Howard Hanson

Born October 28, 1896 in Wahoo, Nebraska

Died February 26, 1981

Nationality: American

Period/Style: Modern

About the composer:

Howard Hanson was from Swedish heritage, and there was a large Swedish community in the town where he was born.  His mother was his first music teacher, and later he studied at Luther College in Wahoo and at the Institute of Musical Art in New York City, which is now known as the Juilliard School.  He won a very important award in 1921, and then traveled to Italy to study with the composer Respighi, who helped Hanson understand orchestration better.  He became director of the Eastman School in Rochester, New York and stayed there for forty years, helping to build that school into one of the finest university schools of music in America. In his day he was considered to be the most important of all American composers.

About the music:

Symphony #2 “Romantic” (excerpt)

During his years at the Eastman School Hanson wrote the “Romantic” Symphony.  He wrote it in the style of other Romantic composers from years earlier, even though he was well into the 20^th Century, because he didn’t like the way music was beginning to sound. Many composers of his day were experimenting with “new music” and Hanson didn’t like it.  He wanted his music to be lyrical, warm, vigorous and youthful.  He wanted it to express emotion, and to be appealing to listeners.

Suggested activities:

Find the names of some composers who lived during the Romantic period (1825-1900).

What does the word “romantic” mean?