THE POWER OF ROME AND THE CHRISTIAN HEART: AN ANALYSIS AND STUDY OF CONFLICT IN THE LIFE OF PACIFIST-COMPOSER PERCY GRAINGER

The works of Percy Grainger (1882-1961) are considered by conductors and players of wind band music to be a significant contribution to the literature. The Australian-born composer wrote a plethora of cheerful works for band containing folk-like melodies and dance steps. Among Grainger's popular output lies The Power of Rome and the Christian Heart, an enigmatic work that challenges what many Grainger fans consider to be a characteristic representation of the composer and his output. In reality, The Power of Rome and the Christian Heart represents the true Grainger: complex, conflicted, joyful, sorrowful, lonely, and alienated.

The purpose of this document is two fold: first, to provide a brief biography, concentrating on conflict in Grainger's personal life. The pianist-composer was influenced by an overprotective mother. Rose Grainger's constant presence and unconventional teachings caused Percy a great deal of conflict throughout his life.

The second portion of the document contains a theoretical analysis of the work demonstrating musical representations of conflict as well as the composer's innovations of `free music' and other compositional techniques. Grainger's commonly studied practices of democratic polyphony, elastic scoring, and use of tuneful percussion instruments permeate the entirety of the work. Grainger was a pacifist and endured life during two World Wars. The Power of Rome and the Christian Heart, through compositional techniques, embodies Grainger's personal struggles before, during, and after both international conflicts.