Symphony No. 4 Op. 34, "Requiem" (1943) by

Howard Hanson Howard Harold Hanson (October 28, 1896 – February 26, 1981)''The New York Times'' – Obituaries. Harold C. Schonberg. February 28, 1981 p. 1011/ref> was an American composer, conductor, educator, music theorist, and champion of American class ...

(1896–1981) is Hanson's fourth

symphony A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning com ...

. It was inspired by the death of his father, taking its movement titles from sections of the

Requiem Mass A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...

. He was awarded the 1944

Pulitzer Prize for Music The Pulitzer Prize for Music is one of seven Pulitzer Prizes awarded annually in Letters, Drama, and Music. It was first given in 1943. Joseph Pulitzer arranged for a music scholarship to be awarded each year, and this was eventually converted i ...

, unanimously selected by the jury, for the piece. Hanson regarded it as his finest work. #Andante inquieto (''Kyrie'') #Elegy: Largo (''Requiescat'') #Presto (''Dies irae'') #Largo pastorale (''Lux aeterna'') It was premiered by the

Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the " Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in 1881, ...

on December 3, 1943, conducted by the composer and the radio premiere was January 2, 1944 by the

NBC Symphony Orchestra The NBC Symphony Orchestra was a radio orchestra conceived by David Sarnoff, the president of the Radio Corporation of America, especially for the conductor Arturo Toscanini. The NBC Symphony performed weekly radio concert broadcasts with Tosca ...

with

Leopold Stokowski Leopold Anthony Stokowski (18 April 1882 – 13 September 1977) was a British conductor. One of the leading conductors of the early and mid-20th century, he is best known for his long association with the Philadelphia Orchestra and his appeara ...

.Fischer, Heinz Dietrich (2010). ''The Pulitzer Prize Winners for Music'', p.11. . One of his least heard symphonies, "this work represents American

Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...

at its best."Camphouse, Mark (2009). ''Composers on Composing for Band, Volume 4'', p.561. .

Discography

*''Howard Hanson: Symphony No. 4; Suite from Merry Mount; Lament for Beowulf'' (Delos 1991) Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Gerard Schwarz conducting. *''Made In The USA'' (Delos 1992) Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Gerard Schwarz conducting. *''Howard Hanson: First Complete Symphonies and Other Works''

ox set An ox ( : oxen, ), also known as a bullock (in BrE, AusE, and IndE), is a male bovine trained and used as a draft animal. Oxen are commonly castrated adult male cattle; castration inhibits testosterone and aggression, which makes the m ...

(Delos 1994) Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Gerard Schwarz conducting. *''Music of Howard Hanson, Vol. 1'' (Delos 1998) Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Gerard Schwarz conducting. *''Symphony 2 & 4 / Elegy'' (Arte Nova 1998). *''Hanson: Symphonies 2 & 4, Elegy'' (Arte Nova 2005).

Sources

Compositions by Howard Hanson 1943 compositions Pulitzer Prize for Music-winning works Hanson 4 {{symphony-stub