GMG Classical Music Forum

The Music Room => General Classical Music Discussion => The Polling Station => Topic started by: Symphonic Addict on June 12, 2020, 03:44:07 PM

Title: Your 10 favorite American symphony composers
Post by: Symphonic Addict on June 12, 2020, 03:44:07 PM
What of these composers represent your  musical lendings, what you consider worth mentioning on this thread according to your tastes?

I'd say these:

George Antheil
Samuel Barber
Aaron Copland
Paul Creston
David Diamond
Howard Hanson
Alan Hovhaness
Peter Mennin
Christopher Rouse
William Schumann

Richard Danielpour, Jack Gallagher, Aaron Jay Kernis and Kevin Puts are other quite promising who are ascending in popularity. Stephen Albert died too young. A pity.
Title: Re: Your 10 favorite American symphony composers
Post by: Daverz on June 12, 2020, 04:36:26 PM
Sessions
Diamond
Piston
Randall Thompson
William Schuman
Irving Fine
Harold Shapero
Persichetti
Lees
Mennin
Flagello
Helps
Rosner
Title: Re: Your 10 favorite American symphony composers
Post by: Symphonic Addict on June 12, 2020, 05:23:16 PM
Quote from: Daverz on June 12, 2020, 04:36:26 PM
Sessions
Diamond
Piston
Randall Thompson
William Schuman
Irving Fine
Harold Shapero
Persichetti
Lees
Mennin
Flagello
Helps
Rosner

Good choices! Shapero's Symphony for Classical Orchestra is a quite characteristic work. Diamond and Thompson are worth mentioning and I could include them as well. His quasi last-namesake Thomson was much less succesful in my humble opinion. Persichetti is totally unknown to me, so are Lees and Helps.
Title: Re: Your 10 favorite American symphony composers
Post by: Mirror Image on June 12, 2020, 05:34:52 PM
What a difficult question! I'm not sure I can give 10 but here's a few of my favorite American symphonists:

Copland
Barber
Ives
Schuman
Diamond
Hanson
Bernstein
Harrison

And that's really it. There's many of them that wrote a few good ones, but these listed are the ones I keep coming back to.

Title: Re: Your 10 favorite American symphony composers
Post by: Daverz on June 12, 2020, 06:02:12 PM
Quote from: Symphonic Addict on June 12, 2020, 05:23:16 PM
Good choices! Shapero's Symphony for Classical Orchestra is a quite characteristic work. Diamond and Thompson are worth mentioning and I could include them as well. His quasi last-namesake Thomson was much less succesful in my humble opinion. Persichetti is totally unknown to me, so are Lees and Helps.

I'm not sure the Youtube sound is doing it any favors, but here is the first movement of Helps Symphony No. 1:

https://www.youtube.com/v/VhI_98Zfrn0

First movement of Rochberg's Symphony No. 2:

https://www.youtube.com/v/aUyTghXo-Ts
Title: Re: Your 10 favorite American symphony composers
Post by: Brian on June 12, 2020, 06:34:47 PM
Piston 2
Thompson 2
Albert 2
Still 1 "Afro-American"
Barber 1
Rouse 2-5
Jones 3 "Palo Duro Canyon"
Ives 2
Title: Re: Your 10 favorite American symphony composers
Post by: kyjo on June 12, 2020, 07:49:48 PM
If you don't mind, Cesar, I think I'll follow Brian's lead and name my top 10 American symphonies rather than symphonists since that's easier for me (although there is probably already a thread for the former :D). I'm also gonna leave out the two rather "obvious" ones, Barber 1 and Copland 3:

Creston 2
Dawson Negro Folk Symphony
Diamond 3
Hanson 3
Jones 3 Palo Duro Canyon
Piston 2
Powell Virginia Symphony
Schuman 3
Shapero Symphony for Classical Orchestra
Thompson 2

Runner-ups: Antheil 4, Beach Gaelic, Bernstein 1 Jeremiah, Gallagher 2 Ascendant, Harris 3, Hovhaness 50 Mount St. Helens, Ives 1, Mennin 5, Puts 2, Still 2 Song of a New Race

I need to investigate the symphonies of Albert, Flagello, Kernis, Lees, Persichetti, Rochberg, Rosner, and Rouse more thoroughly!
Title: Re: Your 10 favorite American symphony composers
Post by: vandermolen on June 12, 2020, 07:59:19 PM
Hanson
Harris
Diamond
Bernstein
Copland
Kurka
Barber
Antheil
Creston
Schuman
Title: Re: Your 10 favorite American symphony composers
Post by: Symphonic Addict on June 15, 2020, 12:06:40 PM
Quote from: Daverz on June 12, 2020, 06:02:12 PM
I'm not sure the Youtube sound is doing it any favors, but here is the first movement of Helps Symphony No. 1:

https://www.youtube.com/v/VhI_98Zfrn0

First movement of Rochberg's Symphony No. 2:

https://www.youtube.com/v/aUyTghXo-Ts

Thanks, Daverz. I'll be checking these.
Title: Re: Your 10 favorite American symphony composers
Post by: Symphonic Addict on June 15, 2020, 12:09:39 PM
Quote from: kyjo on June 12, 2020, 07:49:48 PM
If you don't mind, Cesar, I think I'll follow Brian's lead and name my top 10 American symphonies rather than symphonists since that's easier for me (although there is probably already a thread for the former :D). I'm also gonna leave out the two rather "obvious" ones, Barber 1 and Copland 3:

