Peter Mennin(1923-1983): a Great American Symphonist

[Dundonnell]

(I wrote this essay three years ago in another place but it may still be of some interest. I apologise unreservedly for its length )

Amongst those prominent American composers of the 20th century who produced symphonic cycles were a number of figures of great distinction. The names of William Schuman, Walter Piston, Roy Harris, Howard Hanson, David Diamond, Roger Sessions and (perhaps more controversially) Alan Hovhaness are familiar to some at least.

I do not think however that enough attention has been given to the achievement of Peter Mennin. Paradoxically perhaps, Mennin is far from under-represented on CD(although a modern complete set of his symphonies would certainly not go amiss!)

Yet Mennin seems to me to have had less than his due. Naxos has not yet recorded a note of Mennin's music.

In 'A Companion to the Symphony'(ed. Robert Layton) the American conductor John Canarina described Mennin as "perhaps the most viscerally exciting of all American symphonists". Mennin's music was championed first by Walter Hendl, the tragic figure who led the Dallas Symphony Orchestra from 1949, and later by George Szell in Cleveland. Szell was not particularly noted for his interest in contemporary American music but appears to have had the highest regard for Mennin. Peter Mennin succeeded William Schuman as president of the Juilliard School in 1962 and led that distinguished institution until his untimely death at the age of 60 in 1983. The administrative responsibilities attached to this academic position considerably curtailed Mennin's composition in particular during the last ten years of his life. (Incidentally, it appears that Mennin despised Schuman as a "vulgar popularist"!!)

Mennin wrote the fateful number of nine symphonies although No.1 was withdrawn and No.2(whilst being awarded prizes) does not seem to have been published or recorded. As with both Harris and Schuman it was Mennin's 3rd which established his reputation virtually overnight following its premiere by the New York Philharmonic when the composer was only 23. The symphonies are(or were) available as follows-

No. 3 in versions by the New York Philharmonic/Dimitri Mitropoulos(CRI American Masters) and by the Seattle Symphony/Gerard Schwarz
   (Delos)
No.4 "The Cycle" -the Camerata Singers and Symphony Orchestra/Abraham Kaplan(Phoenix)
No.5 in versions by the Louisville Orchestra/Robert Whitney(First Edition Music), the Eastman-Rochester Orchestra/Howard Hanson(Mercury) and by the
    Albany Symphony/David Alan Miller(Albany)
No.6-coupled with No.5 on both the First Edition and the Albany discs
No.7 "Variation Symphony" in versions by the Chicago Symphony/Jean Martinon coupled with No.3 on both the CRI disc and the Delos
    disc.
Nos. 8 and 9-coupled together in versions by the Columbus Symphony/Christian Badea(New World Records)

Mennin's symphonies are indeed 'viscerally exciting' with an energy and power akin to the symphonies of William Schuman but not necessarily sounding like Schuman's. Mennin was influenced by both Hindemith and Bartok but his music also owes much to Renaissance counterpoint and polyphony. The mid period symphonies have been compared to both Vaughan Williams and Sir William Walton both in the ferocious angry energy of the fast movements(VW's 4th, Walton's 1st) but also the modal lyricism of his slow movements.
The distinguished American critic Walter Simmons has also compared Mennin to Edmund Rubbra and Vagn Holmboe in his evident determination to go his own way regardless of musical fashion. The symphonies do become grimmer, more angry, with increased chromaticism as time goes on(Nos. 7-9). All are-I would argue-extremely impressive works(although perhaps the choral No.4 may be the weakest?) and are undoubtedly of more consistent quality than those by Harris, less academic than those by Piston, more challenging than those by Hanson or Hovhaness(although I DO love the work of each of these composers too!).

Mennin also wrote a fine Cello Concerto recorded by Janos Starker on Albany(coupled with Piston's 1st) or First Edition Music(coupled with the 5th and 6th symphonies, an even better Piano Concerto(in my opinion one of the most exciting of all American concertos for the piano), brilliantly performed by John Ogden on the same CRI disc as Symphonies Nos. 3 and 7, and an unfinished Violin Concerto.

PS: some reviews-

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classRev/2005/Jan05/Mennin_FE.htm
http://www.musicweb.uk.net/classrev/2003/Oct03/mennin_56_albany.htm
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classRev/dec99/menin.htm
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classRev/2000/nov00/mennin.htm

[Alan Howe]

Thanks for this informative and inspiring post. I will now try to remedy this gap in my collection...

[eschiss1]

My few Mennin recordings are CDs (and recent CDs at that) - Miller's symphonies 5/6/Concertino/Canzona for example- and have heard a few other works (including symphonies 8 and 9 conducted by Badea, a very fine conductor- I have a disc of Sessions symphonies he also conducted- whose performance of an Enescu symphony was broadcast recently... meanwhile the  piano concerto impressed me less personally despite having Ogdon as soloist and Buketoff as conductor too) -

my overall feeling with symphonies 5 and 6 has been some minor dissatisfaction with the faster movements (occasional brass - and brassy - fill-in material - maybe sometime I will come to think that what the composer wrote in those places is "just right", as my dissatisfaction with Beethoven's development in the first movement of his late A-flat piano sonata - too sequential, I said! - was replaced gradually by an understanding that something more dramatic and complicated would have been out of place in context) - but minor gripes with a fine disc of good music.  No gripes with the performances.

