Everybody always does ten, so I thought I'd throw a little variety into the game.... But do notice the title: not 'American," which would include Canadian, Mexican, and Central and South American composers and extend the list considerably . Within this boundary, though, there are still plenty of symphonists and symphonies to choose from. So-- what are your six favorite symphonies by U.S. composers?

Mine, in no particular order:
1) Paul Creston, #2
2) Creston, #5
3) Howard Hanson, #2
4) Hanson, #6
5) Hanson, #7
6) Lou Harrison, Symphony on G

Only six?

Why Schuman did ten all on his own. (Though only eight are left.)

And Sessions did nine.

And Piston did eight.

Reynolds has only done two that I know of, but they're OK. I mean, they're OK considering that he started out as one of the ONCE people.

Ives did four.

Cowell did who knows how many? (No, really. Who does know?)

Glass has done at least eight.

Even Robert Ashley (of Wolfman fame) did one. That was back in his ONCE days, so it's pretty quirky and cool.

Who else? Hmm hm hm.... Well, there's bound to be more. Harris must have done a few.

Mostly the real heavyweights of the 20th century in the U.S. did not do symphonies.

Here's my six:
Ives' Fourth
Schuman's 8th
Harris' Third
Piston's 6th
Diamond's 4th
Copland's Third (it's cheesy, but I like it )

Copland 3
Harris 3
Hanson 3
Glass 2
Ives 2
Ives 4

I have been scratching my head to come up with one

Yes, only six, as per the opening....

I'm not sure whether you're simply listing symphonies by U.S. composers (as we all know, there are many, of which you've mentioned only some), or whether you like so many that six is just too small a range for you to be able to choose. But since the point is to make things a bit challenging, I'd be curious which from your list are your favorites. Also, when you say that "most (emphasis added) of the heavyweights" did not write symphonies, what do you mean? Certainly some did not, but you've already listed a good clump of pretty significant figures, so I'd also be curious to know how you see the majority of major U.S. composers not writing symphonies at all.

In no particular order:

Diamond 5
Creston 2
Persichetti 5
Piston 2
Mennin 7
Schuman 4

Well, let's see. There's -- no. How about -- ? Ummm.

Can we use Stravinsky if he lived in the US? Symphony in Three Movements.

Since that's cheating, I can go with the Diamond 3rd and 4th, though I think them frightfully short. I'll also go with the Copeland 3rd if only because it includes the famous Fanfare. (Doesn't it?)

Only four, I'm afraid.

Challenging.

Today these come to mind:

Ives 4
W.Schumann 4
Copland 3
Ives 2
Sessions 3
E. Carter-- Symphony for 3 Orchestras

Tempted to list Joan Tower's 'Sequoia' & 'Silver Ladders' for orchestra & Steve Reich's
'Music for 18 Musicians' too, not to mention Gershwin's orchestral music .

Ed

Yes.

Well, challenging is not the word that I would use, but my favorite U.S. symphonies are Ives 4th, Piston's 2nd, Sessions' 7th, Sessions' 9th, Reynolds' Vertigo, and Schuman's 10th.

Well, none of these people ever wrote any symphonies:

Cage
Partch
Lucier
Tudor
Oliveros
Young (LaMonte not Neil)
Conrad
Marclay
Childs
Feldman
Babbitt
Higgins
Brecht (George not Bertolt!)
Brown
Riley
Mumma
Reich
Tenney
Varese
Rzewski

This is mine:
Nancy Reagan
Hans Kindler
Rzewski
W.Schumann
Mstislav Rostropovich
Antal Doráti (
So in love wit the NSO

Hmm. I suppose this could all too easily turn into a semantic quibble ("majority" vs "considerable portion" for example), so I won't push too hard on the point, but I'm not convinced that all of the names on this list deserve the status of "major" figures. I'd certainly accept Cage, Partch, Feldman, Babbitt, and Reich as being in the top rank (in influence if not always in popularity),* and I'd be open to considering Oliveros, Riley, and maybe Mumma and Young, but the others, however good their music may be on its own terms, don't, imo, qualify as especially "heavyweight" compared with the likes of Schuman, Ives, Copland, or even Creston. So I do remain, at least for now, convinced that the majority of important U.S. composers have indeed written something to which they gave the name "symphony." It doesn't follow that those works are their most important, or even major music, but simply that, for whatever reason, the term was still significant enough to entice composers to use it.

* = Varese is of course the most important name on the list, but including him as a "U.S. composer" strikes me as questionable, just as would including Stravinsky. But that, too, raises questions of how the term is defined....

[smacks forehead.] How could I have left out Mrs. Amy Beach and her Gaelic Symphony? I guess because I don't currently have it in my collection, but I once had it.

Well, I included Varese because what survives of his are pieces he wrote in the U.S.

As for heavy or not in the weight category, I guess that depends on who you're talking to. I've been following contemporary music here and elsewhere for thirty six years, and I did pretty carefully try to put the heaviest folk on my list! (I left off many of my favorites to do so, if that counts!)

And remember, I did say "mostly"! (I'd certainly put Sessions at the front of any list of "the likes of Schuman, Ives, Copland, or even Creston." (And I'd add Piston to that crew, too, natch.))

I'm afraid I can't come up with six, but here goes for 3:

Rorem's 3rd
Hansons 6th
Bolcom's 5th


There's another I used to listen to quite often, but have misplaced. It's either a suite or a symphony. It has movements that are named after regions of the country, such as South, West, etc... . Ring a bell to anyone? It would make # 4 on my list if I could place it.