Percy Grainger

Percy Aldridge Grainger (8 July 1882 – 20 February, 1961) was an Australian-born pianist, composer, and champion of the saxophone.

He was born in Brighton, a suburb of Melbourne, V

Percy Aldridge Grainger (8 July 1882 – 20 February, 1961) was an Australian-born pianist, composer, and champion of the saxophone.

He was born in Brighton, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. His architect father was an immigrant from London, England, and his mother, Rose, the daughter of hoteliers from Adelaide, South Australia, also of English immigrant stock. His father was an alcoholic, and when Grainger was aged 11, his parents separated after his mother contracted syphilis from his father who returned to London. His mother, a domineering and possessive although cultured figure who recognised his musical abilities, took him to Europe in 1895 to study at Dr. Hoch's conservatory in Frankfurt. There he displayed his talents as a musical experimenter, using irregular and unusual metres.