I have always appreciated Kyle Gann’s website for its resources for Florence Price’s Symphony No. 3. Recently, I took time to investigate some of the other resources he freely provides, including his own compositions, as well as links to his many books and albums. Among the resources on the site is a terrific “Chronology of the Symphony: 1730-2019,” listing years and major symphonies composed and/or premiered that year.

This is a valuable programming tool! As many conductors have their 2023-24 seasons increasingly locked in, I thought I’d look ahead to interesting anniversaries that might be of relevance for the 2024-25 season to list, by way of example. This is a treasure trove of information which would be of use to a wide assortment of other purposes. For instance, I sometimes included important works by other contemporary composers in my Florence Price chronology, and I’m tempted to use this to add in a few more examples.

It is also just one of the many jewels living on this Gann’s website, alongside his many compositions, writings, recorded albums, and books. I was concerned that, as with any website, there is a longterm certainty of link rot, which led me to want to archive this page. I was equally relieved to see that it had already been archived 134 times.


2024 Anniversaries

  • The 200th anniversary of Beethoven 9 and Mendelssohn 1 (1824)

  • The 150th anniversary of a symphony by an unfairly obscure American composer George Frederick Bristow, whose Symphony No. 4 “Arcadian” premiered in 1774. Gann personally engraved a score from the composers manuscript, which is held by the New York Public Library and provides a thorough analysis. Bristow has aroused the interest of a number of other scholars in recent years. Just two examples:

  • The 125th anniversary of Sibelius 1

  • The 100th anniversary of Sibelius 7, Prokofiev 2 (but premiered in 1925), and Gustav Holst’s Choral Symphony

  • The 75th anniversary of Bernstein 2 (“The Age of Anxiety”), and George Antheil’s 6th Symphony

2025 Anniversaries

  • The 175th anniversary of Schumann 3, as well as a terrific and less well-known composer, Ludwig Spohr, whose 9th symphony (“The Seasons”) also premiered in 1850.

  • The 150th anniversary of the composition of Dvorak 5 (but premiered in 1887), Tchaikovsky 3 (Polish), and John Knowles Paine 1 (but premiered in 1876)

  • The 125th anniversary of Scriabin 1

  • The 100th anniversary of Copland’s Organ Symphony, Copland’s Dance Symphony (but premiered in 1931), and Shostakovich 1 (but premiered in 1926)


I don’t know Gann, but he seems like an exemplary scholar and teacher, as evidenced in part by his many humorous sayings fondly collected by students in his courses. Just one example from Kyleisms:

“Tenor clef is not in my contract - I don’t have to do more than five sharps or flats, or tenor clef.”
— Kyle Gann

I have increasingly sought to use this website as a repository for a lot of the music and musical doings that I find interesting and important, with an eye towards creating resources for others, so it is a joy to spend time talking about another person’s website which in many ways captures what I am aiming for, which includes providing valuable resources for others to use and build upon. Thanks, Kyle!

—

…But don’t take my word for it; make sure to visit Kyle’s site, or check out some of his books and recordings!

Recordings

The Bedtime Sessions
Flipside Music
Hyperchromatica
Other Minds Records
Kyle Gann's The Planets
Meyer Media, LLC

Books

Jordan Randall Smith is the Music Director of Symphony Number One.