Symphony No. 2 in A major, subtitled Im Frühling or In Spring, is the second symphony by American composer John Knowles Paine.
History
editThe symphony was composed in 1879 and published in Boston in 1880,[1][2] at a time when few American composers were able to find publishers for symphonic works. It was also premiered in Boston in 1880, and was extremely well received, prompting handkerchief-waving and shouting at the first performance.[3] Historian Louis Elson compared its final movement to Robert Schumann's Symphony in B flat, which is also subtitled "Spring".[3]
Instrumentation
editStructure
editThe symphony is in four movements:
- Adagio sostenuto - "Departure of Winter" Allegro ma non troppo "Awakening of Nature"
- Scherzo Allegro "May-Night Fantasy"
- Adagio "A Romance of Springtime"
- Allegro giojoso "The Glory of Nature"[2]
Use in film and television
editThe second and third movements were heard and shown performed at a concert in the fourth episode of the first season of the HBO television series The Gilded Age, depicting a performance in New York City in 1882.