Percy Aldridge Grainger

Handel In The Strand

This delightful Grainger classic was written to depict a jolly old George Friedrich Handel careening down the Strand (the theatre district of London) accompanied by the English popular music of the day. Given the original instrumentation and label as a chamber piece in Grainger's original publication, this transcription is taken directly from Grainger's 'four-some' edition of 1912, transposed down a step from G to F major. It is scored to best depict the light (and sometimes percussive) quality of the piano along with the lyrical flow of the strings and the general character of chamber music. Ultimately, the 'room music' quality of the original shines through in this skillful transcription while depicting the spirit of the piece in a way that Grainger might have chosen. (3:35)