Virgil Thomson(1896-1989): a Catalogue of the Orchestral and Choral Music

[Dundonnell]

Virgil Thomson is another composer whose works prove very difficult to catalogue. He was in the habit of reusing material from one composition in another work, he produced different versions of the same work for different combinations of instruments or soloists, and he wrote a very large amount of music which lasts less than five minutes (in fact, apart from the Oratorio version of "Four Saints in Three Acts", the Missa pro defunctis and the composite version of Eight Portraits, I can find nothing longer than 25 minutes). I have tried my best to make this list accurate but no doubt there will be mistakes

VIRGIL THOMSON: A CATALOGUE OF THE ORCHESTRAL AND CHORAL MUSIC

1923:   Two Sentimental Tangos for orchestra: 5 minutes
1926-28:Symphony on a Hymn Tune: 21 minutes   +  (Mercury, Albany and Naxos cds)
1930/41:Symphony No.2: 16 minutes      +  (Albany and Naxos cds)
1934:   Oratorio "Four Saints in Three Acts" for two sopranos, two mezzo-sopranos, two tenors, baritone, two basses, chorus and orchestra: 45 minutes
1936:   "The Plow That Broke The Plains" for narrator and orchestra: 26 minutes
1937:   Ballet Suite "Filling Station: 15 minutes   +  (Albany cd)
             Suite "The River" for orchestra: 24 minutes   + (EMI and Naxos cds)
             The John Mosher Waltzes  for orchestra: 2 minutes
1940:   Fanfare for France(Max Kahn) for brass and percussion: 3 minutes
1940-45:Eight Portraits for orchestra: 29 minutes
1942:   Suite "The Plow That Broke The Plains": 16 minutes    +  (Hyperion, EMI and Naxos cds)
1944:   Cantabile for Strings: A Portrait of Nicholas de Chatel: 4 minutes
             Percussion piece for orchestra: 3 minutes
1945:   Fugue and Chorale on "Yankee Doodle" for orchestra: 4 minutes
1945-50:Cello Concerto: 23 minutes   +  (Albany and Naxos cds)
1948:   "The Seine at Night" for orchestra: 8 minutes   + (Bmop cd)
              Suite "Louisiana Story" for orchestra: 20 minutes   +  (Vox, Hyperion and Ess.a.y. Recordings cds)
             "Louisiana Story: Acadian Songs and dances" for orchestra: 15 minutes     +  (Hyperion and Ess.a.y. Recordings cds)
             "Wheat Field at Noon" for orchestra: 7 minutes   +  (Bmop cd)
1949:     A Solemn Music for Band: 7 minutes
              Concert Waltz "At the Beach" for Trumpet and Band: 5 minutes
              Suite "Mother of Us All" for orchestra: 18 minutes
1951:     Five Songs from William Blake for baritone and orchestra: 16 minutes      +  (Bmop cd)
1952:    "Sea Piece with Birds" for orchestra: 5 minutes   +  (Bmop cd)
              Three Pictures for Orchestra: 21 minutes
1954:    Concerto for Flute, strings and percussion: a Portrait of Roger Baker: 14 minutes     +  (Cedille cd)
1957:   Ode to the Wonders of Nature for chamber orchestra: 3 minutes
            "The Lively Arts Fugue" for chamber orchestra: 2 minutes
1958:   Suite "Power Among Men: Fugues and Cantilenas" for orchestra: 16 minutes   +   (Hyperion cd)
             "Johannes Brahms: Eleven Chorale Preludes for Organ" for orchestra: 25 minutes
1959:   Collected Poems for soprano, baritone and orchestra: 7 minutes  +  (Bmop cd)
1960:   Missa pro defunctis for chorus and orchestra: 45 minutes
             Stabat Mater for soprano and string orchestra: 6 minutes
1961:   "Crossing Brooklyn Bridge" for orchestra: 7 minutes
1962:   Solemn Music and a Joyful Fugue for orchestra: 12 minutes  +  (Albany and Bmop cds)
             Dance in Praise for orchestra: 9 minutes
             Mass for chorus and orchestra: 14 minutes
1964:   "Autumn-Concertino for Harp, Strings and Percussion: 10 minutes      + (EMI cd)
             "The Feast of Love" for baritone and orchestra: 8 minutes  +  (Mercury, Bridge and Bmop cds)
             "Pilgrims and Pioneers, from John Houseman's Film "Journey to America" for orchestra: 9 minutes    + (Naxos cd)
1966:    Fantasy in Homage to an Earlier England for orchestra: 12 minutes
1967:   "The Nativity as Sung by The Shepherds" for chorus and orchestra: 7 minutes
              From Byron's "Don Juan" for tenor and orchestra: 14 minutes  + (Albany cd)
1968:   Five Tenor Solos from the Opera "Lord Byron" for tenor and orchestra: 10 minutes   
1972:   Symphony No.3:16 minutes   +  (CRI and Naxos cds)
1974:    "Ragtime Bass" for orchestra: 2 minutes
              Cantata on Poems of Edward Lear for soprano, baritone, chorus and orchestra: 21 minutes
1975:    Ballet "Parson Weems and the Cheery Tree" for small orchestra: 25 minutes
1981:   "Thoughts for Strings": 4 minutes
1982:   "Four Saints: An Olio" for chamber orchestra: 20 minutes
             Eleven Portraits for orchestra: 14 minutes
             Cantantes Eamus for chorus and orchestra: 1 minute   + (Albany cd)
1985:   "A Pair of Portraits" for orchestra: 5 minutes

[TerraEpon]

Virgil Thomson is another composer whose works prove very difficult to catalogue. He was in the habit of reusing material from one composition in another work, he produced different versions of the same work for different combinations of instruments or soloists, and he wrote a very large amount of music which lasts less than five minutes (in fact, apart from the Oratorio version of "Four Saints in Three Acts", the Missa pro defunctis and the composite version of Eight Portraits, I can find nothing longer than 25 minutes). I have tried my best to make this list accurate but no doubt there will be mistakes

Hmmm, was he a fan of Percy Grainger perhaps?

(Now there's an extraordinarily difficult composer to catalog...)

[alberto]

The (to me very entertaining) 1948 suite "Acadian songs and dances" exists also in a version (uncomplete, but the best movements are there) by Kostelanetz and the NYPO (Sony).