romantic rebellion

Romantic Rebellion

Evan GoldenbergMarch 18, 2009

Composer, conductor, theorist, and educator, Howard Hanson was passionately

involved in everything musical until his death in 1981. Director of the Eastman School of

Music for 40 years from 1924 to 19641, he influenced and inspired many, sharing his love

of artistry and music with students and colleagues. Hanson had strong opinions

regarding the purpose and importance of music for both creator and listener, and his

philosophy is aptly reflected in the music he wrote, especially given the style for its time.

As a composer, Hanson is best known for his Symphony No. 2, “Romantic,” which,

completed in 1930, is as much an ideological manifesto as it is a musical masterpiece.

Radical developments were taking place in the cultural realms of the early 20th

century. In music, Arnold Schoenberg and others famously decided that the deep well of

tonality, which had sustained harmonic and melodic structure for centuries, had run dry.

Schoenberg’s twelve-tone system of composition eventually evolved into intellectually

complex serialism, and by mid-century, a significant avant-garde movement had sprung

into being, fueled by a new Modernist aesthetic. Though their work was by-and-large

horribly unsuccessful with the general public, Modernists continued to dogmatically

reject all things traditional, further estranging themselves from their audiences.

There remained throughout this time, however, a sizable contingent of composers

for whom the springs of tonality were still very much alive and flowing. These

1

1 Watanabe, Ruth T. and James Perone. Hanson, Howard. Grove Music Online.

proponents of so-called Neo-Romanticism2, of whom Hanson was certainly one,

understandably received scathing criticism from their Modernist rivals. Describing the

response to new music written by composers not concerned with elitist avant-garde

Modernism, Nicholas Tawa writes, “Anything that sported a triad or a lyric melody, that

sounded beautiful in the customary sense of the word, or that evoked strong personal

emotion was censured as old hat, clichéd, uninspired, unoriginal, and having nothing

new to say.” 3 In critical and scholarly circles, Neo-Romanticism as an ideology was

belligerently rejected for a supposed lack of individuality and failure to contribute to the

evolution of music as an art form. Nevertheless, the Neo-Romantics believed firmly in

the role of emotion in music, and judging by public response to their music, so did their

audiences.

Connecting with audiences, however, was not something considered important by

Modernists; in fact, some took up the extreme position that “a work’s success with the

public [was] sufficient evidence of its inferiority.” 4 It is not surprising, then, that

common criticisms endured by Neo-Romantics, including Howard Hanson, were that

they wrote popular music as a trivial means to achieve fame, wealth, or some other

commercial advantage, or that they were simply untalented. Walter Simmons

2

2 The prefix “neo” is slightly misleading, as no revival was taking place. Romanticism as an ideology and as an aesthetic was still very much alive at this time, and the so-called Neo-Romantics thought it still had much to offer. Walter Simmons, Voices in the Wilderness: Six American Neo-Romantic Composers (Lanham, Scarecrow Press, 2004), pp. 9-10.

3 Walter Simmons, Voices in the Wilderness: Six American Neo-Romantic Composers (Lanham, Scarecrow Press, 2004), pp. 5.


summarizes the hostile attitude that affected even the great Romantics like Tchaikovsky

and Strauss decades earlier:

Few would dispute the claim that the general listening public is most readily drawn to music with the qualities associated with the Romantic aesthetic. However, an implied assumption underlying much critical and musicological commentary suggests that a direct appeal to the emotions represents a lower form of artistic expression, as if accessibility somehow diminished the magnitude of a work’s aesthetic achievement.5

Modernists viewed the music of Neo-Romantic composers as unsophisticated art for

unsophisticated listeners. Fortunately for the music appreciators of today, such criticisms

did not stop the Neo-Romantic ideal from blossoming into a successful, vibrant source of

wonderful music.

It is in this social and historical context that Howard Hanson wrote the

“Romantic” Symphony, the work upon which his reputation as a composer is largely

based. Though the most extreme manifestations of Modernist attitudes would not take

centre stage until the 1950s and 60s, thirty or so years after the work was written, the

“Romantic” Symphony is, as its title suggests, a defiant stand against highly intellectual

music and the rejection of tonality. Hanson was acutely aware of the direction music was

headed in, and he would have none of it.

The symphony begins with a rising three-note motif (Example 1) that is the basis

for much of the thematic material, both harmonic and melodic, in the work. Set in a

starkly polytonal world (G major and D♭ major, a tritone apart no less), the phrase

3

5 Walter Simmons, Voices in the Wilderness: Six American Neo-Romantic Composers (Lanham, Scarecrow Press, 2004), pp. 10-11.

grows in pitch, dynamic, and instrumentation, before being inverted and subsiding6.