[Latvian]

As an aside, Mennin also had a brother who was a fine composer -- Louis Mennini (1920-2000). The only work of his that has been commercially recorded that I'm aware of is a lovely Arioso for Strings, with Hanson and Eastman-Rochester, dating from the 1950s. A few other works have circulated in non-commercial transcriptions and off-air recordings, most notably the 2nd Symphony. Louis' music is much more conservative than Peter's, especially Peter's later style, but not too far off from, say, Peter's 3rd Symphony.

A few years ago, a major American record label was seriously considering a disc of works by both brothers together. When they contacted the widow of one of the composers (I don't remember which one), she quickly quashed the idea and said the brothers hated each other, and would have been mortified to have their music appear together on the same disc, so the idea was dropped.

Note that Peter's given surname was also Mennini, but he dropped the final "i." Supposedly this was to differentiate himself from his brother.

In any event, I enjoy both brothers' music a great deal, and sincerely hope that some enterprising record label will eventually give us an opportunity to hear more of Louis' music.

[Dundonnell]

Peter Mennin was intense and single-minded.

Quote from a recent review in "Tempo" of a recent book by Walter Simmons on Schuman, Persichetti and Mennin:

"..the slightest grain of populism was clearly anathema to Mennin; he wanted to ensure that everything about him and his music would speak for itself. He hated falseness, self-promotion, or any sort of dumbing-down(he called it 'sugar-coating'), as was clearly shown in the perfectionist ethic he instilled at Juilliard.

...(Schuman as Director of the Lincoln Center) had frequent personality clashes with Mennin, who detested what he saw as Schuman's opportunism and vulgar courting of publicity."

From this one might think that Schuman's music later music is light, tuneful and readily accessible and that Mennin's is thorny, difficult and inaccessible. Actually, I find Mennin easier to listen to than same late Schuman I don't think the difference between the two relates to musical style but essentially to personality.

[eschiss1]

Mennin was, that said, one of a few other composers of his generation who changed their surname so I hadn't paid it much mind when I found out   (Paul Creston, born Giuseppe Guttoveggio , I think- the other example that comes immediately to mind- actually, Creston was one generation before, so not even a good example. Hrm. ... )

[Dundonnell]

Mennin was, that said, one of a few other composers of his generation who changed their surname so I hadn't paid it much mind when I found out   (Paul Creston, born Giuseppe Guttoveggio , I think- the other example that comes immediately to mind- actually, Creston was one generation before, so not even a good example. Hrm. ... )

Walter Piston's grandfather changed the family name from Pistone and Copland's father from Kaplan to Copland.

[eschiss1]

I don't think I knew (I must have at one point, if the first half of Perlis' biography mentions it, but my copy is back at my parents' place ... ) about the Copland family example actually... thanks.

[Sicmu]

To me Mennin is one of the best symphonist of the XXth century, his seventh is probably the best american symphony along with Harris's third. I have a Melodiya LP with the 7 conducted by Pavel Kogan with an ukrainian orchestra ( coupled with Barber's violin concerto) : I can upload it if anybody is interested.

Though from two different worlds, Mennin and Pettersson  both believed that a composer shouldn't talk about his own works and I totally agree with this statement.

[Dundonnell]

Well said

[Gareth Vaughan]

Hear, hear! If you have to explain a piece you've probably failed.

[eschiss1]

With the piece or with the listener - and the proviso isn't meant to be elitist; some listeners really don't, and don't want to, and don't expect to, think they might need to listen.  If I hear classical music referred to as music for relaxation again I expect I shall - do nothing as usual, again, unfortunately. Maybe grumble somewhat louder and threaten sotto voce to bring in my Pettersson 13 CD.

[Sicmu]

With the piece or with the listener - and the proviso isn't meant to be elitist; some listeners really don't, and don't want to, and don't expect to, think they might need to listen.  If I hear classical music referred to as music for relaxation again I expect I shall - do nothing as usual, again, unfortunately. Maybe grumble somewhat louder and threaten sotto voce to bring in my Pettersson 13 CD.

I'm sorry, I don't understand your point, english is not my first language and I do need some clarification  . Anyway this makes me think even stronger that good music doesn't need words 

[Rainolf]

Yes, Dundonnell, you do a good job in reminding Peter Mennin! He is my favourite US-American Composer and his symphonies, especially from No. 6 onwards, in my opinion belong to the best symphonic works written in the second half of the 20th century. He has a very good sence for that, what Robert Simpson called the "symphonic momentum". I read, that Mennin sometimes was called an "American Hindemith". That comparison maybee fits, regarding the importance of counterpoint for Mennin. But I find him less playful and more lively than Hindemith. For my ears Mennin's style has very much in common with Bernard Stevens'.

[Dundonnell]

With the piece or with the listener - and the proviso isn't meant to be elitist; some listeners really don't, and don't want to, and don't expect to, think they might need to listen.  If I hear classical music referred to as music for relaxation again I expect I shall - do nothing as usual, again, unfortunately. Maybe grumble somewhat louder and threaten sotto voce to bring in my Pettersson 13 CD.

I'm sorry, I don't understand your point, english is not my first language and I do need some clarification  . Anyway this makes me think even stronger that good music doesn't need words 

I think what Eric was meaning was that the problem for composers like Mennin is that many listeners expect music to be 'easy to listen to' and give up too readily if the music requires concentration and thought.

(Sorry if that wasn't what you were getting at )