The story of American Classical Music is a story of different influences—the push and pull between European standards and models and found folk traditions.
When it came time to celebrate America’s 250th, we immediately thought of our friends from the Albany Symphony, who have always championed American Music and have commissioned and recorded as much new American music as anyone. We reached out to David Alan Miller, Music Director and Conductor of the Albany Symphony, and together we crafted this list of 250 important works. Who did we miss? Who is too high? Too low? Feel free to let us know what we’re missing.
250 Horatio Parker 3 Characteristic Pieces
249 Max Steiner The Adventures of Don Juan
248 Jessie Montgomery Coincident Dances
247 Victor Herbert Cello Concerto 2
246 Merit Woodruff Cradle Hymn
245 John Knowles Paine Funeral March in Memory of Lincoln, Op.9
244 John Frederick Peter Quintet 1 in D
243 Wynton Marsalis Violin Concerto
242 Mark O'Connor Appalachia Waltz
241 Michael Torke Last Fall
240 Gabriela Lena Frank Three Latin American Dances
239 Margaret Ruthven Lang The Spirit of the Old House, Op.58
238 John Williams War Horse
237 Reena Esmail Jhula Jhule
236 Howard Hanson Serenade Op.35
235 Samuel Barber Cello Concerto
234 Derek Bermel Migration Series
233 Tania Leon Pasajes (Voyages)
232 Walter Piston Suite for Orchestra 1
231 Paul Schoenfeld Café Music
230 Richard Rodgers Victory at Sea
229 David Raksin Laura (1944) - Main Theme
228 Miklos Rozsa Spellbound
227 William Grant Still Lyric Quartet
226 Christopher Rouse Bassoon Concerto (2017)
225 Ellen Taaffe Zwilich Episodes
224 Valerie Coleman Umoja: Anthem of Unity
223 Reena Esmail one word makes a world
222 John Adams China Gates
221 Clarice Assad Sin Fronteras
220 Dimitri Tiomkin It's a Wonderful Life Suite
219 Michael Torke Three Manhattan Bridges
218 Alan Silvestri Polar Express Suite
217 Alan Shulman Waltzes for Orchestra
216 Arthur Foote Scherzo for Flute & String Quartet
215 Libby Larsen Symphony 5 "Solo Symphony"
214 Viet Cuong Re[new]al
213 Cole Porter Kiss Me Kate Overture
212 Sarah Kirkland Snider Chrysalis
211 Julia Perry Stabat mater
210 Florence Price 5 Folksongs in Counterpoint
209 Scott Joplin Gladiolus Rag
208 Kenneth Fuchs Point of Tranquility
207 Rogers & Hammerstein Oklahoma Overture
206 John Christopher Moller Quartet in E-Flat
205 Margaret Bonds Montgomery Variations
204 Randall Thompson Symphony no. 2
203 Libby Larsen Symphony: Water Music
202 Bernard Herrmann North by North-west: Overture
201 Charles Tomlinson Griffes The White Peacock
200 Adolphus Hailstork Epitaph for a Man Who Dreamed
199 Thomas Hastings Rock of Ages
198 Arthur Foote Three Pieces for Flute, Oboe & Cello
197 Cecil Effinger Little Symphony no. 1
196 Aaron Copland Symphony 3
195 David Amram Theme & Variations on "Red River Valley"
194 Irving Berlin Puttin on the Ritz
193 William Bolcom 12 New Etudes for Piano
192 Harry T Burleigh Deep River
191 John Corigliano Red Violin Concerto
190 Duke Ellington Black, Brown and Beige
189 Lukas Foss Renaissance Concerto
188 Don Gillis Symphony X: The Big D
187 George Gershwin Summertime
186 Victor Herbert Irish Rhapsody
185 Philip Glass Mad Rush
184 Louis Moreau Gottschalk Grande tarantelle
183 Franz Waxman Prince Valiant Suite
182 Dana Suesse Concerto in Three Rhythms
