You may disagree with our rankings or quibble with our choices, but it's all a celebration of how a quintessentially European art form has been not just embraced, but transformed, on American soil. (In certain instances, we chose pieces that grapple directly with various aspects of the American experience, from John Corigliano's Symphony No. 1 "Of Rage and Remembrance," which is a tribute to those who have suffered from AIDS, to John Adams' Shaker Loops, inspired by a Shaker community near where the composer grew up.)
Some of these works and composers will undoubtedly be well familiar, and some might be new discoveries--either way, we hope that such a list is merely a springboard for further exploration. For each piece, we've also pointed you towards our recommended recording, marked in parentheses.
Early New England:
- William Billings: I Am the Rose of Sharon (His Majestie's Clerkes/Paul Hillier)
- George Whitefield Chadwick: Melpomene Overture (Detroit Symphony Orchestra/Neeme Jarvi)
- Amy Beach: Cabildo (various artists)
The Romantics:
- Edward MacDowell: Sea Pieces for piano (James Barbagallo)
- Horatio Parker: Suite for violin, cello, and piano, Op. 35 (Rawlins Piano Trio)
- Samuel Barber: Violin Concerto (Hilary Hahn)
The Symphonists:
- Roy Harris: Symphony No. 3 (Colorado Symphony Orchestra/Marin Alsop)
- Howard Hanson: Symphony No. 2 "Romantic" (Howard Hanson)
- David Diamond: Kaddish for cello and orchestra (Jonathan Aasgaard)
- Christopher Theofanidis: Rainbow Body (Atlanta Symphony Orchestra/Robert Spano)
- George Tsontakis: Violin Concerto No. 2 (Steven Copes)
American People:
- John Philip Sousa: The Stars and Stripes Forever (United States Marine Band)
- George Gershwin: An American in Paris (London Symphony Orchestra/Andre Previn)
- John Adams: Shaker Loops (various artists)
- Michael Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony (Nashville Symphony/Giancarlo Guerrero)
- Joan Tower: Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman (Colorado Symphony Orchestra/Marin Alsop)
- John Corigliano: Symphony No. 1, "Of Rage and Rembrance" (National Symphony Orchestra/Leonard Slatkin)
- Steve Reich: Daniel Variations (Los Angeles Master Chorale/Grant Gershon)
- Philip Glass: Score for The Fog of War (Philip Glass)
- Jake Heggie: Dead Man Walking (Patrick Summers)
- Frederic Rzewski: The People United Will Never Be Defeated! (Marc-Andre Hamelin)
American Places:
- William Schuman: New England Triptych (Dallas Symphony Orchestra/Andrew Litton)
- Ferde Grofe: Grand Canyon Suite (Eastman-Rochester Orchestra/Howard Hanson)
- Ned Rorem: The Santa Fe Songs (Susan Graham)
- Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring (San Francisco Symphony/Michael Tilson Thomas)
- Leonard Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from "West Side Story" (New York Philharmonic/Leonard Bernstein
- Morton Feldman: Rothko Chapel (various artists)
- Jennifer Higdon: City Scape (Atlanta Symphony Orchestra/Robert Spano)
The Jazzers:
- Scott Joplin: Maple Leaf Rag (Joshua Rifkin)
- George Antheil: A Jazz Symphony (San Francisco Symphony/Michael Tilson Thomas)
- Gunther Schuller: Variants for jazz quartet and orchestra (BMOP/Gil Rose)
- William Bolcom: Songs of Innocence and of Experience (Leonard Slatkin)
Vocal treasures:
- Carlisle Floyd: Susannah (Phyllis Curtain)
- John Harbison: Mirabai Songs (Dawn Upshaw)
- David Lang: The Little Match Girl Passion (Paul Hillier)
- Eric Whitacre: Cloudburst (Polyphony/Stephen Layton)
The Modernists:
- Ruth Crawford Seeger: Preludes for piano (Jenny Lin)
- Paul Creston: Sonata for saxophone and piano, Op. 19 (Alex Mitchell)
- Carl Ruggles: Mood (Jennifer Koh)
- Virgil Thomson: Four Saints in Three Acts (John Thome)
- Elliott Carter: Piano Sonata (Ursula Oppens)
- Milton Babbitt: Clarinet Quintet (Mark Lieb)
The Mavericks:
- Henry Cowell: Symphony No. 15 "Thesis" (Louisville Orchestra/Robert Whitney)
- Charles Ives: Symphony No. 2 (New York Philharmonic/Leonard Bernstein)
- William Grant Still: Songs of Separation (Darryl Taylor)
- John Cage: Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano (Boris Berman)
- Harry Partch: Eleven Intrusions (Harry Partch)
- Terry Riley: In C (Bang on a Can)
- George Crumb: Black Angels (Kronos Quartet)
- Nico Muhly: In C with Canons and Bass (Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble)
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by Anastasia Tsioulcas
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