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Hill Song No. 1 (1921 version): Large Chamber Ensemble Conductor's Score

$25.00 USD

Hill Song No. 1 (1921 version): Large Chamber Ensemble Conductor's Score

Name: Hill Song No. 1 (1921 version): Large Chamber Ensemble Conductor's Score
Brand: Alfred Music
SKU: 36-A929001
Price: 25.00 USD
Availability: InStock

By Percy Aldridge Grainger

Item: 36-A929001

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Hill Song No. 1 is one of the most audacious and forward-looking of all the works by Percy Grainger. Begun in March 1901 while he was still a student at the Höch Conservatoire in Frankfurt, it is one of Grainger's earliest surviving compositions, though Grainger recalled it was a distillation of a number of techniques he tried out experimentally in the late 1890s; "wide-tone scales," "irregular rhythms," "democratic polyphony," and "semi-discordant triads" among them. A passage toward the end that bears a misty resemblance to impressionist harmony was inspired, as Grainger admits, by seeing part of the score of Debussy's Pelleas et Mélisande in 1902. The first version of Hill Song No. 1 was completed in London in September 1902. The most radical thing about Hill Song No. 1 was its scoring, and indeed, this is what kept it out of the ears of the public for decades. It is scored for 24 winds -- two piccolos, six oboes, six English horns, six bassoons, and contra-bassoon. Due to his relative inexperience as a composer and German training -- after all, he was only 19 years old when he wrote the work -- Grainger spelled out compound rhythms in archaic ways, such as identifying a bar of 5/8 as "two and a half over four." Such rhythmic divisions are scattered throughout all of the 24 parts, with some differing divisions laid on top of one another; the best wind players in the world in 1902 could not read or play the Hill Song No. 1, which is what Grainger realized once he tried to mount a performance of the work. In 1907, he created the short, pithy Hill Song No. 2, which places some of the elements of the earlier piece in a more conventional context and is less than a third as long as the original. In 1921, he completely rebarred and rescored the Hill Song No. 1 for an ensemble of piccolo, flute, six double reeds, two saxophones, three brass, harmonium, percussion, piano, and six string parts. The added instruments were designed to address Grainger's concern about wheeziness of the high number of double reeds in the original version; he also created a version for two pianos at the same time. -Uncle Dave Lewis, AllMusic.com (excerpt) Instrumentation: 1+Picc.1+EH.0.1+CBsn: Sopranino sarrusophone in Eb(alt Ob2).Tenor sarrusophone in Bb(alt heckelphone, Tsax or Bcl): Ssax.Asax: 1.1.0.0.Euph: Perc(1).Harmonium.Pno: Str(1.1.2.2.1).

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Series: Kalmus Chamber Library

Publisher: Keiser Productions, Inc.

ISBN10: 1-63-887490-5

ISBN13: 978-1-63-887490-4

UPC: 735816220501

SKU: 36-A929001

Instrumentation: Large Chamber Ensemble

More about this title

About the Composer: Percy Aldridge Grainger

Percy Aldridge Grainger (1882-1961) was an Australian-born composer and pianist whose relentless experimentation with rhythm, harmony, and orchestration made him one of the most visionary figures of early twentieth-century music. Though trained in the German conservatory tradition, he rejected its formality in favor of what he called "free music" and "elastic" scoring, ideas that were decades ahead of their time. His willingness to notate complex rhythmic relationships unconventionally and to reimagine instrumental combinations set him apart from his contemporaries and continue to challenge performers today.

Grainger's approach to composition was fundamentally pedagogical. He believed in making music accessible to amateur musicians while simultaneously pushing toward radical artistic expression. His legacy rests not just on individual works but on his philosophy that composers must serve performers and listeners with clarity and courage, even when that meant inventing new notation systems or asking orchestras to attempt the seemingly impossible.

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Why we love this

Hill Song No. 1 stands as proof that forward-thinking music doesn't require large orchestra forces or post-romantic excess. Grainger's scoring for 24 winds alone creates an entirely fresh sonority, and the 1921 revision (which this conductor's score represents) shows his maturing hand at managing rhythmic complexity. Conductors drawn to twentieth-century repertoire that prioritizes clarity of voice and architectural strength will find this score revelatory.

What to expect

Hill Song No. 1 emerges from the landscape like a shimmering mirage. Grainger's harmonic language drifts between impressionist wash and brittle dissonance, while the wind-only orchestration creates an ethereal, sometimes austere quality that feels both intimate and monumental. There is searching in this music, the sound of a young composer testing boundaries and discovering that tradition can be honored while being wholly reimagined.

Who it's for

Conductors with access to a substantial woodwind section and a commitment to twentieth-century music that rewards close study. This score demands musicians who can read complex rhythmic notation and who understand that clarity of individual line matters as much as harmonic blend. Chamber orchestras, wind ensemble directors, and conductors programming ambitious early modernist works will find this a singular challenge.

How to get the most out of it

Study the rhythmic notation carefully in advance. The 1921 version presents compound meters and irregular groupings that differ from standard notation; marking beat patterns and subdivisions in rehearsal prevents confusion across the 24 independent lines.
Balance the six oboes, six English horns, and six bassoons so that inner voices remain audible. This scoring demands that musicians listen across the ensemble rather than relying on traditional soprano-alto-tenor-bass prominence.
Allow rehearsal time for the wind players to develop security in their individual parts before attempting ensemble blend. Grainger's polyphonic writing asks each player to maintain independence while tracking neighboring lines.

How to use it

Program this as the centerpiece of a concert exploring early twentieth-century experimentation, or pair it with later Grainger works that show how his ideas evolved. Its chamber scale and woodwind-only scoring make it suitable for academic settings where full orchestra resources may be limited but woodwind strength is considerable. The work's intellectual rigor positions it well alongside contemporary chamber works by Bartók or early Stravinsky.