Tension and uncertainty rise and fall with the music, and the listener is immediately

drawn into a symphony that, from the outset, speaks directly to emotion.

Example 1 (Mvt. 1, mm. 1-4)7

The horns now enter with a hurried and turbulent fanfare-like theme (Example 2),

firmly grounded in the polytonal harmonic framework of the opening and repeated

canonically by various instruments before coming to a climax of tension and stress.

Example 2 (Mvt. 1, mm. 19-30)8

144 The Musical Quarterly

in odd rhythms. They become less frequent in later works, and this fact

makes for less difficulty in performance.

To analyse and discuss in detail all of Hanson's more important

works would require more time and space than the scope of this paper

assumes. But it is desirable that a few passages be quoted to illustrate

the various aspects of his style that have been mentioned. The early

Nordic characteristics, so predominant for a period, persist even when

the subject is purely American. No better example of this can be found

than the opening measures of the opera, "Merry Mount," the hymn of

the Puritans.

Ex. 1—Merry Mount

Lento

if

The cold, dark gray of the north continues almost unrelieved

throughout the eighteen minutes of the "Lament for Beowulf', a work

of compelling effectiveness and gloom. The "Romantic" Symphony

opens in similar color, but is soon brightened by a rousing call in the

horns, forming the first theme. This theme illustrates a characteristic

of Hanson's melodies—his constant use of a minor seventh either as a

skip or as the compass of a phrase. In the present instance the interval

is made up of two superimposed perfect fourths:

Ex. 2—Romantic Symphony—ist Movement

4 Horns

In "Pan and the Priest," we find the minor seventh as a skip and,

in the "Nordic" Symphony, as the compass of consecutive thirds.

Ex. 3—Pan and the Priest

J=..Horn

4

6 Stuart Malina. Podcast #21 - Hanson #2. 2008.

7 Howard Hanson, Symphony No. 2, Op. 30 “Romantic.” Philadelphia Orchestra Critical Edition, Clinton F. Nieweg, ed. (1999) pp. 5

8 Burnet Tuthill, Howard Hanson. The Musical Quarterly XX11.2 (1936) pp. 144.

Two intensely lush and beautifully tonal sections follow, allowing a release of the built-

up tension, and an opportunity for the audience to relax and enjoy simple, lyrical

melodies. The first tune begins in the oboe and makes its way to the horn and strings.

The second is likely the most recognized passage in Hanson’s entire output. The “big

theme” of the symphony (Example 3) features sentimental melodies in the horn and

violins (note the three note figures reminiscent of the opening), and a rich, pulsating,

tonal accompaniment in the lower strings. The addition of the second (F) to the major

triad (E♭) creates an impressionistic, almost surreal atmosphere of blurred harmonies.

Example 3 (Mvt. 1 mm. 99-105)9

Howard Hanson 145

Ex. 4—Nordic Symphony (Slow Movement) Andante

Two Flutes

Through the use of the minor seventh in different ways, he imparts tohis themes sometimes a bold strength, sometimes the flowing expres-sion of nature.

The second subject of the first movement of the "Romantic" Sym-phony brings us the American aspect of Hanson's musical style. Thereis no reminiscence or flavor of any folk music, no negro spiritual orfiddler's breakdown, no mountain, cowboy, or Indian element, but afrank melody, unabashed in its sentiment, simple alike in rhythm andinterval, with an accompaniment of rich, pulsating harmonies.

Ex. 5—Romantic Symphony—1st Movement—Lento J = »

Horn . 1

¥^1P

J. 1 J J J 1colS^batta

Other strings

bxr

fei

3EE

T r

Continuing in like manner to a climax

5

9 Burnet Tuthill, Howard Hanson. The Musical Quarterly XX11.2 (1936) pp. 145.

The climax of the “big theme” brings what may be loosely called the exposition of the

first movement, or even the symphony as a whole, to a close. It is not an exposition in

the traditional sense of two contrasting themes that will later be developed, however.

Rather, it is an exposition in that nearly all of the thematic material used in the

remainder of the symphony has now been declared.

