A Historical and Analytical Research on the Development of Percy Grainger’s Wind

Ensemble Masterpiece: Lincolnshire Posy

Abbigail Ramsey

Stephen F. Austin State University, Department of Music

Graduate Research Conference 2021

Dr. David Campo, Advisor

April 13, 2021

 Ramsey 1

Introduction

Percy Grainger’s Lincolnshire Posy has become a staple of wind ensemble repertoire and

is a work most professional wind ensembles have performed. Lincolnshire Posy was composed in

1937, during a time when the wind band repertoire was not as developed as other performance

media. During his travels to Lincolnshire, England during the early 20th century, Grainger became

intrigued by the musical culture and was inspired to musically portray the unique qualities of the

locals that shared their narrative ballads through song. While Grainger’s collection efforts occurred

in the early 1900s, Lincolnshire Posy did not come to fruition until it was commissioned by the

American Bandmasters Association for their 1937 convention. Grainger’s later relationship with

Frederick Fennell and Fennell’s subsequent creation of the Eastman Wind Ensemble in 1952 led

to the increased popularity of Lincolnshire Posy. The unique instrumentation and unprecedented

performance ability of the group allowed a larger audience access to this masterwork. Fennell and

his ensemble’s new approach to wind band performance allowed complex literature like

Lincolnshire Posy to be properly performed and contributed to establishing wind band as a

respected performance medium within the greater musical community.

Percy Grainger: Biography

Percy Aldridge Grainger was an Australian-born composer, pianist, ethnomusicologist, and

concert band saxophone virtuoso born on July 8, 1882 in Brighton, Victoria, Australia and died

February 20, 1961 in White Plains, New York.1 Grainger was the only child of John Harry

Grainger, a successful traveling architect, and Rose Annie Grainger, a self-taught pianist. Their

marriage was not successful, and Grainger’s father left shortly after his birth; however, he

maintained contact with his wife and son and supported them financially. Grainger’s mother

1
“Percy Aldridge Grainger: Biography,” Wind Repertory Project, February 22, 2021,
http://www.windrep.org/Percy_Aldridge_Grainger.
 Ramsey 2

recognized her son’s musical talents and artistry at a young age and devoted her life to nurturing

those talents and providing an education for her son. At the age of five, Grainger began his musical

training in piano with his mother, which contributed to their close relationship.2 Grainger later

became a piano student of Louis Pabst, a professor at Melbourne Conservatory, who helped

Grainger achieve his first public performance as a pianist at the age of ten.3 By the age of twelve,

Grainger’s performance career had flourished, and he attained enough praise and means to travel

to Frankfurt, Germany and enroll in Dr. Hoch’s Conservatorium of Music in 1895. This is where

Grainger studied piano with James Kwast and composition with Iwan Knorr. Once Grainger

completed his music studies at Hoch Conservatory in 1901, he and his mother moved to London,

England in hopes of beginning Grainger’s concert career. However, Grainger struggled to make a

name for himself in English musical circles and had to rely on his work as a public and private

accompanist to earn a living.

Between 1905 and 1909, Grainger spent his time collecting over 500 folk songs in England.

It was this ambitious project that would establish Grainger’s reputation as a transcriber and

composer of English folk songs and develop his musical renown across England. Grainger became

one of the first people in England to collect these songs using an Edison phonograph. Grainger

used the phonograph unlike anyone else: he would slow down the machine so that each musical

passage was played back at half-speed and one octave lower than the original pitch at which it had

been recorded. Grainger also utilized a metronome while recording with the phonograph to achieve

accuracy when determining the rhythmic variations of the song. This led to Grainger publishing

2
John Cody Birdwell, “The Utilization of Folk Song Elements in Selected Works by Ralph Vaughan Williams and
Percy Grainger with Subsequent Treatment Exemplified in The Wind Band Music of David Stanhope,” (PhD diss.,
University of North Texas, 1996), 37-40, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.
3
Thomas Carl Slattery, “The Wind Music of Percy Aldridge Grainger,” (PhD diss., The University of Iowa, 1967),
2-4, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.
 Ramsey 3

an article titled “Collecting with the Phonograph” in the Journal of the Folk Song Society, where

he presented examples of his collections and described his methods of recording folk song

performances. Grainger’s fascination with English folk music was influenced by Edvard Grieg,

whom Grainger had met while living in London.4 In 1919, Grainger moved to the United States at

the outbreak of World War I. During the twentieth century, Percy Grainger was most known for

his interest in wind band and his compositional style, which included colorful timbres of various

wind and percussion parts, inclusion of folk songs and emulating the human voice of native English

singers, thematic construction, and thoughtful voice leading.5

History of Lincolnshire Posy

Lincolnshire Posy is considered to be Percy Grainger’s masterwork and a staple

composition for wind band. In 1937, Lincolnshire Posy was commissioned by the American

Bandmaster’s Association for their convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Grainger conducted

the partial premiere on March 7th in the same year. During this time, literature for wind band was

scarce and the majority of concert band music consisted of marches written for military bands.

