Harris No. 3

Synopsis

Today’s date marks the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States. It is also celebrated as the birthday of the famous American symphonist Roy Harris, who stated he was born in Lincoln County near Chandler, Oklahoma, on February 12th in 1898. Some have challenged the accuracy of the date, as a land deed associated with his family suggests his birth year might have been 1901, and Harris himself was the main source of information regarding the actual day of his birth.

There’s also some confusion about exactly how many symphonies Harris wrote, since he didn’t assign numbers to some of the works he labeled “symphonies” or “symphonic”—and in 1976 deliberately misnumbered his Symphony No. 13 as being his Symphony No. 14, being reluctant to assign the ominously unlucky number 13 to his new work. As it turned out, it was, in fact, the last symphony he completed before his death in 1979.

Despite all this, Harris’s Third Symphony from 1938 is regularly cited as one of the best American symphonies of the 20th century, if not “The Great American Symphony,” and gradually many of his less familiar 15 or so symphonies are also showing up on compact disc and on concert programs.

As the most recent Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians puts it, “the musicality, breadth of vision, and generosity of impulse that form his best music assure him long-term recognition.”

So, whether or not it was in 1898 or 1901, or even on February 12—Happy Birthday, Mr. Harris!

Music Played in Today's Program

Roy Harris (1898 — 1979) Symphony No. 3 Dallas Symphony; Eduardo Mata, cond. Dorian 90170

On This Day

Births

• 1567 - Baptism of English composer and poet Thomas Campion, in London;

• 1760 - Bohemian composer and keyboard virtuoso Jan Ladislav (Johann Ladislaus/ Ludwig) Dussek (Dusik), in Cáslav;

• 1898 - American composer Roy Harris, in Chandler, Oklahoma;

• 1923 - American composer Mel Powell, in New York City;

Deaths

• 1799 - Czech composer and pianist František Xaver Dušek (Duschek, Duscheck or Dussek), age 67. in Prague; He was a friend and colleague of Mozart;

• 1896 - French composer Amboise Thomas, age 84, in Paris;

• 1906 - Russian composer Anton Arensky (Gregorian date: Feb. 25);

• 1915 - French composer, conductor and pianist Emile Waldteufel, age 77, in Paris;

• 1959 - American composer George Antheil, age 58, in New York;

• 1972 - English composer Benjamin Frankel, age 67, in London;

Premieres

• 1760 - Rameau: comedy-ballet "Les Paladins," in Paris;

• 1797 - Haydn: "A National Song," in Vienna, in honor of the birthday of the Austrian Emperor Franz II (who reigned from 1792-1835); This melody was later used as a theme in Haydn's "Emperor" String Quartet, Op. 76, no. 3, and eventually became the Austrian national anthem;

• 1894 - Rachmaninoff: “Trio élégiaque” (Elegiac Trio) No. 2 in d minor, for violin, cello, and piano, in Moscow, with Yuly Konyus (Julius Conus) (violin), Anatoly Brandukov (cello), and the composer at the piano (Julian date: Jan. 31);

• 1905 - Koussevitzky: Double-Bass Concerto (Gregorian date: Feb. 25);

• 1909 - Paderewski: Symphony in b ("Polonia"), by the Boston Symphony, Max Fiedler conducting;

• 1924 - Gershwin: "Rhapsody in Blue," at Aeolian Hall in New York, with Paul Whiteman conducting and the composer as soloist;

• 1936 - David Diamond: Three "Vocalises" for soprano and viola, at the third "Composer's Forum Laboratory" in New York City (sponsored by the WPA Federal Music Project), by soprano Louise Taylor and violist John Howell;

• 1964 - Cowell: "Quartet Euphometric," at Philharmonic Hall in New York City, by the Galimir String Quartet; This music was composed between 1916-1919;

Others

• 1785 - Likely date of the premiere performances of three of Mozart's "Haydn" Quartets (K.458, 464, and 465), at Mozart's apartment in Vienna, with Haydn present and a quartet made up of Leopold and Wolfgang Mozart with the Barons Anton and Bartholmaus Tinti.