14

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Mennin Biography and Overview of his Symphonies

Peter Mennin was born 17 May 1923 in Erie, Pennsylvania to parents Attilio and

Amelia Mennini.45 He later Americanized his name to Mennin to help differentiate

himself from his older brother, Louis, who also composed. By taking early solfeggio and

piano lessons with the local musician, Tito Spantani, he reportedly learned to read music

before being able to read or write.46 He also later realized he had perfect pitch.

Mennin composed his first piano piece before age seven47 and attempted a

symphony at age eleven.48 Other early compositions include more piano pieces and a

number of songs, some of which were set to the texts of Emily Dickinson.49 Of his early

musical influences, Mennin states:

When I was very young, it was Verdi…The bulk of my lessons were

drawn from Verdi operas. Then for a while I had had enough of Verdi, too
much. Later, when I was older, I fell in love with Verdi all over again, and
for good. But while I was a student Beethoven was certainly one of the
dominant influences, not only for the usual good reasons—because the
music was great, because it moved me emotionally—but because I could
learn so much from Beethoven.50

45
Holland, "Peter Mennin, Juilliard President and Prolific Composer, Dies at 60."
46
David Ewen, American Composers a Biographical Dictionary (New York: G.P.
Putnam's Sons, 1982), 449.
47
Carrington, "“for the Sake of Art”: A Talk with Peter Mennin.," 40.
48
"Current Biography," ed. Charles Moritz (New York: H. W. Wilson Co., 1964), 289.
49
Carrington, "“for the Sake of Art”: A Talk with Peter Mennin.," 40.
50
Peter Mennin, as quoted in Soria, "Artist Life," MA-6.
 15

After high school, Mennin attended the Oberlin Conservatory for two years in

1940, studying with Normand Lockwood. Though Mennin claims to have learned much

from Lockwood, overall, he said they “did not hit it off too well.”51 During this time, he

completed the following works, all of which he later withdrew from publication for

unknown reasons: Alleluia for Mixed Chorus (1941), Four Songs for Soprano and Piano

on poems of Emily Dickinson (1941), Sonata for Organ (1941), String Quartet No. 1

(1941), and Symphony No. 1 (1941).

Symphony No. 1

In 1941, Mennin—only eighteen years old— scored his First Symphony for

piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, English horn, two clarinets, bass clarinet, two bassoons,

four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, three other percussionists, and

standard string parts.52 This fairly traditional instrumentation would become, with

minimal adjustments, the normal configuration for all his symphonies. According to the

composer, the duration of Symphony No. 1 is forty-five minutes53 and, as he said later in

Time magazine, “too damn long.”54 Consequently, he withdrew this symphony from

publication, so no score, recordings, or reviews are available.

Mennin left Oberlin in 1942 when drafted into the U.S. Army Air Force. He

51
Peter Mennin, as quoted in Carrington, "“for the Sake of Art”: A Talk with Peter
Mennin.," 40.
52
The standard string section consists of violins I and II, violas, violoncellos, and
contrabasses.
53
Interestingly, his main publisher, Carl Fischer, still lists this work, and at a much
longer timing of 53:00 (not 45:00) minutes. Peter Mennin List of Works, [Web Page]
(Carl Fischer Music Publishing, 3 March 2003); available from
http://www.carlfischer.com/menninworks.html.
54
Peter Mennin, as quoted in "No. 4," Time, 28 March 1949, 45.
 16

worked for a year as a clerk at the officers’ candidate school in Florida. After his

honorable discharge as a Second Lieutenant in 1943, he entered the Eastman School of

Music because of their distinct policy of playing student works: “I had a yen to hear my

things.”55 Before his enrollment, he finally heard his Symphony No. 1 in a Rochester,

N.Y. performance conducted by Howard Hanson.56

I was able to get a disk [vinyl record], take it home, study the sections I
liked and didn’t like, and thereby improve my own craft. To me, that was
the biggest help of all.57

Mennin received all three of his college degrees at Eastman, and amazingly

completed them in only four years total— a bachelor of music and a master of music

degree in 1945 and a Ph. D. in 1947. While there, Mennin studied composition with

Bernard Rogers and Howard Hanson, the former of which offered him a position as his

assistant instructor in orchestration. Of the latter, Mennin notes:

Hanson’s music was very different from mine, and he never expressed any
particular liking for my music, but at the same time he was a very big help
to me…I’ve learned from a number of people, I think, in spite of whether
I’ve liked or disliked them. As a matter of fact, I think you do not learn
properly from a teacher whose music you have enormous admiration for.58

By the time he graduated from Eastman, Mennin had completed the following

works, two of which were the result of commissions: Concertino for Flute, Strings, and

Percussion (1944), Folk Overture (1945), Fantasia for String Orchestra (1947, for the

League of Composers for its 25th Anniversary), Sinfonia for Chamber Orchestra (1946,

for NBC Station WHAM, Rochester, N.Y.), and Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3 (1944 and

55
Peter Mennin, as quoted in Carrington, "“for the Sake of Art”: A Talk with Peter
Mennin.," 40.
56
Ibid.
57
Ibid.
58
Ibid.
 17

1946).