Lincolnshire Posy contains six movements based on English folk songs gathered in Lincolnshire,

England during 1905-06 by Lucy E. Broadwood and Percy Grainger himself, and is set for

wind/military band.6 Grainger used a wax cylinder to record each folk singer and referred to those

recordings faithfully, so he could stay true to the singer’s voice when he began to recreate each

tune. According to Grainger, his purpose for collecting these folk songs – or what he referred to

as “musical wildflowers” – was to reflect and showcase the lyrics and the singers who sang to

4
Graham Freeman, “Percy Grainger: Sketch of a New Aesthetic of Folk Music,” (PhD diss., University of Toronto,
2008), 3-5, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.
5
Blocher, L., Cramer, R., Corporon, E., Lautzenheiser, T., Lisk, E., & Miles, R. (1996), Teaching Music Through
Performance in Band (Volume One). Chicago, IL: GIA Publications, 840.
6
Blocher, L., et. al., 841.
 Ramsey 4

Grainger, as well as their persona. Lincolnshire Posy was Grainger’s attempt to capture and

emulate the characters of the folk songs and tell their stories to the best of his ability through the

use of a variety of compositional techniques. These techniques include unpredictable movement

of harmonies, unstable and absent meters, surprising countermelodies, melodies that phase in and

out, polytonality, challenging rhythms that sound carefree and natural, and rich timbres.7

Grainger’s meticulous attempt to emulate the human singing voice through wind instruments

creates a deep personal aspect of Lincolnshire Posy, which sets this work apart from any other

compositions that use folk songs as their source material.8 Grainger accomplished this with his

thoughtful orchestration and compositional techniques that helped portray the story and singer of

each folk tune.

Brief Analysis & Compositional Techniques Used to Emulate the Human Singing Voice

I. “Lisbon” (Sailor’s Song)

“Lisbon”, also known as “Sailor’s Song”, is the first movement of Lincolnshire Posy and

is based on a folk song recorded by Grainger and sung by Mr. Deane of Hibbaldstowe,

Lincolnshire, England in 1905. In addition, the counter-melody in the French horns that begins at

measure 36 is based on the initial phrase of “The Duke of Marlborough” folk song that was

recorded by Lucy E. Broadwood and sung by folk singer Mr. H Burstow of Horsham, Sussex,

England.9 This folk song tells a story of a sailor and his love who are about to be separated due to

the man’s obligation to go overseas for his king and crown. The woman claims she is with child

7
Andy Pease, “Lincolnshire Posy by Percy Grainger,” Wind Band Literature: A Conductor’s Perspective,
https://windliterature.org/2010/11/23/lincolnshire-posy-by-percy-grainger/.
8
Blocher, L., et. al., 841.
9
Percy Aldridge Grainger, Lincolnshire Posy, Boca Raton, Fl.: Ludwig Masters Publications, 2010, 4.
 Ramsey 5

and begs him to stay. The man explains that he must go for her safety, even while she proclaims

her love for him.10 Below are the song’s lyrics:

'Twas on a Monday morning, all in the month of May,

Our ship she weighed her anchor, all for to sail away;
The wind did from the southwest blow, for Lisbon we were bound,
The hills and dales were covered with pretty young girls around.

I wrote a letter to Nancy, for her to understand

That I should have to leave her, unto some foreign land,
She said, "My dearest William, these words will break my heart,
Oh, let us married be tonight, sweet Willie, before you start."

"For ten long weeks and better I've been with child by thee,
So stay at home, dear William, be kind and marry me."
"Our captain has commanded us, and I shall have to go,
The Queen's in want of men, my love, I'd never dare answer, 'No.'”

"I'll cut my long yellow hair off, your clothing I'll put on,
And I will go with you, love, and be your waiting-man,
And when it is your watch on deck, your duty I will do,
I'd face the field of battle, love, in order to be with you."

"Your pretty little fingers, they are both long and small,
Your waist it is too slender to face the cannonball,
For loud the cannons rattle, love, and blazing bullets fly,
And silver trumpets sound, my love, to cover the dismal cry."

"Pray do not talk of danger, for love is my desire,

To see you in the battle, and with you spend my time,
And I will go through France and Spain, all for to be your bride,
And I will lay me down upon the battlefield at your side.

