America

About

The music of the other side of the Atlantic in all its diversity, from the verve of Circus Polka to the traditional tunes that permeate the very first symphony written by an American composer, passing through the irresistible rhythms of Gershwin. Circus Polka (“composed for a young elephant”) was commissioned by choreographer George Balanchine for Barnum's circus. The quotation from Schubert's Military March No. 1 is just one of its many humorous touches. Taken from the musical comedy Girl Crazy (1930), I Got Rhythm quickly became a jazz standard. Composed for the film Delicious, his Second Rhapsody remains exemplary of his style. “In many ways, whether it be the orchestration or the form, it is the best thing I have ever written,” the composer declared. Amy Beach (1867–1944) was a pioneer of American music. In 1896, the Boston Symphony Orchestra's premiere of her Gaelic Symphony , based on traditional Irish tunes, was a triumph.