Jeff Dunn:
>This discussion prompts me to research nominees for the Greatest American
>Symphony. A Google search on "greatest American symphony," and "great
>American symphony" brings up the following nominees, besides the Shapero:
>
>Harris #3, #7
>Schuman #3, #6
>Copland #3
>Ives #4
>Diamond #2
>Creston #2
>
>Harris' and Copland's Third are the only ones mentioned by a substantial
>number of sources. The Ives #4 comes from a 1930's article by Bernard
>Hermann.
Well, forget Google-consensus. What are *your* nominees? Mine would
include Copland's Short Symphony, Diamond #4, Mennin #3, Piston #3 & #4,
Ives #3, Hovhaness #9, Thompson #2, Lees #4, Cowell #4, Sessions #3,
Hanson #6, all three Bernsteins, as well as most of the above, excepting
the Creston, despite its wonderful finale.
>John Vincent's 1957 Symphony in D also received such an accolade when
>it was issued on Albany Troy 250 in 1997.
It's a wonderful piece. I know it from the LP days. Louisville and
Philly recorded it.
>To put my two cents in, none of the above has enthralled me as much as
>any number of European symphonies. I would hesitate to call any of them
>great by the European standard.
I certainly wouldn't. Piston has nothing to apologize for.
>Of all American symphonies, I've probably listened to the Harris and
>Copland the most, along with the Bernstein so- called Symphony #2.
>I don't listen to any of them any more.
That's okay. I used not to listen to the Brahms symphonies if I could help
it. I still have problems with some of the Bruckners. My loss.
>My favorite American symphony now is the Sebastian Currier Microsymph.
>Americans seem far more successful at writing concerted works. Is it
>because we're so adversarial?
Probably not. The French are even more adversarial, and they have fewer
symphonists than we do.
>Curtis Otto Bismark Curtis-Smith has written a piece called "The Great
>American Symphony" on Albany 475. I haven't heard it, but it certainly
>sounds American in its ambition. Maybe the heritage of his name has
>magically infused his music with that elusive something that makes for
>greatness.
Or maybe it was a joke.
>Or maybe we should give up and do what we do best, movie
>scores, rock and rap.
God help us if that's true.
Steve Schwartz
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