'Twas on a Monday morning, all in the month of May,

Our ship she weighed her anchor, all for to sail away;
The wind did from the southwest blow, for Lisbon we were bound,
The hills and dales were covered with pretty young girls around.11

This movement is in strophic form that consists of four verses and ends with a coda. It is

in A-flat Mixolydian due to having A-flat harmonies with a D-flat major key signature and is in a

6/8 time signature. Verse 1 (measures 1-17) consists of “planning” parallel major triads scored in

the muted trumpet, stopped horn, and doubled bassoon with saxophone interruption. This creates

the vocal harmonization of the male voice that is singing in the beginning of the song. This main

10
Chris Sharp, “A Study of Orchestration Techniques for the Wind Ensemble/Wind Band as Demonstrated in
Seminal Works,” PhD diss., University of Florida, 2011, 116.
11
“Lisbon,” Golden Hind Music, http://www.goldenhindmusic.com/lyrics/LISBON.html.
 Ramsey 6

theme is played throughout the first movement and performed in different styles with each verse

as the story continues. For example, Grainger indicates the style for the first verse and main theme

to be performed “briskly, with plenty of lift” and detached. This compositional style correlates

with the beginning of the song’s lyrics because it is about a man accepting the honor of traveling

overseas to defend his king’s crown and kingdom.

II. “Horkstow Grange” (The Miser and His Man: a Local Tragedy)

The second movement, “Horkstow Grange”, also known as “The Miser and His Man: a

Local Tragedy”, is an English folk song that was recorded by Grainger in 1905 from a local folk

singer, George Gouldthorpe of Goxhill, North Lincolnshire, England.12 This song tells a story of

a servant who attacks and kills his master with a club after enduring a great deal of abuse. This

movement is sometimes mistakenly perceived as a love song due to its luscious harmonies and

passionate melodies, but the story told by the song is anything but that. Rather, it is considered to

be a memorial to the men themselves with a lesser emphasis on the actual events that took place

between them.13 Below are the lyrics to this movement:

In Horkstow Grange there lives an old miser,

You all do know him as I've heard tell,
It was him and his man that was called John Bowlin',
They fell out one market day.
Pity them what see him suffer,
Pity poor old Steeleye Span,
John Bowlin's deeds they will be remembered,
Bowlin's deeds at Horkstow Grange.

With a blackthorn stick old Steeleye struck him,

Oftens had threatened him before,
John Bowlin' he turned round all in a passion,
Knocked old Steeleye on to the floor.

Steeleye Span, he was felled by John Bowlin',

It happened to be on a market day;
Steeleye swore with all his vengeance,
He would swear his life away.14

12
Percy Aldridge Grainger, Lincolnshire Posy, Boca Raton, Fl.: Ludwig Masters Publications, 2010, 4.
13
Chris Sharp, 122.
14
“Horkstow Grange,” Golden Hind Music, http://www.goldenhindmusic.com/lyrics/HORKSTOW.html.
 Ramsey 7

The form and structure of this movement consists of two pairings of verse and refrain.

Similar to the first movement, this movement has an A-flat Mixolydian tune harmonized in D-flat

major.15 Grainger uses a wide variety of mixed meter throughout this movement, which helps

portray the way the human voice would naturally phrase the lyrics. In this movement, Grainger

creates a rich timbre by only having four separate lines occurring at a time. Grainger also uses a

great deal of parallelism and parallel fifth motion throughout the entire movement, specifically in

the lower voices, which adds to the overall richness and constant motion of the movement. In

addition, this parallel motion in the lower voices creates a “deep, resonant sonority” that can be

seen in many of Grainger’s compositions in relation to his voicing techniques.16 Throughout this

movement, Grainger alternates between dense and full scoring in relation to the folk song to

express the anger and grief of the story being portrayed.

III. “Rufford Park Poachers” (Poaching Song)

“Rufford Park Poachers”, also known as “Poaching Song”, is the third movement of

Lincolnshire Posy, and is based on an English folk song recorded by Grainger in 1906 from the

singing of Joseph Taylor of Saxby-All-Saints, Lincolnshire, England.17 This movement portrays a

story of confrontation between a group of poachers, who are defending the rights of those in

poverty, and the keepers of the land on which they are trespassing, who are defending their

master’s land and livestock. The poachers saw hunting on this land as a thrilling activity, and this

idea can be heard through the mischievous quality of this movement. When Grainger collected this

folk song, the singer presented two different versions of the song: “Version A” and “Version B.”

