Roy Harris(1898-1979): a Catalogue of the Orchestral and Choral Music

[Dundonnell]

This has been an incredibly difficult catalogue to compile Roy Harris wrote an immense amount of music, he frequently reused music from one work in another, the sources often differ on the existence of particular pieces or on dates of composition.

I would wish to offer my most sincere and warm thanks to suffolkcoastal for making his database of all the Harris compositions available to me. However any and all errors are entirely my responsibility.

ROY HARRIS: A CATALOGUE OF THE ORCHESTRAL AND CHORAL MUSIC

1925/26:Andante for Orchestra(from unfinished Symphony "Our Heritage")
1929:   Symphony "American Portrait" ("American Portrait 1929")
1931:   Toccata for orchestra
             Piano Concerto (unfinished)
             Andantino for flute, clarinet and string orchestra
1932:   Concert Piece for orchestra (extracted from "American Portraits")
             Chorale for strings: 8 minutes            +  (Citadel cd)
             Overture "From the Gayety and Sadness of the American Scene"
             Fantasy for woodwind, horns and piano
1933:   Symphony 1933 (Symphony No.1): 23 minutes    + (Albany cd)
1934:    Symphony No.2: 20 minutes    + (Albany cd)
             "When Johnny Comes Marching Home"-An American Overture (and version for band 1941): 7 minutes  +  (Albany and Delos cds)
1935:      Symphonic Elegy "Farewell to Pioneers" for orchestra: 11 minutes   *
1936:      Prelude and Fugue for string orchestra: 14 minutes     +  (Citadel cd)
               Choral Symphony for chorus and orchestra (unfinished)
               Concerto for Piano and String Orchestra: 20 minutes     +  (Bay Cities cd)
1937:    "Time Suite" for orchestra
             Three Symphonic Essays(reworking of "Time Suite"): 15 minutes   *
             Symphony for High School Orchestra (lost)
1937-38/39:Symphony No.3: 18 minutes    +  (DGG and Naxos cds)
1938:   American Symphony for jazz band (unfinished)
             Violin Concerto  (unfinished)
             Mood for orchestra(later revised as "Mirage", 1944)
             Sad Song for jazz band
1939:   "Cowboy Songs" for orchestra
             Prelude and Fugue for four trumpets and strings
1939/42:Symphony No.4 "Folk Song Symphony) for chorus and orchestra: 39 minutes      +  (Vanguard and Naxos cds)
1940:     "American Creed" for orchestra: 18 minutes   *    +  (Delos cd)   
             "Challenge 1940" for baritone, chorus and orchestra
             Ballet "Western Landscape"/"Song of the West"
1940-43/1945:Symphony No.5: 24 minutes    +  (Albany and Naxos cds)
1941:   "Acceleration" for orchestra: 7 minutes    +  (Naxos cd)
             Ballet "From This Earth" for chamber orchestra
             Evening Piece for orchestra(part of Three Pieces for Orchestra, other pieces extracted from Symphony No.4): 4 minutes
             "Freedom's Land" for chorus and band: 3 minutes
             "Work" for orchestra: 10 minutes
             Ode to Truth for orchestra: 9 minutes
             "Railroad Man's Ballad" for chorus and orchestra
             Symphonic Overture "Cimarron" for band: 6 minutes  + (Bay Cities cd)
             "The Girl I Left Behind Me" for band
1942:   Concerto for Piano and Band
             Folk Rhythms of Today for orchestra or band: 5 minutes      +  (Guild cd)
             Fanfare for the Forces for brass, percussion, violins and violas
             Ballet/Dance Suite  "What So Proudly We Hail" for chorus, strings and piano
             "Sammy's Fighting Sons" for chorus and orchestra
1943:   Concert Overture "March in Time of War": 4 minutes
             Fantasia for Piano and Band
1943-44:Symphony No.6 "Gettysburg": 29 minutes     + (Albany and Naxos cds)
1944:   Piano Concerto No.1/ Concerto in One Movement "Jamboree" for Piano and Orchestra:14 minutes
             "Rock of Ages" for chorus and orchestra: 4 minutes
             Ode to Friendship for orchestra: 5 minutes
             Chorale for orchestra: 8 minutes
             "Conflict" for band: 5 minutes
             "Our Fighting Sons" for chorus, piano, organ, brass and percussion
             "The Sun from Dawn to Dusk" for band: 3 minutes
             "Take the Sun and Keep the Stars" for men's chorus and band
             "Sun and Stars" for band
1945:   "Mirage" for orchestra: 4 minutes
             "Memories of a Child's Sunday" for orchestra: 12 minutes   +  (Albany cd)
             Easter Motet "Alleluia" for chorus and brass or chorus, organ and brass   +  (version for chorus and brass-Albany cd)
1946:   "Blow the Man Down" for chorus, band and strings
             "Radio Piece" for orchestra: 5 minutes    *
