Symphony No. 2 in A major, subtitled Im Frühling or In Spring, is the second symphony

Symphony

A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...

 by American composer John Knowles Paine

John Knowles Paine

John Knowles Paine , was the first American-born composer to achieve fame for large-scale orchestral music.-Life:He studied organ, orchestration, and composition in Germany and toured in Europe for three years...

.

History

The symphony was composed in 1879 and published in Boston in 1880, at a time when few American composers were able to find publishers for symphonic works. It was also premiered in Boston in 1880, and was extremely well received, prompting handkerchief

Handkerchief

A handkerchief , also called a handkercher or hanky, is a form of a kerchief, typically a hemmed square of thin fabric that can be carried in the pocket or purse, and which is intended for personal hygiene purposes such as wiping one's hands or face, or blowing one's nose...

-waving and shouting at the first performance. Historian Louis Elson compared its final movement to Robert Schumann

Robert Schumann

Robert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....

's Symphony in B flat

Symphony No. 1 (Schumann)

Symphony No. 1 in B flat major, Op. 38 was the first symphonic work composed by Robert Schumann. Although Schumann made some "symphonic attempts" in the autumn of 1840 soon after he married his beloved Clara Wieck, he did not compose his First Symphony until early 1841...

, which is also subtitled "Spring".

Structure

The symphony is in four movements:

1. Adagio sostenuto - "Departure of Winter" Allegro ma non troppo
   Allegro
   Allegro may refer to:* Allegro * Musical tempo meaning cheerful or brisk; see Tempo#Italian tempo markings* Allegro library, a computer game programming library* Allegro , a typeface designed in 1936...
   
    "Awakening of Nature"
2. Scherzo
   Scherzo
   A scherzo is a piece of music, often a movement from a larger piece such as a symphony or a sonata. The scherzo's precise definition has varied over the years, but it often refers to a movement which replaces the minuet as the third movement in a four-movement work, such as a symphony, sonata, or...
   
    Allegro
   Allegro
   Allegro may refer to:* Allegro * Musical tempo meaning cheerful or brisk; see Tempo#Italian tempo markings* Allegro library, a computer game programming library* Allegro , a typeface designed in 1936...
   
    "May-Night Fantasy"
3. Adagio
   Adagio
   -Music:* Adagio, a tempo marking indicating that music is to be played slowly* A composition marked to be played adagio, e.g.** Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber** Adagio for Strings , a cover of Barber's Adagio by Tiësto...
   
    "A Romance of Springtime"
4. Allegro giojoso
   Allegro
   Allegro may refer to:* Allegro * Musical tempo meaning cheerful or brisk; see Tempo#Italian tempo markings* Allegro library, a computer game programming library* Allegro , a typeface designed in 1936...
   
   "The Glory of Nature"