Creston 2
Dawson Negro Folk Symphony
Diamond 3
Hanson 3
Jones 3 Palo Duro Canyon
Piston 2
Powell Virginia Symphony
Schuman 3
Shapero Symphony for Classical Orchestra
Thompson 2

Runner-ups: Antheil 4, Beach Gaelic, Bernstein 1 Jeremiah, Gallagher 2 Ascendant, Harris 3, Hovhaness 50 Mount St. Helens, Ives 1, Mennin 5, Puts 2, Still 2 Song of a New Race

I need to investigate the symphonies of Albert, Flagello, Kernis, Lees, Persichetti, Rochberg, Rosner, and Rouse more thoroughly!

It doesn't matter, Kyle. It works so good that way too.  8)
Title: Re: Your 10 favorite American symphony composers
Post by: MusicTurner on June 15, 2020, 12:38:00 PM
-Hovhaness (also based on some of the lesser known ones, such as Majnun)
-Rochberg
-Schuman
-Ives

- the rest

I'm not familiar enough with those of Diamond, Sessions and Piston though, three other good candidates, and some of those by Gloria Coates tend to have too many glissandi, but she might be there as well ...
Title: Re: Your 10 favorite American symphony composers
Post by: Sergeant Rock on June 15, 2020, 01:03:26 PM
Ives
Bernstein
Diamond
Harris
Antheil
Mennin
Hanson
Schuman
Barber
Lowell Liebermann
Title: Re: Your 10 favorite American symphony composers
Post by: Karl Henning on June 15, 2020, 01:19:29 PM
Bernstein
Copland
Flagello
Gallagher (disclosure: I was a student of Jack's)
Hanson
Hovhaness
Mennin
Persichetti (though I really only know his Symphony for Band, which IMO wins his place here)
Rosner
Schuman
Title: Re: Your 10 favorite American symphony composers
Post by: springrite on June 15, 2020, 04:34:01 PM
Mennin
Harris
Piston
Ives
Barber
Copland
Persichetti
Rochberg
Schuman
Hanson
Title: Re: Your 10 favorite American symphony composers
Post by: Daverz on June 15, 2020, 04:59:37 PM
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on June 15, 2020, 01:19:29 PM
Gallagher (disclosure: I was a student of Jack's)

I should have included Gallagher for the Symphony No. 2 alone.
Title: Re: Your 10 favorite American symphony composers
Post by: springrite on February 03, 2024, 09:16:41 AM
Quote from: springrite on June 15, 2020, 04:34:01 PMMennin
Harris
Piston
Ives
Barber
Copland
Persichetti
Rochberg
Schuman
Hanson

I forgot David Diamond, which is unforgivable. Diamind replaces Rochberg.
Title: Re: Your 10 favorite American symphony composers
Post by: foxandpeng on February 03, 2024, 11:56:52 AM
Hm.

Antheil
Hanson
Hovhaness
Rouse
Piston
Diamond
Barber
Mennin
Maslanka
Glass

The obvious missing contenders could easily make an appearance on another day.
Title: Re: Your 10 favorite American symphony composers
Post by: Karl Henning on February 03, 2024, 12:14:28 PM
Quote from: foxandpeng on February 03, 2024, 11:56:52 AMHm.

Antheil
Hanson
Hovhaness
Rouse
Piston
Diamond
Barber
Mennin
Maslanka
Glass

The obvious missing contenders could easily make an appearance on another day.
Which of Rouse's symphonies would you say us his best, Dannie?
Title: Re: Your 10 favorite American symphony composers
Post by: foxandpeng on February 03, 2024, 01:24:00 PM
Quote from: Karl Henning on February 03, 2024, 12:14:28 PMWhich of Rouse's symphonies would you say us his best, Dannie?

I particularly like 2... or 5...

As for 'best'... well, I am a bit thick to make such an assessment 😁
Title: Re: Your 10 favorite American symphony composers
Post by: Karl Henning on February 03, 2024, 01:43:51 PM
Quote from: foxandpeng on February 03, 2024, 01:24:00 PMI particularly like 2... or 5...

As for 'best'... well, I am a bit thick to make such an assessment 😁
I could not, in fairness, stipulate any such thing, and I consider you to have answered the query satisfactorily.
Title: Re: Your 10 favorite American symphony composers
Post by: foxandpeng on February 03, 2024, 04:57:32 PM
Quote from: Karl Henning on February 03, 2024, 01:43:51 PMI could not, in fairness, stipulate any such thing, and I consider you to have answered the query satisfactorily.

Because you are kind and generous hearted..