181 Bernard Herrmann Psycho Suite
180 Geogre Antheil Serenade 1
179 David Diamond Music for Shakepeare's Romeo & Juliet
178 Don Gillis Paul Bunyan: An Overture to a Legend
177 David Del Tredici Final Alice
176 Randall Thompson Alleluia
175 George Crumb Echoes of Time & the River (1967)
174 Viet Cuong Next Week's Trees
173 Reena Esmail Rosa del Sal
172 Max Steiner Casablanca Suite
171 John Philip Sousa The New York Hippodrome
170 Kevin Puts Contact, Triple concerto
169 Jerome Moross The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Suite
168 Adolphus Hailstork An American Port of Call
167 Eric Whitacre The Pacific Has No Memory
166 John Williams Jaws
165 Philip Glass Glassworks
164 Duke Ellington Lush Life
163 Charles Ives Piano Sonata 2 "Concord Mass"
162 Charles Tomlinson Griffes Three Tone Pictures
161 Frederic Rzewski The People United will Never Be Defeated
160 William Grant Still Suite for Violin & Piano
159 William Schuman New England Tryptich
158 Peter Mennin Concertato for Orchestra "Moby Dick"
157 Christopher Theofanidis Rainbow Body
156 Erich Wolfgang Korngold Much Ado About Nothing Suite
155 Horatio Parker A Northern Ballad
154 Walter Piston Incredible Flutist
153 Morton Gould Fall River Legend
152 Bernard Herrmann Fahrenheit 451 Suite
151 Joan Tower Sequoia
150 Caroline Shaw Is a Rose (And so)
149 Amy Beach A Hermit Thrush at Morn
148 Traditional Shenendoah
147 John Philip Sousa The Stars & Stripes Forever
146 Leroy Anderson Waltzing Cat
145 Michael Daugherty Reflections on the Mississippi
144 Leonard Bernstein Serenade
143 Rogers & Hammerstein Sound of Music
142 Edward MacDowell Woodland Sketches: To a Wild Rose
141 Franz Waxman Rebecca Suite (1940)
140 Louis Moreau Gottschalk Bamboula
139 Aaron Jay Kernis New Era Dances
138 John Frederick Peter Symphony in G
137 George Tsontakis October
136 Miklos Rozsa Madame Bovary Waltz
135 Romeo Cascarino Pygmallion
134 Don Gillis Symphony 5 1/2
133 Morton Gould American Salute
132 Charles Ives The Unanswered Question
131 Adolphus Hailstork Piano Concerto 1
130 Ferde Grofe Hudson River Suite
129 Clarice Assad Bohemian Queen: Concerto for Trumpet & Strings
128 Howard Hanson Symphony no. 2 "Romantic"
127 Aaron Copland Old American Songs
126 Roy Harris Symphony no. 3
125 Louis Moreau Gottschalk A Night in the Tropics
124 John Harbison The Great Gatsby Suite
123 Bernard Herrmann Vertigo: suite
122 David Diamond Rounds for Strings
121 John Corigliano Conjurer: Percussion concerto
120 Ulysses Kay Concerto for Orchestra
119 Ned Rorem Piano Concerto no. 2
118 Max Steiner Gone with the Wind : Tara's theme
117 Samuel Barber Knoxville: Summer of 1915
116 Stephen Sondheim A Little Night Music Suite
115 Romeo Cascarino The Acadian Land
114 Rogers & Hammerstein The King & I Overture
113 Ellen Taaffe Zwilich Symphony no. 1
112 John Williams Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
111 Harold Arlen Wizard of Oz: Over the Rainbow
110 Leroy Anderson Trumpeter's Lullaby
109 Alfred Newman Wuthering Heights - Cathy's Theme
108 Duke Ellington Caravan
107 George Gershwin Embraceable You
106 Jennifer Higdon Harp Concerto
105 Steven Stucky Dreamwaltzes
104 John Williams Munich
103 Elmer Bernstein Guitar Concerto: For Two Christophers
102 William Billings Bethlehem
101 Samuel Barber Overture to the School for Scandal
