Symphony No. 3 (Harris)

You might be thinking…Roy who?

We begin our 3-part series on the music that will be featured for our World Doctors Orchestra concert (April 5) with Roy Harris’s Symphony No. 3. Initially hailed by the legendary Boston Symphony music director Serge Koussevitzky as “the first great symphony by an American composer,” we explore why this piece remains relatively unknown to most listeners today. We’ll also discover who Roy Harris is and his contribution to American music. His unique blend of American folk music, 20th century modal music, and Renaissance polyphony created a unique style he called “organic,” wherein the music develops from a tiny seed into an entire tree. Come on out and explore this unique symphony and discover why listeners heard this music as both optimistic and restless, painting a picture of the American frontier and spirit at the end of the Great Depression.