 In Britain , Grainger 's main legacy is the revival of interest in folk music . His pioneering work in the recording and setting of folksongs greatly influenced the following generation of English composers ; Benjamin Britten acknowledged the Australian as his master in this respect . After hearing a broadcast of some Grainger settings , Britten declared that these " [ knocked ] all the Vaughan Williams and R. O. Morris arrangements into a cocked hat " . In the United States , Grainger left a strong educational legacy through his involvement , over 40 years , with high school , summer school and college students . Likewise , his innovative approaches to instrumentation and scoring have left their mark on modern American band music ; Timothy <unk> , a conductor and teacher of band music in Europe and America , has described him as " the only composer of stature to consider military bands the equal , if not the superior , in expressive potential to symphony orchestras . " Grainger 's attempts to produce " free music " by mechanical and later electronic means , which he considered his most important work , produced no follow @-@ up ; they were quickly overtaken and nullified by new technological advances . Covell nevertheless remarks that in this endeavour , Grainger 's dogged resourcefulness and ingenious use of available materials demonstrate a particularly Australian aspect of the composer 's character – one of which Grainger would have been proud . 