Although these two versions are similar, they differ in instrumentation with regard to which

15
Blocher, L., et. al., 849.
16
Chris Sharp, 124.
17
Percy Aldridge Grainger, Lincolnshire Posy, Boca Raton, Fl.: Ludwig Masters Publications, 2010, 4.
 Ramsey 8

instrument is performing each melodic line. Grainger was fond of both versions of the folk song,

so he included both versions in Lincolnshire Posy, which allows the conductor to choose which

one they would like to perform.18 Below are the lyrics to this movement:

A buck or doe, believe it so, a pheasant or a hare

Were sent on earth for every man quite equally to share.
So poacher bold, as I unfold, keep up your gallant heart,
And think about those poachers bold, that night in Rufford Park.

They say that forty gallant poachers, they were in distress,

They'd often been attacked when their number it was less.

Among the gorse, to settle scores, these forty gathered stones,

To make a fight for poor men's rights, and break the keepers' bones.

The keepers went with flails against the poachers and their cause,
To see that none again would dare defy the rich man's laws.

The keepers, they began the fray with stones and with their flails,
But when the poachers started, oh, they quickly turned their tails.

Upon the ground, with mortal wound, head-keeper Roberts lay,

He never will rise up until the final Judgment Day.

Of all that band that made their stand to set a net or snare
The four men brought before the court were tried for murder there.

The judge he said, "For Roberts' death transported you must be,
To serve a term of fourteen years in convict slavery."
So poacher bold, my tale is told, keep up your gallant heart,
And think about those poachers bold, that night in Rufford Park. 19

This movement is in strophic form and consists of verses and brief interludes.

Harmonically, it begins in C Dorian and then progresses to D-flat major. This movement is known

for its unique rhythm, mixed irregular meter, and exact canons. Grainger uses exact canons

consistently throughout this movement, which has long been a common vocal-music

compositional technique. The first canon is introduced in the beginning verse with a woodwind

quartet in octave unison. In the past, composers were required to avoid distracting, dissonant

intervals while writing canons, but over time, that “rule” became increasingly disregarded. This

18
Chris Sharp, 128-129.
19
“Rufford Park Poachers,” Golden Hind Music, http://www.goldenhindmusic.com/lyrics/RUFFPARK.html.
 Ramsey 9

canon in the first verse is pleasing to the ear and does not have any striking, dissonant harmonies.

Putting this into context, this movement opens up with two independent lines of the melody, but

one of the lines starts slightly later, creating a lagging effect. Grainger possibly used this device to

represent the poachers being tracked by the wardens. Another compositional technique Grainger

uses to portray the folk song story is the use of a “trouble motive.” This is a recurring theme that

is played throughout the movement to signal a sigh or that there is trouble coming. When this

motive is being performed, it appears unexpectedly, and is presented with a fast crescendo from

piano to forte before quickly returning back down to piano. This motive is seen in almost every

verse and interlude, and is sometimes augmented to create tension and pops of color.20

IV. “The Brisk Young Sailor” (Returned to Wed His True Love)

“The Brisk Young Sailor”, also known as “Returned to Wed His True Love”, is the fourth

movement and is based on and English folk song collected by Grainger in 1906 from the singing

of Mrs. Thompson of Baton-on-Humber, Lincolnshire, England. It is in strophic from that includes

six verses with a brief coda. Harmonically, this movement is in B-flat major, and it is conducted

in ¾ meter.21 This folk song is about a sailor returning to the love of his life after many years at

sea but becoming heartbroken when she does not recognize him. However, when he brings her a

token of his love, she realizes it is him.22 Below are the lyrics to this movement:

A fair maid walking all in her garden, a brisk young sailor she chanced to spy,
He stepped up to her thinking to woo her, cried thus: "Fair maid, can you fancy I?"

"You seem to be some man of honor, some man of honor you seem to be,
I am a poor and lowly maiden, not fitting, sir, your servant for to be."

"Not fitting for to be my servant? No, I've a greater regard for you.
I'd marry you, and make you a lady, and I'd have servants for to wait on you."

"I have a true love all of my own, sir, and seven long years he's been gone from me,
But seven more I will wait for him; if he's alive, he'll return to me.

20
Chris Sharp, 131.
21
Percy Aldridge Grainger, Lincolnshire Posy, Boca Raton, Fl.: Ludwig Masters Publications, 2010, 4.
22
Chris Sharp, 133.
 Ramsey 10

If seven long years thy love is gone from thee, he is surely either dead or drowned,
But if seven more you will wait for him, if he's alive, then he will be found.

He put his hand all in his bosom, his fingers they were both long and small.
He showed to her then the true-love token, and when she saw it, down then she did fall.