The first movement continues by taking these same themes, restating and

reshaping them in various musical ways to create different emotional contexts. The

lyrical oboe solo reappears with a more timid, slightly confused character. The turbulent

horn fanfare from the opening returns, stretched in time, as a light, airy melody in the

flute, and quickens into a triumphant, almost march-like passage. Yet between each

iteration of each theme, the common thread of polytonality and emotional tension and

uncertainty is revisited. The movement appears unsure of which emotions it wants to

evoke, visiting many for brief periods of time before ending, still somewhat undecided.

Unlike the first, the second movement begins in the clear, simple tonality of C

major. Hanson takes what is considered by many to be a “boring” key, the key of

mindless finger exercises and tedious studies, and creates a slow and beautiful,

hummable melody. This idea is briefly developed, eventually being combined with the

initial polytonal three-note motif from the first movement before leading into a grand

entrance of the “big theme.” After a few more climaxes, the various themes reappear and

subside, and the movement ends as it began, in pure, simple harmony. There is no

harmonic or emotional tension here, only warmth, sweetness, and bliss.

6

The third and final movement begins in sharp contrast to the smooth, lyrical

second movement, opening with fast, excited triplets in the winds and strings and a

bright fanfare in the horns that is echoed in other sections of the orchestra. Overall, the

movement operates in a similar fashion to the other two. One or two new musical ideas

are introduced, but for the most part Hanson revisits motifs heard in the first and

second movements, modifying them to create various emotional landscapes.

Indeed, emotion is at the core of the “Romantic” Symphony; Hanson made

obvious efforts to span the entire gamut of human sentiment in the work. It is relatively

short for a symphony, less than 30 minutes in length, but it leaves an audience with the

feeling of having completed a vigorous, satisfying, soulful workout. The piece is a

Romantic rebellion against the cold, atonal music that was quickly gaining ground at

the time, a change in the musical community that Hanson was very much at odds with.

At the time of the symphony’s premiere in 1930, he remarked:

The symphony represents for me my escape from the rather bitter type of modern musical realism which occupies so large a place in contemporary thought. Much contemporary music seems to me to be showing a tendency to become entirely too cerebral. I do not believe that music is primarily a matter of the intellect, but rather a manifestation of the emotions. I have, therefore, aimed in this symphony to create a work that was young in spirit, lyrical and romantic in temperament, and simple and direct in expression.10

The “Romantic” Symphony was Hanson’s defiant rejection of the direction in which

modern music was headed, a direction that labeled music as a purely intellectual

7

10 Walter Simmons, Voices in the Wilderness: Six American Neo-Romantic Composers (Lanham, Scarecrow Press, 2004), pp. 116-117.

pursuit. Hanson was a firm believer in the visceral power of music, something he sought

to capture fully in his writing.

With this in mind, it is worth considering some of the more common criticisms

that the “Romantic” Symphony has endured from Modernists and non-Modernists alike.

One of the most frequently cited deficiencies of the symphony is that it lacks any

structural integrity, that there is no “coherent progression of autonomous musical ideas

that unfold according to their own intrinsic logic by means of organic development.” 11

On the whole, this statement is true - the themes and motifs in the symphony, while

sharing certain common features, do seem to lack a clear progression from one to the

next, and their development, in the traditional sense, is stunted. However, it is

important to consider what Hanson was striving to achieve with the work, and to

critique it on that basis. The “Romantic” Symphony was not intended to be a flawless

display of musical form and structure, “intellectual” aspects of the compositional process.

On the contrary, it was intended to be a reflection of the enormous emotional spectrum

that music has the ability to project. When viewed in this light, as a collection of

emotional rather than musical states, an intellectual, structural analysis of the

“Romantic” Symphony becomes pointless and invalid.

That is not to say that the work has absolutely no structure whatsoever, for it

would fall apart and be entirely incomprehensible if that were the case. The symphony is

very cyclical in nature, a hallmark of great Romantic composers from decades earlier,

8


including Dvořák and Tchaikovsky, who suffered the identical criticism regarding the

structure of his works. The recurring themes and motifs of the “Romantic” Symphony

are easily identifiable and are not constrained to single movements, giving the work an

overarching sense of unity. In fact, it is entirely plausible that Hanson intentionally

reused the same simple harmonic and melodic elements in their original forms as a

means of highlighting emotional, as opposed to musical, transitions and developments.

To be sure, it is possible for a work such as the “Romantic” symphony to excel in both

form and expression, but this was not the purpose of Hanson’s writing, and, accordingly,

not the context within which it should be critiqued.

