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Australian-American composer, arranger, and virtuoso pianist known for his innovative folk song settings, experimental music, and eccentric personality. Born in Melbourne, Australia, Percy Grainger showed early musical talent. He studied piano in Frankfurt, Germany. He achieved international fame as a concert pianist, particularly in Britain and the USA, where he eventually settled and became a citizen. He championed English folk music, creating famous arrangements like 'Country Gardens' and 'Molly on the Shore'. Grainger was a relentless experimenter, pioneering 'free music' concepts, developing novel instruments, and exploring unique rhythmic and harmonic ideas. He was also known for his intense physical fitness regime, unconventional personal life, and controversial views on race and culture.

• Grainger had an extraordinarily close, arguably controlling, relationship with his mother, Rose. Her suicide in 1922, jumping from a building in New York after Grainger cancelled concerts to be with her during illness, deeply traumatized him.
• He practiced sado-masochism and documented his sexual interests and activities in extensive, explicit writings, intending them for posthumous publication. This aspect of his life remained largely hidden during his lifetime.
• Grainger was a lifelong advocate for physical fitness and Nordic culture. He held controversial racialist views, common among some intellectuals of his era, which he expressed in writings and influenced some of his musical choices.
• He pioneered the concept of 'Free Music', envisioning music free from traditional scales, rhythms, and human performance limitations. He built experimental machines with his wife, Ella, to realize this concept electronically.
• Grainger designed novel musical instruments, such as the 'Butterfly Piano' and various percussion machines, and experimented with unusual ensemble combinations, particularly for wind band.
• He invented 'Blue-Eyed English', an attempt to create a simplified, phonetic form of English intended for use by 'Nordic' peoples.
• Grainger's will stipulated that his body be used for scientific research. His skeleton was preserved and remains at the University of Melbourne, while his brain was removed for study (though later lost).
• He was an avid collector of folk music from England, Denmark, and other regions, meticulously notating songs directly from singers.