Symphony No. 2

Symphony No. 2 was Mennin’s master’s thesis, though he provided no written

analysis of it. The only difference in scoring from his First Symphony is in a third flute

part that doubles the piccolo, and in the omission of the bass clarinet. According to the

publisher, its duration is thirty-one minutes, which is shorter than his previous symphony,

but longer than all subsequent ones. Since this was also a student work, no recordings or

reviews are available, though the score is available from Mennin’s main publisher, Carl

Fischer Music, and from the Sibley Library of the Eastman School of Music.

Interestingly, this score still bears his original surname, Mennini.59

The Second Symphony is in three movements: Allegro deciso (q=132); Andante

moderato (q =86-96); and Allegro vigoroso (q =132-136). This three-movement, fast-

slow-fast structure is typical of all his later symphonies except for his Seventh and

Eighth. The whole work is mostly in common time: of the first movement’s 310

measures, all but 6 are; of the second movement’s 165 measures, all but 29 are; and of

the third movement’s 317 measures, all but 2 are.

Mennin treats the main sections of the orchestra (woodwinds, brasses, strings, and

percussion) as groups. Usually, each section performs different material, but

occasionally, in specific places of emphasis, passages may be performed tutti (see Ex. 1).

59
Peter Mennini, “Second Symphony” (M.M. Score, University of Rochester, 1945).
 18

Ex. 1. A tutti passage in the winds and strings. Symphony No. 2, Movement I, mm. 283-
285.

The strings are the predominant force of this work, mostly playing throughout, and the

brasses provide punctuation and an occasional melody. Mennin uses percussion sparsely,

mainly for punctuation and for the one unaccompanied solo passage in the work (timpani,

second movement: mm. 114-118). The score is without key signature, as are all his

symphonies, and the notation of this work is traditional. Mennin uses chromatic harmony

but often with modal and tonal centers. He foreshadows his technique of overlapping
 19

modal ostinato, which will be used to a larger extent in most of his other symphonies (see

Ex. 2).

Ex. 2. Overlapping string ostinatos in C Dorian. Symphony No. 2, Movement III, mm.
291-293.

On 27 March 1945, Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic

performed the Second in Washington, D.C. That same year, one movement won the first

Gershwin Memorial award and the whole symphony won the Bearns Prize in

Composition from Columbia University. Despite all the success, though, Mennin still

dismisses the work: “Let’s just forget about the Second.”60

In 1946, Mennin studied conducting with Serge Koussevitzky at Tanglewood and

continued to gain recognition for his compositions. He received an American Academy

60
Peter Mennin, as quoted in "No. 4," 45.
 20

of Arts and Letters award and his Folk Overture received performances by Hanson in

Rochester, N.Y., Hans Kindler and the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington,

D.C. (during multiple seasons), and the New York Philharmonic.

Symphony No. 3

Mennin completed his Third Symphony on his twenty-third birthday, 17 May

1946. It was his doctoral dissertation,61 which he completed about one year before he

received his degree. Walter Hendl and the New York Philharmonic premiered the work

27 February 1947, even before his Eastman doctoral committee accepted it, “much to

their annoyance.”62 This work’s overall success brought the young Mennin international

attention through a recording grant from the Walter W. Naumburg Foundation and

performances by prominent conductors such as Dimitri Mitropoulos, Fritz Reiner, Artur

Rodzinski, Thomas Schippers, and George Szell. In a 1949 review of the work after its

first publication, Richard Goldman writes:

The symphony has not the slightest sound of paper-music. This is a tribute
to Mennin’s command of his idiom and his understanding of musical
realities behind dexterities of technique. One feels spontaneity and life in
the music rather than cleverness; although the cleverness is formidable, it
never makes one feel that it is displayed as an end in itself.63

Mennin scored the Third the same as his Second, except for omitting the English

horn. According to the publisher, the duration of No. 3 is 23:00 minutes and actual

recordings by the Seattle Symphony and the Albany Symphony list it as 20:28 and 22:14,

61
Although Symphony No. 3 was Mennin’s doctoral dissertation, he provided no written
analysis of it.
62
Simmons, notes to Symphonies Nos. 3 & 7; Piano Concerto
63
Richard F. Goldman, "Symphony No. 3: Peter Mennin," Musical Quarterly v. 35
(January 1949): 114.
 21

respectively. This work is a bit shorter than his previous two symphonies and roughly the

average duration of all his subsequent ones.

