Symphony No. 3 (Ives)
Encyclopedia
The Symphony No. 3, S. 3 (K. 1A3), The Camp Meeting by Charles Ives
(1874–1954) was written between the years of 1908 and 1910. In 1947, Ives was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music
for his Symphony No. 3. Later, his works were performed by conductors like Leonard Bernstein
. Ives is reported to have given half the money to Lou Harrison
, who conducted the premiere.
This symphony is notable for usage of a chamber orchestra, rather than a full-blown orchestra Ives used for his other symphonies. The symphony is also very short, only lasting approximately twenty minutes.
, oboe
, clarinet
, bassoon
, two horns, trombone
, bells
, and strings
(violins, viola
s, cellos, and double bass
es).
, a great fan of Ives' music, premiered this symphony in 1946. Bernard Herrmann
, another composer who became a friend of Ives, conducted a CBS
broadcast performance of the symphony soon after. Gustav Mahler
had seen the manuscript and talked of premiering the symphony with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, but his death in 1911 prevented the performance, and there was no further interest in the symphony until Harrison finally conducted it in New York. There is no conclusive evidence that Ives and Mahler ever met.
Charles Ives
Charles Edward Ives was an American modernist composer. He is one of the first American composers of international renown, though Ives' music was largely ignored during his life, and many of his works went unperformed for many years. Over time, Ives came to be regarded as an "American Original"...
(1874–1954) was written between the years of 1908 and 1910. In 1947, Ives was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music
Pulitzer Prize for Music
The Pulitzer Prize for Music was first awarded in 1943. Joseph Pulitzer did not call for such a prize in his will, but had arranged for a music scholarship to be awarded each year...
for his Symphony No. 3. Later, his works were performed by conductors like Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...
. Ives is reported to have given half the money to Lou Harrison
Lou Harrison
Lou Silver Harrison was an American composer. He was a student of Henry Cowell, Arnold Schoenberg, and K. P. H. Notoprojo Lou Silver Harrison (May 14, 1917 – February 2, 2003) was an American composer. He was a student of Henry Cowell, Arnold Schoenberg, and K. P. H. Notoprojo Lou Silver Harrison...
, who conducted the premiere.
Structure
The symphony is in three movements:- Old Folks Gatherin' - Andante maestoso
- Children's Day - Allegro
- Communion - Largo
This symphony is notable for usage of a chamber orchestra, rather than a full-blown orchestra Ives used for his other symphonies. The symphony is also very short, only lasting approximately twenty minutes.
Instrumentation
The symphony is scored for a chamber orchestra of a fluteFlute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, oboe
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
, clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
, bassoon
Bassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
, two horns, trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
, bells
Tubular bell
Tubular bells are musical instruments in the percussion family. Each bell is a metal tube, 30–38 mm in diameter, tuned by altering its length. Its standard range is from C4-F5, though many professional instruments reach G5 . Tubular bells are often replaced by studio chimes, which are a smaller...
, and strings
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
(violins, viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
s, cellos, and double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
es).
Composition
The symphony has many influences including War songs, dances, and general European classical music. It evokes country meetings during his childhood, when people gathered in fields to sing, preach, and listen. Ives was sentimentally nostalgic, glancing back as a modern composer at a nineteenth-century childhood of hymns, bells, and children's games throughout the three movements. The symphony is filled with complex harmonies and meters.Premiere
Composer and conductor Lou HarrisonLou Harrison
Lou Silver Harrison was an American composer. He was a student of Henry Cowell, Arnold Schoenberg, and K. P. H. Notoprojo Lou Silver Harrison (May 14, 1917 – February 2, 2003) was an American composer. He was a student of Henry Cowell, Arnold Schoenberg, and K. P. H. Notoprojo Lou Silver Harrison...
, a great fan of Ives' music, premiered this symphony in 1946. Bernard Herrmann
Bernard Herrmann
Bernard Herrmann was an American composer noted for his work in motion pictures.An Academy Award-winner , Herrmann is particularly known for his collaborations with director Alfred Hitchcock, most famously Psycho, North by Northwest, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and Vertigo...
, another composer who became a friend of Ives, conducted a CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
broadcast performance of the symphony soon after. Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...
had seen the manuscript and talked of premiering the symphony with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, but his death in 1911 prevented the performance, and there was no further interest in the symphony until Harrison finally conducted it in New York. There is no conclusive evidence that Ives and Mahler ever met.