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