Like the Second, the Third is in three movements, but each movement is in, and

completely remains in, a different time signature. The first movement is in 32 and begins

a quick Allegro robusto (h = 132). It slows sixty-eight measures later to a Poco meno

mosso (h = 120), returning to the original tempo at mm. 112, and ending slower (h = 92)

from measures 182-199. The second movement is a soulful Andante moderato (q = 80) for

111 measures in 44 and the third movement is a quick Allegro assai (h = 132) for 507

measures in 22 . Of each movement, Mennin wrote:

The first movement…makes use of two ideas that are developed

polyphonically. Rhythmic and melodic extensions finally lead to a canon
for full orchestra. The movement ends quietly.

The second movement…is an extended song that moves along

expressively, making use of sustained voice-weaving.

The third movement…is a movement of full rhythmic impulse and

with broad lines set off by polyphony of the orchestra.64

The polyphony that Mennin repeatedly mentions is one of the most important

style characteristics of his music from this point on. All of his later symphonies except

No. 9 make extensive use of counterpoint in one form or another, often overshadowing

the functional importance of harmony (see Ex. 3).

64
Peter Mennin, as quoted from the liner notes to Mennin, Schwarz, and Seattle
Symphony Orchestra, Peter Mennin: Moby Dick; Symphonies Nos. 3 & 7.
 22

Ex. 3. Counterpoint. Symphony No. 3, Movement III, mm. 257-267. © 1946, Carl
Fischer, LLC. Reprinted with permission.

Mennin’s imitative counterpoint is rarely strict, usually spinning out in a fashion

similar to that of the Renaissance ricercar or fantasia. This is understandable since

Mennin often acknowledged “the choral masters of the Renaissance” as a strong

compositional influence.65 Richard Goldman writes of his proficiency incorporating the

65
"Peter Mennin," 310.
 23

old techniques: “He has in some way found time to acquire a scholar’s knowledge of

principles and a craftsman’s mastery of techniques that are wholly remarkable; he can

talk intelligently and enthusiastically about “old” music and yet write music of his own

that is neither academic nor self-consciously mannered.”66 Another technique borrowed

from the Renaissance (before measured music) is his treatment of the melody as

independent from the bar line. Mennin does not let the bar line inhibit the freedom of his

melodies and he uses this approach throughout his later works (see Ex. 4).

Ex. 4. Melody independent from the bar line. Symphony No. 3, Movement I, mm. 4-10.
© 1946, Carl Fischer, LLC. Reprinted with permission.

Mennin’s themes in the Third are mostly modal, though he favors both raised and

lowered versions of scale degrees, particularly the third and second (see Ex. 5).

Ex. 5. Chromatic inflections of a melody. Symphony No. 3, Movement I, mm. 19-24. ©

1946, Carl Fischer, LLC. Reprinted with permission.

66
Goldman, "Symphony No. 3: Peter Mennin," 112.
 24

He also uses overlapping ostinatos (as seen in the Second) in all movements, where they

again emphasize modal harmonies (see Ex. 6).

Ex. 6. Overlapping modal ostinatos of G Lydian, C Lydian, and E Dorian. Symphony No.
3, Movement I, mm. 112-116. © 1946, Carl Fischer, LLC. Reprinted with permission.

The Third Symphony is where Mennin first begins to use and develop his

characteristic long melodic lines. He incorporates these “long lines” throughout all of his

subsequent symphonies. Even just two years before his death, Mennin stated in an

interview: “Though certain things have changed a little bit, the long, singing line hasn’t;

it’s something that, to this moment, I believe in, and I think it’s one of the reasons why

one writes music.”67 A good example of the typical Mennin long line occurs at the end of

movement III, where he takes one of the movement’s themes (originally fifteen measures

in length) and, through augmentation, creates an extended melody that now covers fifty-

eight measures (see Ex. 7).

67
Owens, "Composer Peter Mennin: An Interview."
 25

Ex. 7. A typically long melody in C Locrian, played by the woodwinds and violins.
Symphony No. 3, Movement III, mm. 384-441. © 1946, Carl Fischer, LLC. Reprinted
with permission.

Also, Mennin regularly uses long lines in his slow movements, since his slow movements

are always in a solemn and singing, contrasting character to the surrounding fast

movements (see Ex. 8).

 26

Ex. 8. A long melody from Mennin’s second movement. Symphony No. 3, Movement II,
mm. 36-57. © 1946, Carl Fischer, LLC. Reprinted with permission.

