Why did a small number of 20th Century composers produce large numbers of symphonies?

[Lat-Literal]

Did some or all of them believe that in the years ahead greatness would be reassessed to accord with symphonic output?

Does anyone have any interesting knowledge of their thinking in this regard?

[Serial_Apologist]

Did some or all of them believe that in the years ahead greatness would be reassessed to accord with symphonic output?

Does anyone have any interesting knowledge of their thinking in this regard?

Perhaps it had something to do with an insistence that the form was not dead, contrary to the opinions of some?

[Dave2002]

Are we thinking of Segerstam, perhaps?

Are there any others who have produced even a tenth of his output symphony wise?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Are we thinking of Segerstam, perhaps?
Are there any others who have produced even a tenth of his output symphony wise?

Havergal Brian?

[Dave2002]

Havergal Brian?

Indeed. Havergal Brian 32 vs Leif Segerstam 309 (most recent reference I could find quickly).
So Leif only has to write another 21 to "beat" my challenge.

[ahinton]

Are we thinking of Segerstam, perhaps?

Are there any others who have produced even a tenth of his output symphony wise?

Derek Bourgeois.

[Pulcinella]

Hovhaness chalked up quite a few too.

[visualnickmos]

In answer to the thread title; could it simply be that they found a format that they could 'work' with, with relative ease, and went into 'production line' mode?

[Dave2002]

Bourgeois 102, Hovhaness 21 at last count.

[ahinton]

Bourgeois 102, Hovhaness 21 at last count.

Bourgeois 113 at last count - or at least at last website update - http://www.derekbourgeois.com/catalogu.htm ; Hovhaness at least 66 according to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Hovhaness (and I did check the composer's own website but my anti-virus software didn't like the list of works so i backed away from that).

[Pulcinella]

In answer to the thread title; could it simply be that they found a format that they could 'work' with, with relative ease, and went into 'production line' mode?

Possibly, but 'format' is not the right word perhaps: different numbers of movements for starters.
So not quite the 'production line' that we might think?

[Richard Barrett]

Deciding on the number of movements must take, oh, seconds.

I note that Derek Bourgeois's 94th Symphony is subtitled "The Predictable".

[Tetrachord]

Like many musical forms the symphony reached an exhausted state. It's a little analogous to visual art where portraiture was replaced by more abstract forms. Imagine returning to the photographic image of the portrait or its musical equivalent. Shostakovich seems to have been the last great symphonic exponent. And he died in 1976. Or was it 1975? Anyway, 40 years ago. And his string quartets and Preludes and Fugues are pretty amazing, highly individual, glances back to the classical period too.

[visualnickmos]

Possibly, but 'format' is not the right word perhaps: different numbers of movements for starters.
So not quite the 'production line' that we might think?

I meant 'format' as in symphony, as a whole, rather than how it's divided up..... In reality, I suppose the only answers to the question can be nothing more than theories... and we all know where threads containing those go!!!

[ahinton]

Deciding on the number of movements must take, oh, seconds.

I note that Derek Bourgeois's 94th Symphony is subtitled "The Predictable".

Yes, I noticed that as well; I didn't like to mention it!...