He took her up all in his arms, and gave her kisses, one, two and three,
Here stands thy true and faithful sailor, who has just now returned to marry thee. 23

Grainger’s compositional style in this movement is greatly influenced by the timbre of the

human voice. Specifically, he seeks to differentiate the male and female voices, and does so

through thoughtful instrumentation and scoring depending on which voice is singing during the

folk song. The folk song starts out with a narrator, which is played by the 1st clarinet. At the

beginning of verse two, the woman’s voice is introduced in the highest woodwind voices. As the

story continues, the male’s voice is introduced by the baritone while the high woodwinds figures

are accompanying at the beginning of verse three. Grainger’s instrumentation and scoring of this

folk song helps portray the conversation between the “his” and “her” voices by carefully picking

instruments that closely match those vocal ranges.

V. “Lord Melbourne” (War Song)

“Lord Melbourne”, also known as “War Song”, is the fifth movement and is based on an

English folk song collected by Grainger in 1906 from the singing of George Wray of Barton-on-

Humber, Lincolnshire, England.

This movement is known for its mixed irregular meter and four free time passages. It is in

strophic form with four verses in D Dorian. This folksong tells a tale of the heroic and brave deeds

a retired warlord accomplished during his lifetime. Grainger first heard this folksong being sung

by a large, drunken man who was slurring his words. In a successful attempt to replicate the man’s

slurred singing, Grainger uses “free time” passages that are cued at the discretion of the conductor.

23
“A Fair Maid Walking,” Golden Hind Music, http://www.goldenhindmusic.com/lyrics/MAIDWALK.html.
 Ramsey 11

Grainger indicates that these free time passages should be conducted with a strong and clear

downbeat by placing a down arrow on each pitch. Grainger writes the opening statement of the

song in the brass voices to reflect the heroic nature of the material and the dark, rich sound of the

drunken man’s voice.24 Below are the lyrics to this movement:

I am an Englishman to my birth, Lord Melbourne is my name;

In Devonshire I first drew breath, that place of noble fame.
I was beloved by all my men, by kings and princes likewise.
I never failed in anything, but won great victories.

Then good Queen Anne sent us on board, to Flanders we did go,

We left the banks of Newfoundland to face our daring foe.
We climbed those lofty hills straightway, with broken guns, shields likewise,
And all those famous towns we took, to all the world's surprise.

King Charles the Second we did reserve, to face our foemen French,
And to the battle of Ramillies we boldly did advance.
The sun was down, the earth did shake, and I so loud did cry,
"Fight on, my lads, for old England's sake, we'll gain the field, or die."

And now this glorious victory's won, so boldly keep the field,
When prisoners in great numbers took, which forced our foe to yield.
That very day my horse was shot all by a cannonball,
As soon as I got up again, my aide-de-camp, he did fall.

Now on a bed of sickness lie, I am resigned to die,

You generals all and champions bold, stand true as well as I.
Stand to your men, take them on board, and fight with courage bold,
I've led my men through smoke and fire, but now to death must yield. 25

VI. “The Lost Lady Found” (Dance Song)

“The Lost Lady Found”, also known as “Dance Song”, is the sixth and final movement of

Lincolnshire Posy, and is based on an English folksong collected by Lucy E. Broadwood from the

singing of her nurse in Lincolnshire, Mrs. Hill.26 This folksong tells the story of a girl who was

kidnapped from her English home by gypsies. Her uncle sets out to find her, but is mistakenly

blamed for her kidnapping, so he is taken to prison and sentenced to die. A young man, who was

in love with the girl, goes on a journey to find her, and eventually succeeds in this endeavor. The

24
Chris Sharp, 140.
25
“Lord Melbourne,” Golden Hind Music, http://www.goldenhindmusic.com/lyrics/LORDMELB.html.
26
Percy Aldridge Grainger, Lincolnshire Posy, Boca Raton, Fl.: Ludwig Masters Publications, 2010, 4.
 Ramsey 12

man and girl then hurry home to save her uncle from being wrongfully executed.27 Below are the

lyrics to this movement:

'Twas down in yon valley a fair maid did dwell,

She lived with her uncle, they all knew full well,
'Twas down in yon valley where violets grew gay,
Three gypsies betrayed her and stole her away.

Long time she'd been missing, and could not be found;

Her uncle, he searched the country around,
Till he came to the trustee, between hope and fear,
The trustee made answer, "She has not been here."

The trustee spoke over with courage so bold,

"I fear she's been lost for the sake of her gold,
So we'll have life for life, sir," the trustee did say,
"We'll send you to prison, and there you shall stay."

There was a young squire that loved her so,

Oft times to the schoolhouse together they did go,
"I'm afraid she's been murdered, so great is my fear.
If I'd wings like a dove I would fly to my dear."

He traveled through England, through France and through Spain,

Till he ventured his life on the watery main,
And he came to a house where he lodged for a night,
And in that same house was his own heart's delight.

