Classical Music Work of the Week - November 21, 2005

Charles Ives composed his first symphony from 1898 to 1902, while still studying under Horatio Parker at Yale. Unlike Ives' following works, this symphony is heavily influenced by European styles of composition. What's interesting about this symphony is that Ives has clearly taken melodies from other works and made them his own (as he is known to do throughout the rest of his career). The second movement of Ives' Symphony No. 1 is unmistakably similar to the second movement of Dvorak's Ninth Symphony. You may also recognize familiar tunes from Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 (mvmt. 3), Schubert's "Unfinished" symphony (mvmt. 1), and Tchaikovsky’s "Pathétique" (mvmt. 4) throughout Ives' Symphony No. 1. After listening to Ives' Symphony No. 1, it's easy to hear why I include this symphony on the 10 Symphonies You Should Own List.

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