After graduating from Eastman, Mennin—only twenty-four years old—accepted

an appointment to the composition faculty of Juilliard, where he remained for about

eleven years. In addition, he married, on 28 August 1947, Georganne Bairnson (b. 1924),

a violinist and, like himself, a recent graduate of Eastman.68 Together they would have

two children, Felicia Anne (b. 1958) and Mark (b. 1960), both of whom attended the

Juilliard Preparatory Division,69 though neither pursued musical careers.70

During Mennin’s first year at Juilliard, Walter Hendl and the New York

Philharmonic premiered his Fantasia for String Orchestra and he received the first of his

two Guggenheim Fellowship Grants. Mennin also returned to writing works for voice. He

68
Ewen, American Composers a Biographical Dictionary, 450.
69
Soria, "Artist Life," MA-7.
70
Ayers, “The Major Choral Works of Peter Mennin.” 10.
 27

composed Four Settings of Chinese Poems by Kiang Kang-Hu71 for a cappella SATB

chorus and wrote his first, and only, choral symphony (No. 4, subtitled “The Cycle”).

Symphony No. 4 (The Cycle)

For Mennin, it had been about seven years since he last composed for voice, and

those works he completed while still a student. Symphony No. 4 was his first

“professional” symphony, commissioned by Robert Shaw’s Collegiate Chorale. It shows

a marked change in the overall scope and technique of his symphonic writing, which may

be because of his shift from student to teacher and to the influences of his new

surroundings at Juilliard. These changes mark the beginning of Mennin’s mature “middle

period” of symphony composition. This period includes Symphony Nos. 4-6.

According to Mennin, the Fourth is “a symphony of two forces of equal

importance.”72 He composed it for SATB chorus and orchestra, with the same orchestra

instrumentation as the Third, though with a separate piccolo part and no third flute. Its

published duration is 23:00 minutes (like the Third) and the commercial recording by the

Camerata Singers and Symphony Orchestra lists it as 23:55.

In addition to composing the music, Mennin also wrote the short text to the work

(see appendix A). He said he did so because he was unable to find, “a very simple, bony

text that could bear repetition over and over and not interfere with the developments of

the music.”73 Unfortunately, the text has been a source of great criticism: “No darling of

71
The Juilliard Music Foundation commissioned Four Settings, which consists of In the
Quiet Night, A Song of the Palace, Crossing the Han River, and The Gold Threaded
Robe. Translations by Witter Bynner.
72
Peter Mennin, as quoted in Ayers, “The Major Choral Works of Peter Mennin.” 38.
73
Ibid., 3.
 28

the muse, Mr. Mennin satisfied himself with the statement of a few large ideas, which

presumably meant a great deal to him when he was conceiving the symphony…I do not

think Mr. Mennin’s poetry will find its way into many anthologies.”74 “[The Fourth’s]

basic materials are less inspired than the handling of them… Fortunately, [Mennin] is a

far better composer than poet, and his treatment of the chorus is remarkably effective.”75

The Collegiate Chorale premiered the Fourth in Carnegie Hall with Robert Shaw

and the New York Philharmonic on 18 March 1949. Despite any possible weaknesses

with the text, a Time magazine review of the premiere praised the work:

Mennin’s Fourth, “The Cycle,” was an ambitious choral symphony in

which he worked out the chorus in all three movements instead of just the
last (as Beethoven did in his Ninth)…At times, [it] sounded as if it were
about to sound like someone else; there were Stravinsky-like dissonances,
used sparingly and for punctuation, in the opening of the rhythm in first
movement, and there were Hindemith or Shostakovich traces in the lyric
andante. But each time, and overall, the music came out strongly
Mennin—energetically powerful, open and clean.76

The Fourth follows his usual three-movement format: a fast Allegro energico (q =

132); a slow Andante arioso (q = 60); and a fast Allegro deciso (h = 132). However,

uncommon to his symphonies up to this time, Mennin begins a fast movement with a

slower introduction.77 He did this again in his Sixth, Eighth, and Ninth symphonies.

74
Cecil Smith, "Symphony No. 4 the Cycle--for a Chorus of Mixed Voices and
Orchestra," Notes v. 6 (June 1949): 488.
75
Robert Sabin, "A Choral Symphony by a Young American," Musical America v. 69
(April 15, 1949): 36.
76
"No. 4," 45.
77
The slower introduction is in the last movement of the Fourth, which begins at a
Pronunziato ( = 92) for 25 measures.
 29

Also for the first time, Mennin beams notes through the bar line. This approach is

typical of Mennin’s later works and allows him to show overlapping phrases that may not

line up with bar lines or with other simultaneous phrases (see Ex. 9).

Ex. 9. Beaming through the bar lines. Symphony No. 4, Movement I, mm. 23-29. ©
1948, Carl Fischer, LLC. Reprinted with permission.

