Percy Grainger: Musical Gigolo

Percy Grainger's charm and good looks, along with his considerable musical talent, gave Grainger entry to the most charmed social circles of the period. Leading artist John Singer Sargent became a dear friend, while Baron Adolph de Meyer created photographic images that were surprisingly erotic for the twentieth century's first decade. Rudyard Kipling enjoyed Grainger's dinner conversation—as did Prime Minister Arthur Balfour. But what else did these socialites—the 'sparkle-host' as Grainger called them— see in Percy Grainger? And perhaps more interestingly, what did he see in them? David Pear will provide some possible answers to these questions.