Symphony No. 1 is a four-movement

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

l composition by American composer

Bernard Herrmann Bernard Herrmann (born Maximillian Herman; June 29, 1911December 24, 1975) was an American composer and conductor best known for his work in film scoring. As a conductor, he championed the music of lesser-known composers. He is widely regarde ...

. The work was jointly commissioned in 1940 by

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

and the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...

and was completed March 29, 1941, though Herrmann revised the work in 1973. It premiered July 27, 1941 at the CBS Radio Theater, with Herrmann conducting the

CBS Symphony Orchestra CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an Television in the United States, American Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast Television broadcaster, telev ...

. Though he would continue to compose concert music and

film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...

s throughout his later life, the symphony would be Herrmann's last foray into nonprogrammatic music.Smith, p. 88-89

Style and composition

The symphony has a duration of roughly 35 minutes and is composed in four movements: #Maestoso: Allegro pesante #Scherzo #Andante sostenuto #Rondo: Epilogue à la processional On the experience of composing

absolute music Absolute music (sometimes abstract music) is music that is not explicitly "about" anything; in contrast to program music, it is non- representational.M. C. Horowitz (ed.), ''New Dictionary of the History of Ideas'', , Vol. 1, p. 5 The idea of ab ...

, Herrmann said, "For the first time I was not confined to the outline of a story. It was not necessary to depict waves, portray the anguish of a lost soul, or look for a love theme... Consequently, working on the Symphony I had a Roman holiday." Albert Imperato of ''

Gramophone A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration waveforms are recorded as corresponding physic ...

'' compared the music favorably with that of other

20th century The 20th century began on 1 January 1901 (MCMI), and ended on 31 December 2000 (MM). It was the 10th and last century in the 2nd millennium and was marked by new models of scientific understanding, unprecedented scopes of warfare, new modes of ...

composers

Samuel Barber Samuel Osmond Barber II (March 9, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was an American composer, pianist, conductor (music), conductor, baritone, and music educator, and one of the most celebrated composers of the mid-20th century. Principally influenced ...

William Walton Sir William Turner Walton (29 March 19028 March 1983) was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera. His best-known works include ''Façade'', the cantat ...

, and

William Schuman William Howard Schuman (August 4, 1910February 15, 1992) was an American composer and arts administrator. Life Schuman was born into a Jewish family in Manhattan, New York City, son of Samuel and Rachel Schuman. He was named after the 27th U.S. ...

Reception

Initial critical response to the symphony was favorable, though the work has fallen into relative obscurity since its premiere. In 2011, Brian Gittis of ''

The Paris Review ''The Paris Review'' is a quarterly English-language literary magazine established in Paris in 1953 by Harold L. Humes, Peter Matthiessen, and George Plimpton. In its first five years, ''The Paris Review'' published new works by Jack Kerouac, ...

'' called the work "an underappreciated symphony." ''

s Albert Imperato also argued for a reassessment of the piece, calling it "more than a curiosity." Herrmann biographer Steven C. Smith further commented:

Discography

*1974: ''Bernard Herrmann – Symphony'', performed by the

National Philharmonic Orchestra The National Philharmonic Orchestra was a British orchestra created exclusively for recording purposes. It was founded by RCA Records producer and conductor Charles Gerhardt and orchestra leader and contractor Sidney Sax. The orchestra was creat ...

(dir.) -

Unicorn Records Unicorn-Kanchana is a British independent record label founded by John Goldsmith (died 2020), a former London police officer. Originally known as Unicorn Records, the name Kanchana was added later. In Hindu and Buddhist mythology, the female name ...

(reissued 1993 on CD). *1993: ''Herrmann: Symphony; Schuman: New England Triptych'', performed by the

Phoenix Symphony The Phoenix Symphony is an American symphony orchestra based in Phoenix, Arizona. The orchestra performs primarily at Phoenix Symphony Hall, and is the only full-time, professional orchestra in the state of Arizona. History Founded in 1947, th ...

, James Sedares (dir.) -

Koch Records MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch"), formerly known as Koch Records and Entertainment One (eOne) Music/Records, is an American independent record label and music management company based in New York City. It was formed in 1987 as a music div ...

References

Sources

* {{Authority control Compositions by Bernard Herrmann 20th-century classical music Herrmann 1 1941 compositions Compositions for symphony orchestra Music commissioned by the New York Philharmonic