Ragsdale Returns to Grainger Museum

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Chalon Ragsdale

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Chalon Ragsdale, professor of percussion in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, has been invited back to the University of Melbourne in Australia as an authority on composer Percy Grainger. Ragsdale’s presentation, “Percy Grainger: Australian Genius of the American Wind Band,” will be on Wednesday, Nov. 14, as part of an ongoing program of events.

“I'm honored to be asked to return to the Grainger Museum and Baillieu Library at the University of Melbourne to present this lecture on Percy Grainger's compositions for Wind Band,” said Ragsdale. “I am also delighted to be able to share the work of my colleagues and students in the band division of our music department at the University of Arkansas and with international museum and library patrons."

Grainger (1882-1961), was born in Australia and moved to the U.S. in 1914. He produced more than 1,200 works and arrangements during his life and maintained an extensive international touring schedule. He also created the Grainger Museum in Australia and is known for his innovations in orchestration and instrumentation.

Grainger developed the “Free Music” concept in which he sought to replicate the irregular patterns of nature. He was known for his enthusiasm for unusual sound sources that led him to create unique combinations of instruments. His experience with wind bands, or performance ensembles, began in Great Britain in the early years of the 20th century, and continued through the mid 1950s. Wind bands can include several combinations of wind and percussion instruments. Types of wind bands include concert band, symphonic band, symphonic winds, wind orchestra, wind symphony, wind ensemble and symphonic wind ensemble.

In the address, Ragsdale explores the progress of Grainger’s manipulation and mastery of the wind band medium and examines Grainger’s general thoughts and philosophy regarding orchestration techniques in a broad context.

Ragsdale was presented the international Percy Grainger Society’s “Grainger Medallion” for the recognition of his work on behalf of Grainger’s music in 2003. His lecture “Percy Grainger: In His Own Words” was featured at the 2009 College Band Directors National Association Convention.” Last November, he delivered the multimedia presentation “Percy Grainger’s Contributions to the Art and Science of Collecting Folk Song” at the 2011 Percy Grainger Music Festival in Tokyo.

Ragsdale is an experienced wind band conductor who has rehearsed and conducted much of Percy Grainger’s music for the instrumentation of the American wind band. He has spent the past twenty years arranging the piano and choral music of Grainger to the American wind band. His arrangements of Grainger’s music have been featured at concerts around the world and are published by Southern Music Co. and Aux Arcs Music.

Additional information about Grainger and the Grainger Museum is available at http://www.grainger.unimelb.edu.au.