The Great American Symphony: Music, the Depression, and War

Contents

CONTENTS • Preface vii 1 preliminaries 1 Attitudes 3 The Times 12 Symphonism Ascendant 17 The Symphony’s Public Role 26 2 symphonies of the mid- to late thirties 31 The Romantic Symphony: Barber 34 The Spiritual Symphony: Hanson 44 The All-American Symphony: Harris 53 The Muscular Symphony: Schuman 63 The Civil Symphony: Carpenter 72 Afterthought: Thomson and Cowell 80 3 symphonies of the war years 83 Wartime Attitudes 85 The Commemorative Symphony: Antheil 88 The Aesthetic Symphony: Diamond 98 The Dramatic Symphony: Bernstein 109 The Masterly Symphony: Piston 118 The Ambivalent Symphony: Barber 128 The Theatrical Symphony: Blitzstein 137 4 symphonies of the immediate postwar years 147 The Conservatorial Symphony: Moore 150 The Dynamic Symphony: Mennin 158 The Plain-Spoken Symphony: Thompson 165 The August Symphony: Copland 171 The Self-Reliant Symphony: Creston 184 The Knotty Symphony: Sessions 190 5 american symphonies after 1950 200 The Symphony in the Leanest Years 205 The Symphony after 1990 210 • Notes 215 • Selected Bibliography 227 • Index 233 ...