Walter Hendl comments on the freedom of Mennin’s melodies:

The bar line plays little or no inhibiting part in determining the full
freedom of the melodies…The variety and flexibility of rhythm
immediately become apparent when one notices the overlapping of
phrases of unequal length. This irregularity produces a subtle
polyrhythmic effect that thrusts the music constantly forward. It is this
spontaneous feeling for the smallest unit of rhythm that gives Mennin’s
music its natural flexibility and variety.78

Also lending to the music’s flexibility and variety is Mennin’s use of meter in the

Fourth. Although the first movement remains in 24 for all but two of its 327 measures,

78
Walter Hendl, "The Music of Peter Mennin," Juilliard Review Spring (1954): 20,22-3.
 30

the second movement, which begins in 34 , frequently changes meter throughout its 123-

measure length. Likewise, the third movement’s 446 measures begin in 32 and also

frequently change meter, though not as rapidly as in the previous one. Mennin uses meter

shifts to allow the words to line up with downbeats, while not making them conform to

the rigid patterns of regular meters (see Ex. 10).

Ex. 10. Shifting meters. Symphony No.4, Movement III, mm. 1-7. © 1948, Carl Fischer,
LLC. Reprinted with permission.

By adding instrumental melodies that freely move about the bar lines, Mennin creates a

complex structure that flows naturally and openly while maintaining complete

independence in all parts (see Ex. 11).

 31

Ex. 11. Shifting meters and beams through bar lines. Symphony No. 4, Movement II,
mm. 61-64. © 1948, Carl Fischer, LLC. Reprinted with permission.

The unifying motive that ties all three movements together is the descending

minor second, an interval that is present in all but one of the Fourth’s themes.79 Mennin

favors the minor second (ascending or descending) in most of his later works (see Ex.

12).

Ex. 12. Minor seconds in the first theme. Symphony No. 4, Movement I, mm. 1-5. ©
1948, Carl Fischer, LLC. Reprinted with permission.

79
Ayers, “The Major Choral Works of Peter Mennin.” 44.
 32

The Fourth certainly was a large undertaking. According to Mennin, “Virgil

Thompson said it was like combining an army with an air force with one project in

mind.”80 Some critics, however, dispute Mennin’s effectiveness of combining the

performing forces:

The orchestral part is so complete in itself that the choral contribution,

mostly homophonic, sounds more an addition to the texture grafted on
than an independent element. This impression is confirmed by the
instrumental character of the vocal lines often doubled by the orchestra.81

Critic Cecil Smith even disagrees about the Fourth being, in fact, a “symphony."

The designation of the work as a symphony implies that the composer

expects us to regard The Cycle as more than a typical choral-orchestral
setting of a text—that he has sought to bring the choral and textual aspects
of the work within the intellectual and structural frame of
characteristically symphonic development.

…Mr. Mennin has not written a symphony. What he has done is to

compose continuity in the orchestra, of more or less symphonic
character—expounding, developing, and summing up his themes in fairly
orthodox fashion.82

Overall though, most critics, like Karl Miller of the American Record Guide, give the

Fourth a tepid review: “The Fourth Symphony is not among his best, but it is filled with

vigor and drive.”83

In 1949, Mennin wrote two more vocal works. The first one, Two Choruses for

Women’s Voices,84 was for a commission from the Sigma Alpha Iota Music Fraternity.

80
Ibid., 38.
81
Neil Butterworth, The American Symphony (Aldershot England ; Brookfield Vt.:
Ashgate, 1998), 157.
82
Smith, "Symphony No. 4 the Cycle--for a Chorus of Mixed Voices and Orchestra,"
488.
83
Karl Miller, "Mennin: Symphony 4 the Cycle; Ginastera: Milena," American Record
Guide (1990): 80.
 33

The second one, a cantata titled The Christmas Story,85 was for the United Protestant

Church Radio Commission and premiered 24 December 1949 on New York City’s

WABC by Robert Shaw and the Robert Shaw Chorale. Also that year, Mennin composed

Five Piano Pieces, for solo piano.86

Symphony No. 5

In 1950, when Mennin was 27, he received a Centennial Citation for

Distinguished Service to Music from the University of Rochester. In addition, he wrote

the Fifth Symphony for a $1000 commission from the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

Walter Hendl and the DSO premiered the Fifth on 2 April and a review of the

performance appeared in Time magazine:

In Dallas’ last concert of the season, No. 5 shared the program with
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3. Mennin’s short three-movement work did
not have the “Eroica’s” earth-shaking vitality, but it did have plenty of
vim & vigor of its own…If not boldly original harmonically and
rhythmically, No. 5 seemed always fresh and not too hard to take. The
2,300 listeners showed, by their ovation, that they thought the $1000 was
pretty well spent.87

Charles Munch and the Boston Symphony Orchestra first performed the Fifth in Boston

on 6 January 1951 and then eleven days later for the first time in New York. Of the

