American Symphonic Masterworks - movements

[Stanfordian]

I’m looking for suggestions/nominations for single movements from American Symphonies or Symphonic poems that that that could described masterworks. My initial selections are:

a) Alan Hovhaness, Opening movement: Andante from Symphony No. 50 ‘Mount St. Helens’, Op. 360.

b) Howard Hanson, Second movement: Andante con tenerezza from Symphony No. 2 ‘Romantic’.

c) Alan Hovhaness, Prayer of St. Gregory, Op. 62b.

d) Roy Harris, Pastoral section from Symphony No. 3.

e) Charles Ives, The Unanswered Question.

e) Alan Hovhaness, Alleluia and Fugue, Op. 40b.

f) Aaron Copland, Quiet City.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I greatly admire all the Ives Symphonies, and would put the Fourth in any Symphonic "Hall of Fame".

Carter's Symphony of Three Orchestras and his Symphonia: Sum Fluxae Pretium Spei should also be there, too.

I look forward to hearing the views from East Anglia: suffy knows this repertoire far better than anyone else I've ever met!

[Black Swan]

As an expat, I agree with most of your choices. However, I really don't rate Hovhanness, but that is just my opinion. David Diamond's symphonies are interesting works. I am a fan of Harmonielehre and Grand Pianola Music by John Adams but they may not be masterworks. I also rate Copland's Third Symphony for many years in the US the 3's in American Symphony were considered to be the great works, Copland, Schuman and Harris.

John

[Frances_iom]

I’m looking for suggestions/nominations for single movements from American Symphonies .

why single movements - looking for requests on R2.5 ? or is is that American composers cannot follow thro and thus cannot be judged on the whole work

[ahinton]

I greatly admire all the Ives Symphonies, and would put the Fourth in any Symphonic "Hall of Fame".

Carter's Symphony of Three Orchestras and his Symphonia: Sum Fluxae Pretium Spei should also be there, too.

Hear, hear! And, while we're at it, here's to an embarrassingly more unsung hero of 20th century American symphonism (and one much admired by Elliott Carter, incidentally) - Roger Sessions.

[Black Swan]

I totally agree, Ives is an unsung hero but due to the efforts of several conductors, Bernstein, Tilson Thomas and others he is becoming better known.

John

[Stanfordian]

why single movements - looking for requests on R2.5 ? or is is that American composers cannot follow thro and thus cannot be judged on the whole work

I'm not suggesting that American composers cannot write whole symphonies. For the works that I don't know I was thinking of any 'stand out' movements that might be the place to start listening.

[Suffolkcoastal]

The difficulty with selecting movements from the best American symphonies is that many of them are one movement/continuous structures. I've listed below some of what I think are among the best American symphonies in all styles, some are multi-movement some single movement.

Barber: Nos 1 & 2
Bernstein: No 1
Carter: Symphonia
Chadwick: No 3
Copland: Nos 2 & 3
Corigliano: No 1
Creston: Nos 2 & 3
Diamond: Nos 2, 3, 4 & 10 (this is yet to be commercially recorded)
Hanson: Nos 4 & 6
R Harris: Nos 1, 3, 5, 6, 7 & 11
Ives: Nos 2 & 3
Mennin: Nos 5 & 7
Paine: No 1
Piston: Nos 2, 4 & 6
Riegger: No 4
Rouse: No 1
W Schuman: Nos 3, 5, 6 & 9
Sessions: Nos 2, 7 & 9
V Thomson: Symphony on a Hymn Tune
R Thompson: No 2
Zwilich: No 1

There are also Symphonies by Bolcom, Rochberg, Hersch, Rorem, Persichetti & Cowell that are worth trying out.

[EdgeleyRob]

The difficulty with selecting movements from the best American symphonies is that many of them are one movement/continuous structures. I've listed below some of what I think are among the best American symphonies in all styles, some are multi-movement some single movement.

Barber: Nos 1 & 2
Bernstein: No 1
Carter: Symphonia
Chadwick: No 3
Copland: Nos 2 & 3
Corigliano: No 1
Creston: Nos 2 & 3
Diamond: Nos 2, 3, 4 & 10 (this is yet to be commercially recorded)
Hanson: Nos 4 & 6
R Harris: Nos 1, 3, 5, 6, 7 & 11
Ives: Nos 2 & 3
Mennin: Nos 5 & 7
Paine: No 1
Piston: Nos 2, 4 & 6
Riegger: No 4
Rouse: No 1
W Schuman: Nos 3, 5, 6 & 9
Sessions: Nos 2, 7 & 9
V Thomson: Symphony on a Hymn Tune
R Thompson: No 2
Zwilich: No 1

There are also Symphonies by Bolcom, Rochberg, Hersch, Rorem, Persichetti & Cowell that are worth trying out.

Amazon and i tunes gift cards burning a hole in my pocket too

[Black Swan]

A very comprehensive list. Even includes some not so well known but should be. I would also add Stephen Albert's Symphony No.1 'Riverrun' a symphony by a composer who died to young.

[Suffolkcoastal]

A very comprehensive list. Even includes some not so well known but should be. I would also add Stephen Albert's Symphony No.1 'Riverrun' a symphony by a composer who died to young.

Yes, I was debating whether to include the Albert, it is indeed a very fine work. Plus John Harbison's 3rd Symphony possibly too.

[Roehre]

..... I would also add Stephen Albert's Symphony No.1 'Riverrun' a symphony by a composer who died to young.

It doesn't happen too many times , but who's he ?
(The only work from the list not in my own collection is Diamond 10, and Hersch's works)

[Suffolkcoastal]

The Albert 1st and the completion of his 2nd, he died in 1992 in a car accident, are available on Naxos. The 1st won the 1985 Pulitzer Prize in Music.

[Roehre]

The Albert 1st and the completion of his 2nd, he died in 1992 in a car accident, are available on Naxos. The 1st won the 1985 Pulitzer Prize in Music.

Many thanks SC, I'll investigate.