Molly on the Shore: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts
By Percy Grainger / Arranged by R. Mark Rogers
Grade: 4
Item: 35-PK01466758
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Description
The composer's love for music of the simple rural folk of the British Isles led to a series of forty-three pieces that Grainger grouped into a series called "British Folk-Music Settings", including this title as No. 23. This arrangement of the Irish Reel, through superb historical research of the composer's intent and the adaptations that have followed throughout the years, succeeds in offering an accurate version of the original while offering instrumentation options meant to enhance the experience for the musicians and audience alike.
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Additional Details
Publisher:
Hal Leonard
SKU:
35-PK01466758
More about this title
About the Composer: Percy Grainger
Percy Grainger (1882–1961) was an Australian composer and pianist whose deep fascination with folk music shaped his entire compositional output. He conducted meticulous field research across the British Isles, collecting and studying traditional melodies with scholarly rigor, then transformed them into sophisticated concert works that honored their origins while expanding their harmonic and orchestral possibilities.
Grainger's "British Folk-Music Settings" represent the culmination of this lifelong devotion. Rather than treating folk material as quaint source material, he wove these melodies into intricate textures that demanded serious musicianship from performers while remaining accessible to audiences. His arrangements reveal a composer who understood folk idiom from the inside and refused to condescend to it.
Why we love this
This Rogers edition cuts through decades of competing versions to give you what Grainger actually intended. A Grade 4 band can execute the rhythmic drive and sectional independence this piece demands, while the flexible instrumentation keeps your smaller or larger ensembles equally engaged. It's the kind of folk arrangement that sounds effortless in performance but teaches the ensemble how to shape a melody across shifting textural backgrounds.
What to expect
Bright and spirited, with the infectious energy of a fiddle tune translated into concert band sonority. The piece swings between intimate woodwind passages and fuller ensemble moments, capturing both the joy of a rural dance and the sophistication of a composed work.
Who it's for
Directors building a Grade 4 concert that needs something beyond standard march/overture programming. Ensembles with strong woodwind sections will particularly enjoy the interweaving lines, though the arrangement accommodates various instrument combinations.
How to get the most out of it
- Keep the reel rhythm elastic and dance-like rather than mechanical. The pulse should feel propulsive, not metronomic, which means slight breathing room at phrase endings.
- Balance the melody across sections as it passes from woodwinds to brass and back. Each instrumental group needs to understand when they're carrying the tune versus providing harmonic or rhythmic support.
- Exploit the instrumentation options the arrangement provides. Experiment in rehearsal with different doublings and colors to see where the piece breathes most naturally with your specific instrumentation.
How to use it
Pair this with Grainger's other folk settings or place it alongside contemporary band works that draw from traditional music. It works equally well as a concert opener that establishes a spirited mood or as the centerpiece of a program exploring folk-to-concert arranging traditions.
Skills your students will build
- Executing reel rhythms with clarity and lift
- Passing thematic material between sections while maintaining melodic shape
- Adapting articulation and dynamics to match the character of different instrumental groups
- Responding to flexible instrumentation and understanding how doublings affect blend and balance