             "Melody" for orchestra
             "Celebration"-Variations on a Timpani Theme from Howard Hanson's 'Third Symphony' for orchestra: 11 minutes
             Concerto for Two Pianos ands Orchestra: 24 minutes    +  (Kleos cd)
1947:   Accordion Concerto(Theme and Variations for Accordion and Orchestra)
             "The Quest"-a concert march and passacaglia for orchestra
1948:   Elegy and Paean for Viola and Orchestra
1949:   Violin Concerto: 27 minutes    + (Albany cd)
             "Kentucky Spring" for orchestra: 11 minutes    + (First Edition cd)
             "Fruit of Gold" for band
1950:   "Dark Devotion" for band
             "Kentucky Jazz Piece" for band
1951:   Cumberland Concerto for orchestra
             Fantasy for Piano and "Pops" Orchestra
             Red Cross Hymn for chorus and band
1951-52/55 Symphony No.7: 19 minutes      +  (Guild, Koch and Naxos cds)
1952:   Symphony for Band "West Point": 18 minutes    +  (Bay Cities cd)
1953:   Piano Concerto No.2
1954:   Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra(reworking of Piano Concerto No.2): 14 minutes    +  (Soundmark cd and download)
             Symphonic Epigram for orchestra: 12 minutes
             Symphonic Fantasy for orchestra
1955-58:Walt Whitman Symphony for baritone, chorus and orchestra (unfinished)
1955-56/59:Cantata "Give Me the Splendid Silent Sun" for baritone and orchestra:(derived from Walt Whitman Symphony)15 minutes    +  (Bridge cd)
             Ode to Consonance for orchestra: 10 minutes   *
1957:    "The Hustle with the Muscle" for men's chorus and band
1958:   Elegy for orchestra: 6 minutes       +  (Bay Cities cd)
             Dance for orchestra: 5 minutes      +  (Bay Cities cd)
             Symphonic Tone Poem "Ad Majorem Gloriam Universitatis Illinorum" for band: 15 minutes    *
1960:   Cantata "Canticle of the Sun" for soprano and chamber orchestra: 37 minutes
1961:   "The Life of Christ" for cello, chorus and orchestra  (unfinished)
1961-62:Symphony No.8 "San Francisco Symphony": 26 minutes    + (Albany cd)
1962:   Symphony No.9: 29 minutes     +   (Albany and Naxos cds)
1963:   "These Times" for small orchestra with piano: 14 minuutes   *
1964:   "Horn of Plenty" for Trumpet and Orchestra: 10 minutes
             "Epilogues to Profiles in Courage: JFK" for orchestra: 8 minutes    + (Naxos cd)
             Symphonic Suite" Salute to Youth": 12 minutes    *
             Fantasy for organ, brass and timpani      + (Bay Cities cd)
             "Jubilate for Worship" for chorus, brass, piano and percussion
1965/67:Symphony No.10 "Abraham Lincoln" for speaker, chorus, brass, two pianos and percussion(orchestral version lost): 39 minutes         *
             "Rhythm and Spaces" for string orchestra
1966:   Cantata "The Brotherhood of Man" for chorus and orchestra
1967:   Symphony No.11: 1967: 22 minutes     + (Albany cd)
1967-69:Symphony No.12 "Pere Marquette" for tenor, speaker and orchestra: 51 minutes        *
1968/71:Concerto for amplified piano, brass, percussion and string basses: (revised as Concert Piece): 19 minutes       +   (Citadel cd)
1970:   "Peace and Goodwill to All" for chorus, brass, organ and percussion
1971:   "Whether This Nation" for chorus and band
1973:   Folksong Suite for Harp and Orchestra (unfinished)
             Cantata to Life for soprano, winds, percussion and string basses
             "Lincoln's Legacy" for youth choir and band  (unfinished)
1975-76:Symphony No.13(originally Symphony No.14) "Bicentennial Symphony 1776" for chorus and orchestra with solo voices and speakers: 21 minutes     *

and      Theme Music for String Orchestra

[suffolkcoastal]

Just a couple of things I've noticed Dundonell.  The Bicentenial Symphony was not commenced until 1975 so should read 1975-6.  The Fantasy for Piano & Orchestra is available on CD, it appears as a Soundmark CD and is available to download from itunes. The Fantasy is a reworking of parts the 2nd Piano Concerto, I think I forgot to add that to my database so that's entirely my fault.
The work for Harp & Orchestra is entitled Folksong Suite for Harp & Orchestra, but that again could be my fault and a mistype on my part.

Thanks for putting this up Dundonell and for all your hard work with the various catalogues they are much appreciated.

If anyone is interested in the complete database of all Harris's works I'd be more than happy to email it to you. Or if anyone has any queries/questions about Harris and his music. Harris's music is one of my passions I have a over 85 works of his in recorded format a number of books and articles and other sources and a fair number of scores.

[Dundonnell]

Thank you for the corrections The mistakes were my fault