Symphony No. 2 (Paine)


Symphony No. 2 in A major, subtitled Im Frühling or In Spring, is the second symphony by American composer John Knowles Paine.

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-waving and shouting at the first performance. Historian Louis Elson compared its final movement to Robert Schumann's Symphony in B flat, which is also subtitled "Spring".

Instrumentation

Structure

The symphony is in four movements:
  1. Adagio sostenuto - "Departure of Winter" Allegro ma non troppo "Awakening of Nature"
  2. Scherzo Allegro "May-Night Fantasy"
  3. Adagio "A Romance of Springtime"
  4. Allegro giojoso "The Glory of Nature"