Day 319: The Immovable Do

The Immovable Do by Percy Grainger performed by Michigan State University Band

Just so we are clear, it’s pronounced “Doh” like the solfege syllable (i.e. do, re, mi…) or what Homer Simpson yells as he slaps his head when he does something stupid. PLEASE give this tune a chance. It’s a remarkable piece filled with surprising timbres and whimsy from a master composer of Wind Ensemble literature.

He was also known to call the piece The Cyphering C, using a definition for “cyphering” (“cypheering” in some instances) unknown almost anywhere else.
Some accounts say that he first conceived the piece after the C key on his personal harmonium got stuck. Rather than fix it right away, he improvised around it and ended up with this piece.

https://windliterature.org/2016/06/20/the-immovable-do-by-percy-grainger/