BSO’s Boston performance, critic Harold Rogers writes:

84
For SSA chorus and piano, consisting of Bought Hair (text from the Latin of Martial)
and Tumbling Locks (text by e. e. cummings).
85
Scored for solo soprano and tenor voices, SATB chorus, two trumpets, two trombones,
timpani, and strings.
86
Premiered by Grant Johannesen in New York City, 28 March 1950. In 1999, Wayne
Richard Pierce arranged Five Piano Pieces for Orchestra. Pierce, “An Orchestral
Transcription of Peter Mennin's Five Piano Pieces Based on a Study of His Early Works
for Orchestra. (1942-1953)”.
87
"$1000 Well Spent," Time, 17 April 1950, 88.
 34
Peter Mennin…is a composer whose music comes to Symphony Hall like
a clean, cold, and invigorating north wind. His Fifth Symphony…is filled
with sinew and snap. Thoroughly masculine in its make-up, it is music that
makes the happy appeal to both the intelligence and the emotions. Mr.
Mennin brings a bright hope to American music. He brings the vigor of his
youth, a large measure of originality, and the strength that comes from
knowing where he is going.

…the outstanding feature of the concerts this week is Peter Mennin’s

Fifth. With it he is making history in American music today.88

Composer Henry Cowell reviewed the New York performance:

The first performance in New York of Peter Mennin’s Fifth

Symphony…was a spirited one. The symphony’s three movements…are
thoroughly integrated in style and interrelated through use of the same
thematic material both melodically and rhythmically. [It] maintains a
convincing feeling of dignity, musicality, skill, unity, and melodic
breadth.89

The scoring for the Fifth is the same as the Fourth, except without the choir. The

work is in Mennin’s usual three-movement, fast-slow-fast format: Con vigore (q = 126

for 193 measures); Canto (Andante Arioso, q = 66-72, for 128 measures); and Allegro

tempestuoso90 (q = 126-132 for 496 measures). All three movements stay in their initial

time signatures: 34 , 44 , and 24 . According to the publisher, its duration is 22:00 minutes

and commercial recordings by the Albany Symphony and Eastman-Rochester Orchestra

list its duration as 21:16 and 22:03, respectively.

In the liner notes from the Louisville Orchestra’s recording, Mennin writes:

88
Harold Rogers, "Mennin's Fifth Symphony," Christian Science Monitor, 6 January
1951, 11.
89
Henry Cowell, "Review of Mennin's Symphony No. 5," Musical Quarterly v. 37, no. 2
(April 1951): 248,250.
90
In 1982, Allegro tempestuoso was arranged for band by Frank Bencriscutto. Peter
Mennin, Allegro Tempestuoso (from Symphony No. 5), Arranged by Frank Bencriscutto
(New York: Carl Fischer).
 35
Each of the movements has its own basic character, and achieves
contrast within itself through the musical materials and textures rather than
from changes in tempo. This is not unlike the principle which guided
composers of the Renaissance. The basic aim of this work is expressivity.
Therefore, there is a great emphasis placed on the broad melodic line, and
little use of color for color’s sake. Orchestrally speaking, the colors used
are primary rather than pastel in quality. Hence, the work as a whole is
direct, assertive and terse in communication.91

The United Press International recently wrote that the Fifth is “one of the most

powerful tonal symphonies of the 20th century…[and] would probably be ranked with

Copland's Third and Harris's Third if everyone heard it. It has one of the most exciting

final movements in the entire classical repertory.”92 This symphony is the focus of

Chapter 3, where it receives a thorough analysis (see "Analysis of Peter Mennin's

Symphony No. 5," page 62).

In 1951, Mennin completed two more commissions. One was for Canzona for

Band, requested through the League of Composers by the composer and bandmaster

Edwin Franko Goldman. Goldman first performed it in New York City, 15 June 1951

conducting his Goldman Band. The second commission was by the Koussevitzky Music

Foundation for String Quartet No. 2, which won the Columbia Records Chamber Music

Award. The Juilliard String Quartet premiered it 24 February 1952 in New York City.

For a commission by the Erie Philharmonic, Mennin wrote Concertato for

Orchestra (Moby Dick) in 1952. This one-movement orchestral work is related to the

Melville novel, though it does not musically follow the story. Mennin originally intended

to write an opera based on the book, but finally decided the story would not sustain

91
Peter Mennin, notes to Peter Mennin, Recordings of Works Commissioned by the
Louisville Philharmonic Society for the Louisville Orchestra (1961), LP, Louisville
Philharmonic Society LOU-613.
92
Dicus, Clef's Notes: May 17, 1998.
 36

enough interest through an opera’s duration.93 Moby Dick has the same scoring as the

Fifth except for the addition of English horn and bass clarinet. Fritz Mahler and the Erie

Philharmonic premiered it 20 October 1952; it is still one of Mennin’s most popular

works.

