Garlette
- 13. Membership and Programs Committee Projects Established Committees or Project Managers for: Grainger Music Repositories Jennifer Martin Oral Histories Project Dana Perna Music Conference Project Group Marissa Kyser and Rebecca Weissman Chair: Bill Garlette
- 14. July 9 2022 to July 8 2023 Income Events $680 Membership $2,560 Donations $13,905 Total $17,145 Income and Grants Grants Won: NYSCA/MANY Partnership Capacity Building ($5,000) Awaiting outcome: Preserve New York ($13,000) In preparation: NYSCA organization and capital
- 15. Strategic Planning To read the complete Strategic Plan, go to www.percygrainger.org/the-society
- 16. The Graingers in White Plains Interlude
- 18. The Year Ahead The Percy Grainger Society
- 19. Third-Sunday Tour 24pm, Sunday 16 July Frederick Fennell Visits 7 Cromwell Place With Rebecca Weissman
- 20. Presidents Visit to White Plains: 1218 September Book Launch Friday 15 September The Life and Times of Percy Aldridge Grainger: Till Life Becomes Fire - Teresa Balough Free Music Exhibition Opening 24pm, Saturday 16 September Third-Sunday Tour 24pm, Sunday 17 September Free Music Machine
- 21. Programs Reimagining Grainger Third-Sunday Tours Giving Tuesday Open House 2024
- 22. REIMAGINED The Percy Grainger Society presents three virtual meetings celebrating how Percy Grainger has influ e nced music beyond his time
- 23. Reimagining Grainger through Arrangement Professor Chalon Ragsdale Thursday, October 26, 4 pm (EDT) via Zoom Reimagining Grainger through Performance James Chirillo Thursday, February 22, 2024, 4 pm (EST) via Zoom Reimagining Grainger through Composition TBA Thursday, May 17, 2024, 4 pm (EDT) via Zoom
- 24. Upcoming Programs and Events Grainger Reimagined Third-Sunday Tours Giving Tuesday: 28 November 2023 Open House: 14 April 2024
- 25. Getting Involved Committees, Projects and Volunteering ???? ???? ???? ????
- 26. Getting Involved Board of Directors Finance Architecture/building conservation Institutional relations (education, archives, museums, civic)
- 27. Q & A and Discussion The Percy Grainger Society