All American Countdown

Another holiday weekend meant another Symphony Hall countdown

In honor of America’s 250th an audience vote on favorite pieces of American music was held, with the plans of airing the audience’s top 50. When over 22,000 people voted, we decided to expand to our customary 78 picks (we’re Channel 78 on Sirius XM).

If had been inclined to bet on a winner, I would have picked Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring. However, I myself would have picked Rhapsody in Blue for the top spot. I’m not at all surprised that the audience aligned with me there. I’ve written at length about the piece, including for both WPLN News and WBUR’s syndicated show Here and Now on the piece’s relatively recent centennial.

As always, there were some surprises. Florence Price’s Symphony No. 3 (no. 38) just edged out Aaron Copland’s (no. 39). Though, Fanfare for the Common Man on its own outside of the symphony ranked much higher. The music of Star Wars making the top 10 answers the question about the how much we still love our John Williams scores. And something as tear-inducing as Adagio for Strings landing at 3 says a lot about what we value in music - it’s about how powerfully we feel something when we listen.

In terms of wake-up calls, there were exactly six works by women on the list, and four of them were by Florence Price. Margaret Bonds in particular felt like a conspicuous absence - I was confident that Montgomery Variations would make an appearance. And of the 13 pieces by Black composers, William Grant Still, and Duke Ellington were each on the list twice and Scott Joplin was in three spots. Also surprisingly absent was George Walker, whose Lyric for Strings deserves our attention, as well as possibly his 1996 Pulitzer Prize winner Lilacs.

John Philip Sousa was the only representative of our vast American wind ensemble repertoire, which I would expect to grow if we were to vote again at some point. To be fair, New England Tryptich by William Schuman is now best known from its wind ensemble adaptation, so is still a partial win at no. 73. And the top ranked choral work was Randall Thompson’s Alleluia at no. 35.

The list contained no spiritual arrangements. It seems possible they would have split the vote among themselves, as there are so many to choose from. But to have a list like this without William Dawson’s choral works or Moses Hogan’s feels like an oversight.

Art song was also only lightly represented. I expected to see something from Samuel Barber in that category, like Sure on this Shining Night.

Or possibly Dream Variation by Margaret Bonds.

And one more surprising no-show that was cited by several audience members during the voting round was the landmark set of Variations on America by Charles Ives.

This isn’t to say that I dispute the list. I don’t ask a “top 78” to ever be anything other than what it actually is - a representation of how the audience felt in the moment of voting. But I’m always looking for the gem that was accidentally hidden. Considering the number of listeners who reached out after newly listening to Symphony Hall because they were intrigued by the countdown, I’d say it was a huge success. The new interest in William Grant Still, Florence Price, Duke Ellington, Ferde Grofe, and so many more composers feels like a big win.

As for the most represented individuals, Aaron Copland ranks on top with nine selections. George Gershwin and John Williams tied for second with seven each. And Philip Glass tied Florence Price’s four.

Here is the list in full. I hope you enjoyed it.

78. Bernard Hermann - Vertigo Suite

77. Edward MacDowell - Woodland Sketches

76. Charles Ives - The Unanswered Question

75. George Gershwin - Second Rhapsody

74. Philip Glass - Violin Concerto No. 1

73. William Schuman - New England Tryptich

72. Danny Elfman - Suite from Batman

71. Morten Lauridsen - Lux Aeterna (O nata lux)

70. Florence Price - Violin Concerto in D

69. Stephen Sondheim - Sweeney Todd Symphonic Suite

68. William Grant Still - Symphony no. 2 “Song of a New Race”

67. Eric Whitacre - Lux Arumque

66. John Adams - The Chairman Dances

65. Leonard Bernstein - On the Waterfront Symphonic Suite

64. Aaron Copland - Old American Songs

63. Randall Thompson - The Testament of Freedom

62. Charles Ives - Symphony No. 2

61. Samuel Barber - Knoxville: Summer of 1915

60. Jennifer Higdon - Blue Cathedral

59. Leonard Bernstein - Chichester Psalms

58. Charles Ives - New England Holidays

57. Aaron Copland - El Salon Mexico

56. Amy Beach - Gaelic Symphony

55. Ferde Grofe - Mississippi River Suite

54. Leonard Bernstein - Mass

53. George Gershwin - Cuban Overture

52. Scott Joplin - Solace

51. Max Steiner - Gone With The Wind Suite

50. John Williams - The Barrel Chase from Jaws

49. William Dawson - Negro Folk Symphony

48. John Williams - Hedwig’s Theme

47. Philip Glass - Glassworks

46. Duke Ellington - Harlem

45. Philip Glass - The Hours

44. Morten Lauridsen - O Magnum Mysterium

43. Leonard Bernstein - 3 Dance Episodes from On the Town

42. Aaron Copland - Quiet City

41. Wynton Marsalis - Blues Symphony

40. Jerome Kern - Showboat Orchestral Suite

39. Aaron Copland - Symphony No. 3

38. Florence Price - Symphony No. 3

37. John Williams - Welcome to Jurassic Park

36. Duke Ellington - Black, Brown, and Beige

35. Randall Thompson - Alleluia

34. Erich Korngold - Violin Concerto in D Major

33. George Gershwin - Porgy and Bess Suite

32. John Adams - Short Ride on a Fast Machine

31. Morton Gould - American Salute

30. George Gershwin - I Got Rhythm Variations

29. John Williams - Adventures on Earth from E.T.

28. Elmer Bernstein - The Magnificent Seven

27. Alan Hovhaness - Symphony No. 2 “Mysterious Mountain”

26. Florence Price - Mississippi River Suite

25. Howard Hanson - Symphony No. 2 “Romantic”

24. Philip Glass - Piano Concerto No. 3

23. William Grant Still - Afro American Symphony

22. Florence Price - Symphony No. 1

21. Aaron Copland - Billy the Kid

20. Samuel Barber - Violin Concerto

19. John Williams - Raiders March

18. George Gershwin - Piano Concerto in F

17. Richard Ridgers - Oklahoma!

16. Aaron Copland - Lincoln Portrait

15. John Philip Sousa - The Washington Post

14. Scott Joplin - Maple Leaf Rag

13. Aaron Copland - Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo

12. Scott Joplin - The Entertainer

11. Leonard Bernstein - Candide (Overture)

10. John Williams - Theme from Schindler’s List

9. John Williams - Star Wars Suite

8. Ferde Grofe - Grand Canyon Suite

7. George Gershwin - An American in Paris

6. John Philip Sousa - The Stars and Stripes Forever

5. Aaron Copland - Fanfare for the Common Man

4. Leonard Bernstein - Symphonic Dances from West Side Story

3. Samuel Barber - Adagio for Strings

2. Aaron Copland - Appalachian Spring

1. George Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue

What else did we miss? What surprised you? And what do you think was egregiously under or overrated? Let us know in the comments.

These are of course works that are always in our library. So if this sounds like a fun listen, join us any time on Symphony Hall - channel 78 on Sirius XM.

-Colleen