Grainger's source for this lively piece was the Complete Petrie Collection of the

Ancient Music of Ireland, edited by composer Charles Villiers Stanford. Grainger

cribbed two tunes, actually, both of them reels from County Cork: "Temple Hill" and
"Molly on the Shore." Grainger's treatment keeps the pianist's fingers flying,
although he employs such a wide variety of dynamics and coloristic effects that it
never seems like a cheap knuckle-buster. He introduces the two tunes almost
unharmonized, then slaps them through a short series of lively variations, jolting
from one dynamic extreme to the other and enveloping it all in extremely detailed
pedaling directions.
Molly on the Shore is a composition of Percy Aldridge Grainger. It is an arrangement of two
contrasting Irish reels, "Temple Hill" and "Molly on the Shore" that present the melodies in a
variety of textures and orchestrations, giving each section of the band long stretches of thematic
and countermelodic material.[1]
"Molly on the Shore" was written in 1907 by Grainger as a birthday gift for his mother.
Originally composed for string quartet or string orchestra, this piece was arranged in 1920 for
wind band by the composer, as well as for orchestra. [1] Fritz Kreisler set it for violin and piano, but
Grainger was thoroughly unimpressed, saying that
[It] was a thousand times worse than I had fore-weened ((expected)), & I had not fore-weened
anything good.
In a letter to Frederick Fennell (who would later go on to create the definitive full score edition of
Grainger's Lincolnshire Posy), Grainger says that
"in setting Molly on the Shore, I strove to imbue the accompanying parts that made up the
harmonic texture with a melodic character not too unlike that of the underlying reel tune. Melody
seems to me to provide music with initiative, wheras {sic} rhythm appears to me to exert an
enslaving influence. For that reason I have tried to avoid regular rhythmic domination in my music
- always excepting irregular rhythms, such as those of Gregorian Chant, which seem to me to
make for freedom. Equally with melody, I prize discordant harmony, because of the emotional and
compassionate sway it exerts".[1]
"Molly on the Shore" mostly features the woodwind section of the band, especially
the clarinets and saxophones. The opening 1st clarinet solo is a common audition excerpt.

Percy Grainger (1882-1961) was a piano prodigy turned composer who was
known for his strange personal habits, his colorful prose, and his equally
unusual music his many admirers today still recognize that he possessed
the supreme virtue of never being dull. Born in Australia, he began
studying piano at an early age. He came to the U. S. at the outbreak of World

War I and enlisted as an Army bandsman, becoming an American citizen in

1918. He went on to explore the frontiers of music with his idiosyncratic folk
song settings, his lifelong advocacy for the saxophone, and his Free Music
machines which predated electronic synthesizers. His many masterworks for
winds include Lincolnshire Posy, Irish Tune from County Derry, Childrens
March and Molly on the Shore.

Grainger originally wrote Molly on the Shore in a 1907 string setting as

birthday gift for his mother (who exerted perhaps an undue influence on him
during her lifetime). The wind band setting is but one of many, and it
appeared in 1920. Two quotes about this piece illustrate the uniqueness of
Graingers approach to music:

In setting Molly on the Shore I strove to imbue the accompanying parts that
made up the harmonic texture with a melodic character not too unlike that of
the underlying reel tune. Melody seems to me to provide music with an
initiative, whereas rhythm appears to me to exert an enslaving influence. For
that reason I have tried to avoid rhythmic domination in my music always
excepting irregular rhythms, such as those of Gregorian Chant, which seem to
me to make for freedom. Equally with melody I prize discordant harmony,
because of the emotional and compassionate sway it exerts.

And:

One of the reasons why things of mine like Molly on the Shore and Shepherds
Hey are good is because there is so little gaiety and fun in them. While other
composers would have been jolly in setting such dance tunes, I have been
sad or furious. My dance settings are energetic rather than gay.
In setting Molly on the Shore I strove to imbue the accompanying parts that made up the
harmonic texture with a melodic character not too unlike that of the underlying reel tune. Melody
seems to me to provide music with initiative, whereas rhythm appears to me to exert an enslaving
influence. For that reason I have tried to avoid regular rhythmic domination in my music -- always
excepting irregular rhythms, such as those of Gregorian chant, which seem to me to make for
freedom. Equally with melody, I prize discordant harmony, because of the emotional and
compassionate sway it exerts.
Program Note by Percy Aldridge Grainger

Molly on the Shore receives frequent performances from high school and university ensembles,
and it is certainly appropriate for a variety of concert programs. Although melodically
straightforward, this brisk reel will provide several technical challenges, especially for younger
players. For a successful performances, students must exhibit firm control over articulation and
finger technique. Fast tonguing pervades the upper woodwind parts, and performers should
approach the decorative triplet turns with care. Grainger's characteristically intricate tapestry of
melodies and countermelodies is thoroughly enjoyed by audiences.
- Notes from Great Music for Wind Band

Molly on the Shore is based on two Cork reel tunes, Temple Hill and Molly on the Shore. It was
originally set for string four-some or string band in the summer of 1907, and was also set for
symphony orchestra, theatre orchestra, and violin and piano in early 1914. Grainger dished-up
his band version in the spring of 1920, creating on of the great finger-busters in the literature. It
remains one of his most popular and beautifully conceived creations.
The version for 8 hands on four marimbas was suggested in 1978 by Eldon Janzen, Director of
Bands at the University of Arkansas. The current performance edition was realized in 1995.
Conceived as a sort of concerto grosso for four marimbists and band, it starts with Graingers
scoring, assigning much of the melodic material to the marimba soloists. Though some might
object to a treatment which tampers with Grainger's scoring. Grainger's propensity for rearranging his own music should lead one to feel at ease with other scoring possibilities for his
music. Grainger himself said that, so long as appropriate instrumental weight could be brought to
each melodic line of his music, he was not overly concerned with instrumental color (though his
artistry and ear as an orchestrator for band has seldom been equaled); Grainger believed that
his music as Bach's, could safely be re-set for many different combinations (as Grainger and
Band both did) so long as the Grainger texture is maintained.
Chalon Ragsdale is Professor of Music at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. He is a
percussionist conductor and arranger In 2003 he was presented the International Percy Grainger
Societys Grainger Medallion in recognition of his work on behalf of the music of Percy Grainger.
His publications include A Tribute to Grainger for concert band, as well as a concert band setting
of GraingersJungle Book song cycle.
-Program note by Owasso High School Wind Ensemble

Percy Aldridge Grainger (1882-1961), an Australian native, is a timeless composer of wind

music. His love for the music of the simple rural folk of the British Isles led to a series of fortythree pieces that he grouped into a series called "British Folk Music Settings. This setting for
Military Band was presented to his mother as a birthday present on July 3, 1920.