Hearing The Pulitzers

Episode 2: 1944 - Howard Hanson, Symphony No. 4 ("Requiem")

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore the winner of the second Pulitzer Prize in Music, Howard Hanson and his Symphony No. 4 ("Requiem"). Hanson is known today for his impact on how we teach and train musicians in colleges and universities, but his music has fallen a bit out of favor. Join us as we see if his exclusion from concert halls is justified.

 

If you'd like to know more about Howard Hanson, we recommend:

1. Harmonic Materials of Modern Music, Howard Hanson's book on music theory freely available online.
2. Allen Cohen's Howard Hanson in Theory and Practice, from Praeger Publishers in 2004.
3. Emily Abrams Ansari, The Sound of a Superpower: Musical Americanism and the Cold War, from Oxford University Press, 2018. This book combines Schuman and Hanson into one chapter and includes chapters on upcoming Pulitzer winners Aaron Copland and Virgil Thomson, exploring how all shaped American musical culture midcentury.

Episode 1 - 1943: William Schuman, Secular Cantata, No. 2, "A Free Song"

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore the winner of the first Pulitzer Prize in Music, William Schuman and his Secular Cantata No. 2, "A Free Song." The work was William Schuman's contribution to the American war effort during World War II, but remains more of a curiosity than a mainstay in the choral/orchestral repertoire.

If you'd like to know more about William Schuman and how he won the prize, we recommend:

1. Steve Swayne's biography Orpheus in Manhattan: William Schuman and the Shaping of America's Musical Life (New York: Oxford University Press, 2011)
2. Steve Swayne's article on "A Free Song," "William Schuman, World War II, and the Pulitzer Prize," The Musical Quarterly, Volume 89, Issue 2-3 (Summer-Fall 2006): 273–320

Finally, several listeners have asked about our wonderful announcer for the podcast; Dale Morehouse is a marvelous singer, teacher, and stage director, and we're fortunate he agreed to help us out with the podcast.

Welcome to "Hearing the Pulitzers!"

Welcome to "Hearing the Pulitzers," a new podcast that examines and analyzes each winning Pulitzer Prize in Music composition and composer!

In the first episode, Andrew and Dave discuss the impetus behind starting the podcast, how each episode will be organized, and some opening thoughts on the history of the music prize and the whole concept and meaning of the Pulitzer Prize. Please subscribe to receive each new episode.

If you're interested in further reading or want to see what resources we used for this episode, we recommend:

1. Julia K. Kuhlman's "Prizes, Winning, and Identity: Narrative Vocal Music of the Pulitzer Prize, 2008–2018"
2. Heinz-Dietrich Fischer's edited book The Pulitzer Prize Winners for Music (Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 2010). 

We also want to thank the Society for American Music for their support of this podcast through their Sight and Sound Subvention. The Society for American Music is dedicated to the study, teaching, creation, and dissemination of all musics in the Americas, so check out their many outstanding projects.

Want to contact us? Email us at hearingthepulitzers@gmail.com and follow us at twitter and Facebook @HPulitzers.