The Marching Song of Democracy by Australian-American composer Percy Grainger is an unusual piece, not only in a musical and aesthetic sense but also in its performance and reception history. Accompanied by an ambitious programme espousing metaphorical democracy and symbolic of ‘comradely affectionate athletic humanity’, the Marching Song was frequently singled out for promotion and performance by Grainger throughout his life. This signified its fundamental importance to him as a musical representation of his credo, and is at odds with the work’s present status as a rarely performed Grainger work. Through examining contemporary public responses, this article explores how the failure of the Marching Song to resonate with Australian audiences is linked with Grainger’s deliberate withdrawal of his original compositions from performance in Australia. It is argued that the Marching Song was therefore not only a major composition but also one through which Grainger had envisioned himself to be a prophetic composer of Australian identity. Indeed, even as his bitter attitude began to thaw, this specific work would remain withheld, unlike the more notorious Warriors, his Free Music experiments, or his controversial lecture series. The stark contrasts between the American and Australian receptions of the Marching Song and Grainger’s contradictory efforts of promotion and suppression across the two regions are illuminated to provide a degree of reconciliation between Grainger’s esteem for the work and its relative neglect.

中文翻译：

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珀西·格兰杰（Percy Grainger）的行军民主之歌：接待和态度

澳大利亚裔作曲家珀西·格兰杰（Percy Grainger）创作的《民主行军之歌》是一部不寻常的作品，不仅在音乐和美学意义上，而且在表演和接待历史上都是如此。伴随着雄心勃勃的计划，主张隐喻民主和象征着“同志深情的运动人性”，行军之歌经常被格安格一生选拔，以提升和表演。这标志着它作为他的信条的音乐表现形式对他而言具有根本的重要性，并且与该作品作为很少执行的Grainger作品的当前状态相矛盾。通过考察当代公众的回应，本文探讨了行军之歌未能在澳大利亚引起共鸣的原因，与格兰杰故意从澳大利亚演出中撤回其原创作品有关。有人认为，行军歌曲因此不仅是主要作品，而且是Grainger设想自己成为澳大利亚身份的预言作曲家的作品。的确，即使他的苦涩态度开始融化，这项特定的工作仍会保留，这与臭名昭著的“勇士”，他的“免费音乐”实验或有争议的演讲系列不同。美国和澳大利亚对行军之歌的接受与格安格在两个地区的促进和压制的矛盾努力之间形成了鲜明的对比，从而使格安格对作品的自尊与相对疏忽之间有了一定程度的和解。