When she saw him, she knew him, and fled to his arms;
She told him her grief while he gazed on her charms.
"How came you to Dublin, my dearest, I pray?"
"Three gypsies betrayed me and stole me away."

"Your uncle's in England, in prison does lie,

And for your sweet sake is condemned for to die."
"Carry me to old England, my dearest," she cried.
"One thousand I'll give thee, and will be your bride."

When they came to old England her uncle to see,

The cart it was under the high gallows tree;
"Oh, pardon, oh, pardon, oh, pardon I crave.
I'm alive, I'm alive, your dear life to save."

Then from the high gallows they led him away,

The bells they did ring and the music did play,
Every house in that valley with mirth did resound,
As soon as they heard the lost lady was found.28

27
Chris Sharp, 146.
28
“The Lost Lady Found,” Golden Hind Music, http://www.goldenhindmusic.com/lyrics/LOSTLADY.html.
 Ramsey 13

This movement is in strophic form with nine verses that include the same thematic material,

and has a layered texture due to the use of exact canons. Beyond the lyrics, Grainger is essentially

acting as the narrator and creating imagery of the story throughout each verse in the movement.

He does this by thoughtful use of voicing, rhythmic motives, style, and progression of dynamics.

For example, when the lost lady is found and returns home to save her uncle, the trumpets have

bell tones that pierce through the chords in the last measure. This creates the effect of celebratory

bells ringing and portraying a final sigh of relief and happiness at the end of the story.

Frederick Fennell and the Eastman Wind Ensemble

The growing popularity of compositions for wind ensemble and the need for

institutionalized ensembles to perform them are direct results of Frederick Fennell’s efforts to

make the concert band a respected performance medium in the music world. Internationally known

American conductor and music educator, Frederick Fennell, was born on July 2, 1914 in

Cleveland, Ohio and died on December 7, 2004 in Siesta Key, Florida. Fennell’s collegiate music

studies include attending the Eastman School of Music, where he pursued a degree in percussion

performance and received a master’s degree in 1939. Shortly after his studies, Fennell joined the

faculty at Eastman, where he would conduct multiple instrumental ensembles until 1965.29 During

the years he spent at Eastman, Fennell transformed the concert band from an underdeveloped and

overlooked ensemble to a collection of woodwinds, brass, and percussion instruments joining to

create one impressive group that would perform new concert band works to their fullest potential.

As a result, concert bands became more respected and were made more attractive to composers

seeking to produce new literature for this genre.

29
“Frederick Fennell,” Wind Repertory Project, October 17, 2016, http://www.windrep.org/Frederick_Fennell.
 Ramsey 14

The creation and development of the Wind Ensemble concept by Frederick Fennell in 1952

“was a significant turning point in the creation of new music for the wind band.” A Wind Ensemble

is described to be a musical group with flexible instrumentation that would give composers the

opportunity to write for any combination of wind instruments and achieve a sonorous sound by

writing one player per part, just like the wind section in a symphony orchestra. One of Fennell’s

goals in creating the Wind Ensemble was to provide composers with a “sound resource” for when

they wished to write for wind band. This gave composers the opportunity to choose from a wide

variety of instrumental textures and timbres, inspiring and giving composers easy access to create

new and original wind band music. As Fennell produced over twenty immaculate recordings of

The Eastman Wind Ensemble, he started to get attention from major composers including Ralph

Vaughan Williams, Vincent Persichetti, and Percy Grainger. In addition, Fennell’s recordings

influenced and encouraged many other band directors to perform original wind band works of

these composers due to the high quality of the reference recordings.30

The Eastman Wind Ensemble’s Influence on Percy Grainger’s Lincolnshire Posy

The premiere of Lincolnshire Posy at the American Bandmasters Association convention

in 1937 did not live up to Grainger’s expectations. The performing ensemble was unable to perform

movements three and five due to the frequent time-signature changes, free time passages, and

irregular rhythms. Grainger was disappointed because he wrote Lincolnshire Posy with the intent

that any typical high school band would be able to perform it. The group that performed at the

1937 convention, the Milwaukee Symphonic Band, was made up of members from bands

including the Pabst Blue Ribbon beer factory and Blatz Brewery worker bands. In a program note

30
David Wayne Campo, Original Music for Wind Band in the Latter Half of the 1950s: A Historical Perspective,
VDM Verlag Dr. Muller Aktiengesellschaft & Co. KG, 2008, 28-31.
 Ramsey 15

to bandleaders, Grainger stated “the only players that are likely to balk at those rhythms are

seasoned professional bandsmen, who think more of their beer than their music.” It seems that

