Symphony No. 3 (Piston)
Encyclopedia
The Symphony No. 3 by Walter Piston
was composed in 1946
–47
.
conducted by Serge Koussevitzky
, and the composer dedicated the score to the memory of the conductor's wife, Natalie Koussevitzky. Piston was awarded the 1947 Pulitzer Prize
in Music Composition for the Third Symphony (Anon. 1978).
and Sixth
Symphonies is in four movements
:
The symphony lasts about 35 minutes.
The symphony opens with a slow movement, involving three main themes. This is followed by a scherzo with trio and a slow variation movement. The finale is interpreted by one writer as a celebration of the end of the Second World War (Pollack 1982, 103).
Walter Piston
Walter Hamor Piston Jr., , was an American composer of classical music, music theorist and professor of music at Harvard University whose students included Leroy Anderson, Leonard Bernstein, and Elliott Carter....
was composed in 1946
1946 in music
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–47
1947 in music
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.
History
The Koussevitzky Music Foundation commissioned the Third Symphony and Piston began work on it in 1946 (Carter 1946, 375), completing the score at Woodstock, Vermont, in the summer of 1947. It was premiered on January 9, 1948, by the Boston Symphony OrchestraBoston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at the Tanglewood Music Center...
conducted by Serge Koussevitzky
Serge Koussevitzky
Serge Koussevitzky , was a Russian-born Jewish conductor, composer and double-bassist, known for his long tenure as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1924 to 1949.-Early career:...
, and the composer dedicated the score to the memory of the conductor's wife, Natalie Koussevitzky. Piston was awarded the 1947 Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
in Music Composition for the Third Symphony (Anon. 1978).
Analysis
The work, like the later FourthSymphony No. 4 (Piston)
-History:Piston composed his Fourth Symphony on commission from the University of Minnesota to mark the centennary of the university's foundation in the following year...
and Sixth
Symphony No. 6 (Piston)
-History:Piston composed the symphony to mark the 75th Anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He dedicated the score to the memory of Serge Koussevitzky and his wife Natalie. The symphony was first performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Charles Munch, on November 25,...
Symphonies is in four movements
Movement (music)
A movement is a self-contained part of a musical composition or musical form. While individual or selected movements from a composition are sometimes performed separately, a performance of the complete work requires all the movements to be performed in succession...
:
- Andantino (5/4)
- Allegro (2/4)
- Adagio (4/4)
- Allegro (4/4)
The symphony lasts about 35 minutes.
The symphony opens with a slow movement, involving three main themes. This is followed by a scherzo with trio and a slow variation movement. The finale is interpreted by one writer as a celebration of the end of the Second World War (Pollack 1982, 103).