Lifting the lid of this burgundy leather suitcase was a #EYASurprise for the Archives team when we uncovered a collection of musical wine glasses packed in vintage newspaper. The glasses are associated with Percy Grainger, an Australian composer and pianist from the early twentieth century, best known for his unusual arrangements of folk tunes. He was one of a number of composers linked to OUP’s Music Department, established in 1923.
Grainger’s “Tribute to Foster” is a short piece in three parts, primarily based on the tune “Camptown Races”. The middle section, known as the Lullaby section, has a part of the accompaniment played on a very unusual instrument known as the glass harp. The glass harp is not an actual harp, but a set of glasses or bowls that were carefully tuned and played by wetting one finger and running it carefully around the rim of the glass to produce a sound.
There are only three glasses surviving in the case, each one tied to a piece of carboard with string and marked with the musical note that the glass will play. They are wrapped in newspaper that dates from 19 October 1936, specifically the Daily Telegraph’s sports section.
The glasses for “Tribute to Foster” could be hired from OUP at the same time as the musical scores, and Grainger indicated that it was the choir who should play them. The label on the case states that they should be returned to OUP’s Soho office in London, which was the headquarters of the Music Department at the time.
