{"product_id":"the-great-american-symphony-9780253353054","title":"The Great American Symphony","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIntroduces the symphonists and their major works from the romanticism of Samuel Barber and the 'All-American' Roy Harris through the theatrics of Leonard Bernstein and Marc Blitzstein to the broad-shouldered appeal of Virgil Thompson and Aaron Copland.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eA prolific writer, scholar, and advocate for American music, Tawa (emer., Univ. of Massachusetts, Boston) does not argue for a single symphony as the \"great American symphony\" but instead nominates a dozen symphonic composers prominent from 1930 to 1950 among whose works a \"great American symphony\" might be found. The author's excellent vignettes on these composers encompass factual and anecdotal material along with his own informed evaluation of the oeuvre of each. A second theme, that of historical evolution, also runs throughout the book: this same dozen, more or less, heeded the call of their country and wrote music accessible to patrons of classical music; the following 20 years (1950-70) were dominated by composers writing serial music, seemingly neglectful of the public. Tawa concludes by tracing the historical stream through minimalism, neo-Romanticism, and the breaking into the many rivulets of today. One finds considerable variety, both in intention and musical style, among the composers he chose from the 1930s and 1940s. Aaron Copland meets the author's standard, both in attitude and accomplishment, but Roger Sessions does not. Tawa also provides brief discussion of approximately 20 other symphonic composers from 1950 until today. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. — W. K. Kearns, emeritus, University of Colorado at Boulder\u003c\/p\u003e * Choice *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eA prolific writer, scholar, and advocate for American music, Tawa (emer., Univ. of Massachusetts, Boston) does not argue for a single symphony as the 'great American symphony' but instead nominates a dozen symphonic composers prominent from 1930 to 1950 among whose works a 'great American symphony' might be found. The author's excellent vignettes on these composers encompass factual and anecdotal material along with his own informed evaluation of the oeuvre of each. . . . Highly recommended.October 2009\u003c\/p\u003e * Choice *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Great American Symphony is a significant contribution to the history of American art music. February 1, 2010\u003c\/p\u003e * Fanfare *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eContents\u003cbr\u003ePreface\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e1. Preliminaries\u003cbr\u003e Attitudes\u003cbr\u003e The Times\u003cbr\u003e Symphonism Ascendant\u003cbr\u003e The Symphony's Public Role\u003cbr\u003e2. Symphonies of the Mid- to Late Thirties\u003cbr\u003e The Romantic Symphony: Barber\u003cbr\u003e The Spiritual Symphony: Hanson\u003cbr\u003e The All-American Symphony: Harris\u003cbr\u003e The Muscular Symphony: Schuman\u003cbr\u003e The Civil Symphony: Carpenter\u003cbr\u003e Afterthought: Thomson and Cowell\u003cbr\u003e3. Symphonies of the War Years\u003cbr\u003eWartime Attitudes\u003cbr\u003e The Commemorative Symphony: Antheil\u003cbr\u003e The Aesthetic Symphony: Diamond\u003cbr\u003e The Dramatic Symphony: Bernstein\u003cbr\u003e The Masterly Symphony: Piston\u003cbr\u003e The Ambivalent Symphony: Barber\u003cbr\u003e The Theatrical Symphony: Blitzstein\u003cbr\u003e4. Symphonies of the Immediate Postwar Years\u003cbr\u003e The Conservatorial Symphony: Moore\u003cbr\u003e The Dynamic Symphony: Mennin\u003cbr\u003e The Plain-Spoken Symphony: Thompson\u003cbr\u003e The August Symphony: Copland\u003cbr\u003e The Self-Reliant Symphony: Creston\u003cbr\u003e The Knotty Symphony: Sessions\u003cbr\u003e5. American Symphonies after 1950\u003cbr\u003e The Symphony in the Leanest Years\u003cbr\u003e The Symphony after 1990\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNotes\u003cbr\u003eSelected Bibliography\u003cbr\u003eIndex\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Indiana University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49400681103703,"sku":"9780253353054","price":24.29,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780253353054.jpg?v=1730471281","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/the-great-american-symphony-9780253353054","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}