Grainger wished the ensemble premiering his masterwork had taken it more seriously.31 With the

lack of a successful musical performance at its premiere, Grainger’s Lincolnshire Posy all but

ceased to exist in the eyes of bandleaders and musicians since they saw it as a failure and

“different” from anything they had ever heard. However, Lincolnshire Posy gained a new

reputation when Frederick Fennell essentially rescued Grainger’s masterwork from being lost to

time and forgotten in the 1950s, when the demand for expanding wind ensemble repertoire in the

United States began to grow. The score was first published as a condensed score by Schott and

Cp., Ltd., in London in 1940 and in America through G. Schirmer, Inc in New York. This

condensed score had many errata, making it difficult for groups to rehearse and perform. Fennell

created a new full score published by Ludwig Music Publishing Co. Inc. in 1987.32 Fennell’s full

score allowed for band directors and conductors to rehearse more efficiently and have a better idea

of how the parts aligned with each other.

Lincolnshire Posy’s instrumentation includes Piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, English horn,

two bassoons, contrabassoon, Eb clarinet, three Bb clarinets, alto clarinet, six saxophones, three

cornets/trumpets, four French horns, three trombones, baritone, euphonium, tuba, string bass, and

a variety of percussion, which closely fit Frederick Fennell’s Eastman Wind Ensemble’s

instrumentation. According to Jacob Caines’ (M.A.) research, Fennell saw Lincolnshire Posy to

be the ideal piece for the Eastman Wind Ensemble due to its unique instrumental colors and

31
Percy Aldridge Grainger, Lincolnshire Posy, Boca Raton, Fl.: Ludwig Masters Publications, 2010, 58.
32
Carly Jo Lynn Johnson, “An Annotated Collection of Twentieth Century Wind Band Excerpts for Trumpet,” PhD
diss., The Ohio State University, 2005, 7-16.
 Ramsey 16

prominent soloistic lines.33 Therefore, Fennell “revived” the lost masterwork and brought it back

to life with the most prestigious wind ensemble group at the time and recorded all six movements

to share with the wind band world.

Where Lincolnshire Posy is Today and Editor R. Mark Rogers

Today, Grainger’s Lincolnshire Posy is performed by many high school,

collegiate/university, and professional wind ensembles all over the United States. This

composition has undergone several editions and changes, due to the many errata found in

Grainger’s original manuscript and Fennell’s 1987 and 2010 editions. The most recent edition and

revision was done by R. Mark Rogers in 2020. This new edition addresses errata found in Fennell’s

2010 edition and “follows Grainger’s scoring practices and concept of instrumental color more

closely.” Dr. Rogers is an American composer, conductor, editor, and arranger from Texas.34 In a

recent interview with Dr. Rogers conducted for this research, he explains how he came to produce

a new and “improved” edition of Lincolnshire Posy.

Dr. R. Mark Rogers Interview35

What was your source material for the new edition?

Dr. Rogers had five different pieces of source material for his new 2020 edition. Before

Frederick Fennell produced his 2010 edition, there were a number of unofficial errata lists passed

between college band directors that supplemented the official errata. Dr. Rogers had access to

several of these errata lists. He also had access to two unofficial full scores that were copied by

hand for various college band directors. In addition to these materials, Dr. Rogers owns a set of

33
Jacob Edward Caines, “Frederick Fennell and the Eastman Wind Ensemble: The Transformation of American
Wind Music Through Instrumentation and Repertoire,” M.A. thesis, University of Ottawa, 2012, 59-60, ProQuest
Dissertations & Theses Global.
34
“Lincolnshire Posy (ed Rogers),” Wind Repertory Project, January 30, 2021,
https://www.windrep.org/Lincolnshire_Posy_(ed_Rogers).
35
R. Mark Rogers, Interview by Abbigail Ramsey, Personal interview, Texas, March 10, 2021.
 Ramsey 17

the original Schirmer Publication of Lincolnshire Posy, as well as Grainger’s version of

Lincolnshire Posy for two pianos, four hands, which many people do not know exists. Dr. Rogers

also has his own hand-engraved copy of Fennell’s original score.

How did you get access to the source material?

When Fennell published Lincolnshire Posy with Ludwig Masters Publications, the expense

of printing the oversized score in particular, as well as the set of parts, was a financial burden for

them. In the first decade of the 21 century, it was time to reprint the full score because they had
st

run out. Ludwig was not able to fund this reprint due the high demand for the oversized score.

Ludwig sought out other options, including finding a way to reduce the size and page count of the

score so that it would be cheaper to print. After Fennell’s death in 2004, they had someone put his

Lincolnshire Posy score into Finale. This lowered the score’s page count by fitting more measures

per page but made it difficult to navigate because of the small size of the measures. Therefore, this

new version of Lincolnshire Posy got a “horrifically bad reputation” simply through word of

mouth. Finale’s lack of a proofreading feature also resulted in wrong notes appearing in the edition.

