Percy Grainger (8 July 1882 – 20 February 1961) was an Australian-born composer, arranger and pianist who played a prominent role in the revival of interest in British folk music in the early 20th century. Grainger left Australia in 1895 to study at the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt. Between 1901 and 1914 he was based in London, where he established himself first as a society pianist and later as a concert performer, composer and collector of original folk melodies. He met many of the significant figures in European music, forming friendships with Frederick Delius and Edvard Grieg, and became a champion of Nordic music and culture. In 1914, Grainger moved to the United States, where he took citizenship in 1918. He experimented with music machines that he hoped would supersede human interpretation. Although much of his work was experimental and unusual, the piece with which he is most generally associated is his piano arrangement of the folk-dance tune "Country Gardens".
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Grainger
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1879:
Led by George W. De Long, the ill-fated Jeannette Expedition departed San Francisco to reach the North Pole by pioneering a route through the Bering Strait. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeannette_Expedition
1898:
American con artist and gangster Soapy Smith was killed in Skagway, Alaska, when an argument with fellow gang members turned into an unexpected gunfight. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shootout_on_Juneau_Wharf
1962:
Following student protests at Rangoon University, Burmese General Ne Win ordered the demolition of the school's Students Union building. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1962_Rangoon_University_protests
2014:
In response to the kidnapping and murder of Israeli teenagers, Israel launched a military operation in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Israel%E2%80%93Gaza_conflict
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
chic:
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/chic
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
The thought system that dominates our culture is laced with selfish values, and relinquishing those values is a lot easier said than done. The journey to a pure heart can be highly disorienting. For years we may have worked for power, money and prestige. Now all of a sudden we’ve learned that those are just the values of a dying world. … The news isn’t how bad things are. The news is how good they could be. And our own activity could be part of the unfolding of Heaven on earth. There is no more powerful motivation than to feel we’re being used in the creation of a world where love has healed all wounds. We are no longer ambitious for ourselves, but are rather inspired by the vision of a healed world. Inspiration rearranges our energies. It sources within us a new power and direction. --Marianne Williamson https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Marianne_Williamson