Criticism of the “Romantic” Symphony did not stop at claims of structural

weakness, however. As a Neo-Romantic writing in a musical climate dominated by

Modernism and the avant-garde, Howard Hanson’s individuality as a composer was

called into question time and time again. He was accused of recycling music that had

already been written, and of bringing nothing new to the repertoire. But Hanson flatly

rejected the Modernist obsession with innovation for its own sake, and was entirely

aware of historical influences on his music, influences he felt all composers should value

rather than deny. In an interview with David Russell Williams, he said:

I once introduced Schoenberg to an audience as the man who made us conscious of the beauty of the major triad! I've never understood the arrogance of composers. Can you think of a single great composer who didn't owe enormous debts of gratitude to his predecessors - can you think of anybody from Bach on up?12

9

12 David Russell Williams, Howard Hanson (1896-1981). Perspectives of New Music Vol. 20 No. 1/2 (1981-1982) pp. 20.

Hanson was by no means a great innovator, but he was certainly not a talentless

imitator. Terry Teachout, paraphrasing T.S. Eliot, notes that “great artists do not

imitate, they steal, and in doing so they transform their stolen goods into something

wholly personal and individual. When a great composer knowingly evokes the past, he

does so in ways other than imitative.” 13 With the “Romantic” Symphony, Hanson “stole”

the greatest features of the Romantic aesthetic, and used them to create a highly

personal, individual statement about the role of music in our lives.

The criticism perhaps most neglectful of Hanson’s musical philosophy is that the

“Romantic” Symphony appeals to a lower class of listener, that it is unsophisticated and

unsatisfying for more seasoned concertgoers. Again, as with claims of structural

weakness, this may be true taken out of context and with an attitude at odds with

Hanson’s. The symphony is highly accessible, and not musically complex. It is often

described as hedonistic, having a “movie music” or Broadway-like character. However,

when Hanson’s goals for the symphony are taken into account, such statements become

compliments rather than insults. Good film composers are able to evoke different

emotional responses in very short periods of time, reflecting the ever-changing drama

unfolding onscreen. Hanson believed that this incredible visceral power of music should

not be restricted to theatres and cinemas, but that it should triumph in concert halls as

well. Asked by an interviewer in 1978 whether the “Romantic” Symphony was

intentionally aimed at a musically illiterate audience, Hanson responded, “that’s what

the intellectual would like to have you think...[but] I get letters to this day from those

10

13 Terry Teachout, Romantics’ Return, Commentary 120.1 (2005) pp. 62-63.

who are not morons saying that their favorites are the Fourth Brahms and [my]

Romantic Symphony.” 14

Howard Hanson’s “Romantic” Symphony is a clear rebellion against the emerging

Modernist and avant-garde attitudes of the time. It is an unabashed display of

sentiment, a work that truly speaks to its audience. As one of the greatest music

educators of our time, Hanson strove to instill in his students a love of music as a

primarily emotional pursuit. How fitting that the “big theme” from his “Romantic”

Symphony is played at the conclusion of every student performance at the Interlochen

Center for the Arts. It is conducted by a young concertmaster, and followed not by

applause, but silence and quiet reflection. The Interlochen Theme is permanently

emblazoned on the hearts of thousands of alumni, and has an uncanny ability to reduce

them to tears of joyful reminiscence. For Hanson, who believed that “music should come

from the heart more than from the head,” 15 that is precisely what music is all about.

11



Works Cited

Hanson, Howard. Symphony No. 2, Op. 30 “Romantic.” Philadelphia Orchestra Critical Edition. Clinton F. Nieweg, ed. New York: Carl Fischer, 1999.

Malina, Stuart. Podcast #21 - Hanson #2. 10 September 2008. Audio Podcast. http://www.stuartmalina.com/blog/files/podcast_65.mp3. 10 March 2009.

Simmons, Walter. Voices in the Wilderness: Six American Neo-Romantic Composers. Lanham: Scarecrow Press, 2004.

Teachout, Terry. Romantics’ Return. Commentary 120.1 (2005) pp. 62-66.

Tuthill, Burnet C. Howard Hanson. The Musical Quarterly XXII.2 (1936) pp. 140-153.

Watanabe, Ruth T. and James Perone. Hanson, Howard. Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. 7 Feb. 2009 http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/12342.

Williams, David Russell. Howard Hanson (1896-1981). Perspectives of New Music, Vol. 20, No. 1/2 (Autumn, 1981 - Summer, 1982), pp. 12-25.

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http://www.stuartmalina.com/blog/files/podcast_65.mp3

http://www.stuartmalina.com/blog/files/podcast_65.mp3

http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/12342

http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/12342

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