Later in 2018, Ludwig declared bankruptcy and changed ownership. The new owners

contacted Dr. Rogers and requested that he produce a new edition of Lincolnshire Posy as part of

getting the company up and running again. In March 2020, as the sale of the company was

finalized, they sent him all of the Finale files to Lincolnshire Posy so he could get started on the

new 2020 edition.

What was the process of making editorial decisions?

When Covid-19 “shut down the world” in March 2020, Dr. Rogers had six weeks to “fix”

the Lincolnshire Posy score measure by measure, note by note, and proofread it. The first thing

that needed to be fixed was the size of the score. Dr. Rogers mentioned that publishers dislike
 Ramsey 18

printing a score that is a different size from the individual parts, so he was asked to make the score

as readable as possible while still being the same size as the parts. However, most conductors

prefer the oversized score, so the publisher compromised and offered to sell it separately from the

parts on its own. Another edit that was made was the placement of the bassoons in the score. Dr.

Rogers says there is a misconception that bassoons and oboes should go together because they are

both in the double reed family, which is not true. The oboes are their own family, and the bassoons

are their own family since they both have different fingerings and different reeds. According to

Dr. Rogers, when bassoons are written next to the oboes in a score, it can cause confusion in a

rehearsal. For example, in rehearsal, a band directors hear something is wrong with the low reeds,

so they look at the score for parts with a certain rhythm knowing it's in the low reed voices.

Therefore, they only call out the bass clarinet, bari sax, and tenor sax when trying to isolate the

problematic section. However, normally the bassoons would have the same part and would not be

grouped in with those instruments on the score when they could be the ones causing the problem.

In order to fix this issue, Dr. Rogers moved the bassoon part in the full score between the low

clarinets and saxophones to better place them among more similar parts. Fennell also removed all

cues in his edition, so Dr. Rogers replaced them in order to better accommodate the vast majority

of ensembles that do not own the complete instrumentation required to play Lincolnshire Posy as

it is written. In particular, the contrabassoon and bass saxophone parts were written as cues in the

alto saxophone and bass clarinet parts to allow the average ensemble to still be able to mimic the

reed timbre of those relatively obscure instruments. In addition, he spread out the score to make it

more readable for the conductor.

 Ramsey 19

From a historical point, do you believe Frederick Fennell was truly instrumental in the resurrection

of Lincolnshire Posy?

According to Dr. Rogers, Fennell did two major things to resurrect Lincolnshire Posy. The

most important was recording the piece and proving to the world that it could be done since the

piece’s premiere didn’t do it justice. Fennell’s edition of Lincolnshire Posy was not important to

resurrecting it from the “musical graveyard” per se, but his recording of it with the Eastman Wind

Ensemble was. Lincolnshire Posy was able to make a comeback because as soon as Fennell

released his recording, groups of all levels were given a general idea of how the piece was supposed

to sound; therefore, it was less intimidating at first glance. The second thing that made the

resurrection of Lincolnshire Posy successful was Fennell’s creation of a full score, which allowed

conductor’s to read and follow the piece more easily. Grainger’s original composition lacked a

complete score and was instead just a collection of individual parts. In addition, these parts were

handwritten and contained many errata, making it difficult for band directors to effectively follow

and conduct the piece. Therefore, Fennell piecing the parts together and organizing it in a more

readable manner made Lincolnshire Posy a more realistic piece for band directors to take on with

their ensembles.

Conclusion

Percy Grainger’s Lincolnshire Posy is a strong contributor to the advancement of wind

ensemble repertoire and allowed for the concert band to become a respected performance medium.

Grainger’s thoughtful consideration of orchestration and compositional techniques allowed him to

emulate the human singing voice through his music. All six movements capture an almost exact

replica of the original performances of folk songs Grainger was exposed to during his travels in

Lincolnshire, England. Due to the many challenging aspects of performing Lincolnshire Posy as
 Ramsey 20

well as its lackluster premiere, it became a piece band directors and conductors tended to avoid.

However, when Frederick Fennell created his prestigious performing group, the Eastman Wind

Ensemble, it revived Grainger’s masterwork through an elegant recording, and allowed for it to

flourish in popularity and become the staple part of wind ensemble literature it is today. Today,

Lincolnshire Posy is performed all over the United States by ensembles of all levels. This is not

only due to Fennell’s stellar recording of it and original full score, but to the most recent edition

completed by editor Dr. Mark Rogers as well, which has revitalized the piece to meet the needs of

present-day ensembles and ensures this wind band masterwork is performed for generations to

come.
 Ramsey 21

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