Symphony No. 2 (Moore)

Symphony No. 2 in A major is a classical composition by American composer Douglas Moore. It was composed in 1945 and received its premiere in Paris on May 5, 1946, conducted by Robert Lawrence.[1] In the following year the American premiere was given in Los Angeles, Alfred Wallenstein conducting.[1][2]

The symphony is Moore's second essay in that form and is dedicated to the memory of Stephen Vincent Benét,[1] who supplied the libretto for Moore's opera The Devil and Daniel Webster. A work of moderate length and a classical conception inspired by Haydn, it represents Moore's fully formed mature style and is unarguably one of his best pieces. Moore himself described it as: "an attempt to write in clear, objective, modified classical style, with emphasis on rhythmic and melodic momentum rather than upon sharply contrasted themes or dramatic climaxes".[1][3]

It is in four movements,[4] three of which end in a quiet manner. The symphony lasts approximately twenty minutes.[5]

  1. ^ a b c d Julius Bloom (ed.). "January 1947". The Year in American Music 1946–1947. New York: Allen, Towne & Heath. p. 155 – via Internet Archive.
  2. ^ "Music: It Ain't Necessarily So". Time. 27 January 1947. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  3. ^ Quoted in Nicholas Tawa (2009). The Great American Symphony: Music, the Depression, and War. Indiana University Press. p. 154. ISBN 9780253002877.
  4. ^ Douglas S. Moore: Symphony No. 2 in A major at AllMusic
  5. ^ "Douglas Moore: Symphony No. 2 in A major (1945)", G. Schirmer, Wise Music Group