The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #80674   Message #2393858
Posted By: Rowan
21-Jul-08 - 01:46 AM
Thread Name: Folklore: Percy Grainger
Subject: RE: Folklore: Percy Grainger
The Percy Grainger Museum is in Melbourne, on Royal Parade, next to the Melbourne Uni tram stop. It is on Melbourne Uni land (next to the Conservatorium) and looks (from the outside) like a St Kilda Beach dunny but the contents are fascinating.

Grainger invented terry-towel clothing (he was a bit of a health freak) and a precursor to the Moog synthesiser (in 1926 or so) which used mechanical contrivances to vary various electrical components so that sounds could be produced with continuous (rather than discrete) changes.

In addition to the concer mentioned by Bob there's a couple of duet concertinas and four or five pianos; one is tuned in sixths!

Well worth a visit. There was talk a couple of years ago about dismantling it but the terms of the bequest (by which it landed at Melbourne Uni) and action by various music heavies stymied that notion at the time.

Cheers, Rowan