Symphony No. 6

In 1953, the Louisville Orchestra commissioned the Sixth Symphony and

performed it later that year on 18 November with Robert Whitney conducting. Dimitri

Mitropoulos and the New York Philharmonic then premiered it in New York 17 February

1955 and critic Irving Kolodin reviewed the performance in the Saturday Review:

It is scarcely believable that Peter Mennin, who won’t be thirty-two until

May, has already written six symphonies worth performance by our major
orchestras. But the sixth…is such a plausible piece of music, with so well-
shaped a structure, so well-filled in a façade, that one can’t either ignore
the facts or dispose of them lightly.94

Paul Snook later reviewed the Sixth in Fanfare:

The Sixth is the crowning summation of [Mennin’s] prodigious spurt of

youthful inspiration…This is an obsessive, tragic, and metaphysical
music, with a narrow range of reference but a deep cutting edge of
significance, full of the destructive fury and enigma of American power
which lies behind Ahab’s quest and what Henry James once called “the
imagination of disaster.”95

The Sixth uses the same instruments as Moby Dick, except there are two trumpet

parts instead of the usual three. According to the publisher, its duration is 25:00 minutes

93
Ayers, “The Major Choral Works of Peter Mennin.” 4.
94
Irving Kolodin, "Music to My Ears: Mennin and Milanov," Saturday Review, 5 March
1955, 29.
95
Snook, "Review: Mennin: Symphony No. 6; Riegger: Variations for Piano and
Orchestra; Toch: Notturno," 126.
 37

and the recording by the Albany Symphony is 26:08. Except for Mennin’s Ninth

symphony, this is the last one in his standard three-movement, fast-slow-fast plan.

As in the Fourth, Mennin begins a fast movement with a slow introduction. The

first one starts out Maestoso (q = 52), but soon quickens to Allegro (h = 126) at measure

thirty-two. All 336 measures of this movement are in 44 . The second movement’s 111

measures are all Grave (q = 60) and in 44 . The third movement has 449 measures and

begins Allegro vivace (qk = 172) in 98 . At measure 137 the time signature changes to 42

and the tempo slows to Allegro sostenuto (h = 52-60), but it slowly accelerates until

measure 168 where it returns to a quick Allegro vivace, this time in 24 .

The first movement contains three main motives which are first displayed alone

and then together in counterpoint in the strings (see Ex. 13).

Ex. 13. Three main themes in counterpoint. Symphony No. 6, Movement I, mm. 13-17. ©
1953, Carl Fischer, LLC. Reprinted with permission.
 38

Theme 2 becomes an asymmetrical ostinato pattern which Mennin later uses in

his usual overlapping fashion. All three motives recur throughout the three movements in

different forms including imitative counterpoint (see Ex. 14).

Ex. 14. Parts of Theme 1 in counterpoint at the diminished fourth. Symphony No. 6,
Movement I, mm. 216-227. © 1953, Carl Fischer, LLC. Reprinted with permission.

Another example of Mennin’s overlapping ostinato patterns can be seen in Ex. 15.
 39

Ex. 15. Overlapping ostinato pattern. Symphony No. 6, Movement I, mm. 65-67. © 1953,
Carl Fischer, LLC. Reprinted with permission.

In 1956, Mennin completed Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, commissioned by

the Juilliard Musical Foundation and scored for an orchestra similar to Symphony No. 6

(including just two trumpets), though without the bassoons, English horn, and bass

clarinet. He also wrote Sonata Concertante for Violin & Piano, for a commission by the

Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Foundation in honor of the thirtieth anniversary of the

League of Composers.

In 1957, he spent a year in Europe on Guggenheim and Fulbright Fellowships and

in 1958, at the invitation of the U.S. State Department, he, along with Roy Harris,

Ulysses Kay, and Roger Sessions, participated in the first cultural exchange of composers

with the Soviet Union. Also that year, he wrote Concerto for Piano and Orchestra,96 for

96
The orchestra is scored the same as Symphony No. 6, without the English horn and
bass clarinet.
 40

the Cleveland Orchestra’s 40th Anniversary. Furthermore, two big events occurred in his

life: his first child, Felicia Anne was born, and he became the Director of the Peabody

Conservatory in Baltimore.

At Peabody, Mennin—now only thirty-five—brought about a number of changes

to promote the practical application of his student’s training. Mennin explained in an

interview:

What I’ve tried to do at Peabody… is make all live music and all
theoretical knowledge closely related…In many schools, knowledge for
the sake of knowledge has displaced the knowledge that a composer or
performer is expected to acquire in order to make a living as a
professional. I’m simply against that.97

First, he required all students to study solfeggio (as he had done early in his training with

Tito Spantani). He reduced the number of methods courses that were required in order to

allow students more time to practice. He established the Peabody Art Theater, which

provided performance opportunities for students and also for rarely performed works. He

also established the American Conductors Project, which allowed American conductors

to participate actively in the concert productions of major orchestras, with major

conductors such as George Szell, Fritz Reiner, and Leonard Bernstein.

