NOTE ON GRAINGER’S A BRIDAL LULLABY

I became aware of the existence of the Bridal Lullaby while investigating sketches I
had obtained from The Grainger Museum, Melbourne of a room-music version of The
Warriors, which Grainger had commenced in 1917. Included in these sketches were 6
measures titled ‘Bit from “Bridal Lullaby” sketch (Dec 1917).’ 1

During a visit to the USA (March-April, 1985) I was thrilled to find that among the
facsimile manuscript collection of Grainger material housed in the White Plains Public
Library, a copy of what was listed as a sketch for piano of Bridal Lullaby was part of
their collection. I at once obtained permission to view the copy manuscript, and was
delighted to see that it was complete, although Grainger had written on all pages ‘sketch
for Bridal Lullaby’. On a page of commentary [Page 1 of the manuscript] he states:
'Publish as it is, as a sketch'. The 'sketch' consisted of 4 pages of music with annotations
plus the separate page of commentary. On page 1 of the music there is a note at the foot
of the page which reads ‘N.B. The copy of this manuscript sent to Karen2 in my letter
from Fort Totten [New York] of June 16 (1917) is more accurate than this as regards a
few details, & should be consulted if this sketch is to be published.'

My next task was to try and locate the original manuscript. After several leads with
the assistance of various members of the Holten family I came to a dead end. Apparently
Karen had had no children by her marriage with Dr Asger Kellerman. A daughter of
Kellerman’s by his previous marriage was known to have survived, but had moved to
Paris where she had married and my contacts had no knowledge of her whereabouts.
It was then, with great reluctance, that I had to assume that the original manuscript of
the Bridal Lullaby was perhaps irretrievably lost.

In these circumstances we are fortunate to have the present version, which, as

Grainger stated, is complete except in a few details, which the present edition has
attempted to supply by attention to dynamics, fingering and pedalling.

Barry Peter Ould

Summer 1989
Aylesbury
Buckinghamshire

1
Given as section L of the material left in sketch form for a room-music version (10-some, 12-some or 14-some).
Over a period of time the present writer has been putting together these sketches with the assistance of Grainger’s
schematic plan included with the sketches giving indications as to the overall form of the work. It is hoped at
some future date to present a completely different Warriors from the orchestral version known today.

2
Karen Holten, Grainger’s Danish sweetheart. The following note appears on the page of commentary cited above:
‘See Karen Holten’s letter to me of 24-6-16 telling me she hoped to marry Dr Kellerman on August 16, 1916. Early
August (1916) mother & I were down at Southampton, Long Island, staying with Mrs Samuel Thorne. I felt sad
all that summer, weighed down with the thought of losing Karen (inevitable, of course), yet very glad, too, that she
should have a real full satisfying life of her own ahead, & wishing her ever so well all thru life. In this mood of loving
sentimental sorrow (very acute Aug 15-16, 1916) yet tender resignation the “Bryllups-vuggevise was born.’
 for Karen Kellerman
A BRIDAL LULLABY
(En Bryllups-vuggevise) Percy Aldridge Grainger
(composed August 16, 1916)
edited by Ronald Stevenson
Slowly, very wayward in time and gracefully [MM = q. about 40]
Most of the chords can be slightly harped (played arpeggio)
very slight very slight

12
8
2
Piano p pp p mp p pp p mp 2
2
12
8
very slight 1 4 very slight 2
2
very bright slow off in time LH over
2
3 (RH)
mp

2 2
2
mf 2 p p mp
2 2 (LH)

ossia 3 2
2 R
ossia
2 2
5 LH over 2
3 5

(editorial ossia) RH 3
2
2 1
[ ] mf
RH
f 1
2 4 5

2 1 4

5 5
4 2 1 3

soften and slacken in time

7 (RH) 2 2 2 [ hold
vibrato pedal ]
G# for mp

2
slow
slow

mf top notes
to the fore
2
3

5 p
{
2
2 2 5

ossia vibrato P [tre corde]

9

2 2

2 2

11

2 2 2 2

louden
2
(cresc.)
2 2 2

13

( )
f
2
5 3 2 1 4 2 1 4 2 1 2

[mf] [ ] [f]

15 loco

( ) ( )
[slow off woggle
2 2 2 (trem. repeat)]
4 2 2 [soften] 2
2

slow
3 mp

2
pp
}relative dynamics