Why do we only hear the Masterworks?
Why do we only hear the Masterworks? Why perform just a small sliver of all the amazing musical moments available to us, instead of taking the effort to promote something new? We as a class have discussed this ideological concept a few times, mostly as it relates to European Art Music’s domination over the orchestral literature performed today — even though we have the entire world’s music practically at our fingertips.
As a graduate music student studying music performance, I recognize orchestral organizations’ need to sell tickets for sustainability; and let’s face it, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony will outsell the majority of, if not all of the other pieces in the repertoire. What I want to consider however, is how do we bring the “B-side tracks” to the public’s ears, whether it be ‘old classics’ like Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven; or perhaps American composers who are today only heard by their “one-time contribution” to the American sound — that is, their only piece that orchestras today regularly program.
In a November of 1934 article entitled “Dawson’s Symphony Played at Carnegie”, Carrie B. Overton writes about Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony, “Mr. Dawson has made an important contribution to the history of American music in having a Negro symphony presented by one of the great orchestras of the country [The Philadelphia Orchestra] and on the same program as Ravel, McDonald, and Ponce.” (Second Paragraph). I see this statement as an incredibly dated, yet undeniably valid method for how we can bring “new” music into the public’s ears — include it alongside already popular works as a way to expose an underperformed piece’s potential! As a related side-note, a few paragraphs later, Overton writes that the symphony’s performance “was received with warm enthusiasm,” which likely helped popularize this work, at the very least to a modest extent. (Paragraph 4). Though certain ‘themed’ programs (such as lesser-known works on the same program) have their rightful place in the musical performance world, I think their notably lesser appeal than a Masterworks concert would impact performance groups to a greater financial extent than if orchestras routinely placed smaller, lesser-known works alongside popular ones.
This article, entitled “Still: Symphony №2; Dawson: ‘Negro Folk Symphony’; Ellington: ‘Harlem’”, written in 1994 by K. Robert Schwarz, primarily discusses the Detroit Symphony’s 1993 recording of William Grant Still’s Afro-American Symphony, and how it revitalized the work after the American public only had access to “a creaky recording made in the mid-60’s.” (Fourth Column) Despite this fact however, Still is primarily known for this single piece, likely due to its name and inclusion of Afro-American themes in a symphonic setting; a trait that was, needless to say, unique for the 1930s. It has since been cemented into the American Orchestral Repertoire as a piece that helped shape the sound and themes of American Music.
Though I would never question the importance of this work in particular, Schwarz writes in the fourth column, “Still wrote five symphonies, all but the [Afro-American Symphony] forgotten, and now Detroit has revived the Second. It is even more of a discovery.” It makes me think of how much music we have just waiting to be discovered, and perhaps more importantly, how much music has just been glanced over in favor of another piece ‘representing’ a composer’s oeuvre. The same idea could be reflected in any medium, from any setting, with any composer being the focus. Sure, audiences love certain works, and the same so-called Masterworks sell tickets, but is there any reason why we cannot ‘revive’ a composer, in the same way Mendelssohn did to Bach; Leonard Bernstein to Mahler; or like here, The Detroit Symphony to Still’s Symphony №2?
Why do we only recognize composers as having a few major compositions, instead of taking the time to examine the beauty in their entire oeuvre? One of my classmates recently mentioned how William Grant Still is undeniably known for his landmark Afro-American Symphony, a piece that was historically noted as the first symphony by an African American composer to be performed by a major orchestra (1931, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra), but not for the variety of other works he published over his lifetime. A short list includes eight operas, five symphonies, four ballets, choral works, and art songs composed for a variety of instruments. Though I have a number of theories on why greatest hits are the only works performed, I think we can all participate in the expansion of compositional public recognition. We just need to be persistent.
Additional Materials for Consideration:
William Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony, 1934
William Grant Still, Symphony №2 in G Minor: “Song of a New Race”
