Grainger Country Gardens

The piece that I have chosen is “Country Gardens”, written by Percy Grainger. This piece was his first piano arrangement of the English Morris dance tune “Country Gardens.” It became extremely popular and his greatest commercial success, later this piece became one of his least favorite pieces as he was asked to play it so often. A remark that was included in the early publication was: “Rough sketched for 2 whistlers and a few instruments about 1908.” In another edition he writes: “In some parts of England, groups of countryside dancers-teams of Morris Men- decked out with ribbons and jingling bells, still dance the Morris Dance to the accompaniment of such tunes as Shepherd’s Hey and Country Gardens.” Although this piece may appear simple, it is just another example of Grainger’s genius with harmony, counterpoint, and color. By using this piece throughout the years of a student’s musical career, it will introduce them to how even a …show more content…
First, the students must learn to accurately play the dotted sixteenth rhythms which occur throughout the piece. Another rhythm that is unique to this edition is the dotted quarter-sixteenth that appears at the end of the piece. Musicians naturally try to rush these rhythms. To rehearse and fix this problem, it is important to isolate these rhythms before the students read the piece. Time will be spent on counting and clapping the rhythms to ensure that the students are internalizing the beat. In addition, I will have them play the dotted sixteenths as four sixteenth notes during rehearsal to make sure that the rhythms are square and in time; with time we will play the rhythms as written. In addition to problems with timing, beginning students will need to master the different articulations that occur throughout the piece. Accents, specifically the marcato marking are the most common articulations used in this piece followed by the