Symphony No. 2 (Paine)

For the Lied by Schubert, see Im Frühling.

For the 1929 Soviet film, see In Spring (film).

Symphony No. 2 in A major, subtitled Im Frühling or In Spring, is the second symphony by American composer John Knowles Paine.

History

The symphony was composed in 1879 and published in Boston in 1880,^[1][2] at a time when few American composers were able to find publishers for symphonic works. It was also premiered in Boston in 1880, and was extremely well received, prompting handkerchief-waving and shouting at the first performance.^[3] Historian Louis Elson compared its final movement to Robert Schumann's Symphony in B flat, which is also subtitled "Spring".^[3]

Instrumentation

2 Flutes

2 Oboes

2 A Clarinets

2 Bassoons

4 Horns

2 Trumpets

2 Trombones

1 Bass Trombone

Timpani

Strings

Structure

The symphony is in four movements:

1. Adagio sostenuto - "Departure of Winter" Allegro ma non troppo "Awakening of Nature"
2. Scherzo Allegro "May-Night Fantasy"
3. Adagio "A Romance of Springtime"
4. Allegro giojoso "The Glory of Nature"^[2]

Use in film and television

The second and third movements were heard and shown performed at a concert in the fourth episode of the first season of the HBO television series The Gilded Age, depicting a performance in New York City in 1882.