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Hill Song No. 1 (1921 version): Large Chamber Ensemble Score & Parts

$95.00 USD
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Hill Song No. 1 (1921 version) Cover Image
Hill Song No. 1 (1921 version): Large Chamber Ensemble Score & Parts

Hill Song No. 1 (1921 version): Large Chamber Ensemble Score & Parts

By Percy Aldridge Grainger

Item: 36-A929090
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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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Additional Details
Series: Kalmus Chamber Library
Publisher: Keiser Productions, Inc.
UPC: 735816219116
SKU: 36-A929090
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 fearless approach to orchestration and harmonic language positioned him decades ahead of his contemporaries. He studied in Frankfurt and Melbourne before establishing himself in London and later America, building a reputation as both a virtuoso performer and an uncompromising musical visionary. His willingness to experiment with unconventional instrumental combinations, folk music idioms, and rhythmic complexity made him a pivotal figure in twentieth-century music, even when his innovations initially defied performers and audiences alike.

Grainger's pedagogical legacy extends beyond his compositions to his meticulous instrumental writing and detailed performance annotations. He invested extraordinary care in making his scores readable and playable, often revising works across decades to accommodate the technical evolution of musicians. His belief in "democratic polyphony"—giving equal musical weight to all instrumental voices rather than privileging melody and accompaniment—fundamentally reshaped how chamber and orchestral music could be conceived and taught.

Why we love this

Hill Song No. 1 represents a watershed moment in twentieth-century chamber writing: a young composer unafraid to abandon conventional orchestration and rhythmic notation in service of a genuine artistic vision. The 1921 revision reflects Grainger's maturation as both craftsman and thinker, making this version far more accessible to performers than the original while preserving its radical character. Ensembles with the courage to tackle it will discover one of the most distinctive and rewarding scores in the chamber repertoire.

What to expect

Hill Song No. 1 unfolds like a landscape in changing light: misty and impressionistic in places, then suddenly crystalline and folk-like, building toward moments of radiant harmonic richness. The scoring creates a luminous, transparent texture that feels neither orchestral nor chamber-like in the traditional sense, with each instrumental voice contributing equally to a soundworld that is simultaneously austere and warmly human.

Who it's for

Advanced chamber ensembles with strong individual readers, conductors preparing ambitious twentieth-century repertoire, and serious music students ready to engage with historical performance problems and their solutions. This work demands secure rhythm reading, independence, and the ability to balance complex polyphonic textures without traditional sectional roles.

How to get the most out of it

  • Study the rhythmic notation carefully before rehearsal; Grainger's compound meters and cross-rhythms require independent parts to lock in place, and sectional work on rhythmic clarity pays immediate dividends.
  • Attend to dynamic balance across the six oboes, six English horns, and six bassoons; the democratic polyphonic texture means traditional melody-accompaniment hierarchies don't apply, and each voice must be heard.
  • Mark bowings and attacks collaboratively; wind players will benefit from string players demonstrating where the pulse sits, especially in passages with irregular rhythmic divisions.
  • Use the score and parts together during preparation; understanding Grainger's harmonic and textural intent helps players deliver nuance that notation alone cannot convey.

How to use it

Program this as a centerpiece for a twentieth-century chamber music concert, where it can stand alongside other early modernist works that grapple with timbre and form in revolutionary ways. It also works powerfully as the culmination of a Grainger-focused chamber series, allowing audiences to trace his development from student experimentalist to mature composer.

Skills your students will build

  • Reading compound meters and archaic rhythmic notation (5/8 written as 'two and a half over four')
  • Maintaining independence and rhythmic clarity in democratic polyphony where all parts carry equal weight
  • Balancing complex wind and string textures without relying on traditional melody-accompaniment relationships
  • Collaborative score study and part preparation in historically significant twentieth-century chamber music

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