No wonder Aaron Rabushka requested additional help in this -- it's damn'
complicated!

Symphony No. 1
--------------

The Hyperion Theater Orchestra (probably cond.  Ives) played an arrangement
of the 2nd mvt.  and part of the last mvt.  some time in 1897.

An informal reading by the NY Symphony cond.  Walter Damrosch 3/19/1910
excluded the 1st mvt.  Damrosch was apparently "charmed" by the beginning
of the 2nd mvt., then got to a point at which a double and a triple time
signature began to compete for attention of his limbs, at which point the
reading went to Poughkeepsie in a hand basket!  Damrosch handed the score
back to Ives, telling him to "go away and make up his mind!

As far as I can tell, this was the only semi-public performance prior to
the 1953 NY premiere (which I believe was Bernstein/NYPO but I won't swear
to that till I can check further.)

Symphony No. 4
--------------

January 29, 1927, Town Hall, New York, by 50(ish) NYPO musicians under the
baton of Eugene Goossens at a Pro Musica International Referendum Concert
(incl.  music by Debussy and Milhaud).  Two mvts.  only (though one source
states only one!) When Goossens was asked later how he thought it had gone,
he replied "My dear boy, I didn't know what happened after the downbeat!"

Leaving the hall, Ives caught the following exchange between two audience
members.

"Is Debussy dead?" "Yes." "Is Ives dead?" "No, but he ought to be."

Holidays Symphony
-----------------

Washington's Birthday: 1913 and 1914 'public' readings with theatre
musicians at Tam's Copying Service on Tin Pan Alley.  1915 several playings
in the pit of the Globe Theatre (not clear if these were public.) 1918
several semi-public 'rehearsals' by members of the NY Symphony at Ives'
house.  3/9/31 premiere at a San Francisco New Music Society concert, cond.
Slonimsky.

Fourth July: Feb 1932, Orchestre Symphonique de Paris (in Paris) cond.
Slonimsky

Decoration Day: Spring 1920 at Carnegie Hall, semi-public 'reading' by
the New Symphony, cond.  Paul Eisler.  Started several times and on each
occasion players dropped out, leaving one intrepid violinist way at the
back of the orchestra (though Ives noted the timpanist was also still in
the race.) Eisler handed the score back to the composer, with the epigram
"There is a limit to musicianship."

Thanksgiving: no data - nada - zip! Sorry!

Tim Mahon
[log in to unmask]