Mennin surely had his hands full, especially the first year, between becoming a

father, traveling to the Soviet Union, relocating to Baltimore, and embarking on a new

administrative career. He, however, made the change from teacher to administrator to

gain more time to compose:

97
Peter Mennin, as quoted in Carrington, "“for the Sake of Art”: A Talk with Peter
Mennin.," 81.
 41
The reason I got into administration was because I found, for me as a
composer, that it interfered with composition less than teaching…I would
go home tired—too tired to compose…Administration was a way to help
my composition, not the other way around. If I found it ever interfered, I
would drop it quickly without a second thought.98

From this point on, though, Mennin’s life and output changed drastically. His initial role

as an administrator does seem to have interfered with his composing, since he did not

publish any new works during his four years directing Peabody. Furthermore, he would

now take about ten years between each of his last three symphonies (his previous six

were written with an average of only two years between them). When Mennin began

publishing works again in 1963, his music was much darker, more dissonant, and more

complex, thus signaling his third, and final, symphonic period.

The last three of Mennin’s nine symphonies represent a total contrast with
the earlier ones of the set. Gone is the exhilarating bonhomie and
academic professional correctness to be replaced by an resolute
determination to express the darker side of life.99

Gone are the mannerisms, motor rhythms for pages at a time and over-
repetition of figures. The harmonic language is now less tonal with more
complex contrapuntal writing.100

On 1 November 1962, after four years at Peabody, Mennin returned to Juilliard

now as its president. He replaced William Schuman, former president for seventeen

years, and would remain there himself for about twenty years until his death in 1983.

Interestingly, though, Mennin also stayed on as a consultant to Peabody during his first

year as President.

In 1963, Mennin began composing again in full force by writing three large

works. The first one, Canto for Orchestra, was a one-movement orchestral work

98
Peter Mennin, as quoted in Ayers, “The Major Choral Works of Peter Mennin.” 5-6.
99
Butterworth, The American Symphony, 159.
 42
commissioned by the Association of Women's Committees for Symphony Orchestras. He

scored it for the same instruments as his Sixth, though with the usual three trumpets. It

was premiered 4 March 1963 by Victor Alessandro conducting the San Antonio

Symphony. The second work was Sonata for Piano, commissioned by Claudette Sorel

through the Ford Foundation Program for Concert Artists, and his third work was the

Seventh Symphony.

Symphony No. 7 (Variation Symphony)

Mennin completed the Seventh Symphony about ten years after he completed his

Sixth and it is a huge departure from all his other symphonies. Though scored virtually

the same as the Sixth, but with the usual three trumpets and an added contrabassoon, the

Seventh is a one-movement symphony. It is broken into five sections that develop themes

in non-standard ways. He explains: “It has little relationship to the consecutive variation

principle, but instead uses techniques of variation resulting from the overall structural and

dramatic concept.”101

The five sections loosely correspond to customary four movement symphonic

form with the fifth movement summarizing in an extensive Allegro epilogue.102 The first

section, which Mennin annotates as “expository in nature, then declamatory in style,”103

is an Adagio (q = 60) of 105 measures that varies between 44 and 34 . The work’s first

theme uses eleven notes of the chromatic scale (see Ex. 16).

100
Ibid., 157.
101
Peter Mennin, as quotes in Jim Svejda, notes to Peter Mennin, Moby Dick;
Symphonies Nos. 3 & 7 (1996), CD, Delos 3164.
102
Butterworth, The American Symphony, 158.
103
Peter Mennin, as quoted in Svejda, notes to Moby Dick; Symphonies Nos. 3 & 7
 43

Ex. 16. Theme 1 (from E-flat to B-flat). Symphony No. 7, Section I, mm. 1-8. © 1964,
Carl Fischer, LLC. Reprinted with permission.

Although Mennin develops the chromatic material in similar ways to a serial

composition, such as the pointillism in Ex. 17, the Seventh is not a serial work.

Ex. 17. Theme 1 distributed in the strings. Symphony No. 7, Section I, mm. 13-15. ©
1964, Carl Fischer, LLC. Reprinted with permission.
 44

The second section is an Allegro (h = 126+) of 271 measures in 22 . Mennin labels

it “elements of a Scherzo, but dramatic in quality.”104 He develops the same two themes

from the first section.

The third section is an Andante (q = 60 = 66) that varies between a number of

simple and mixed meters (and one measure of 98 ) for 114 measures. Mennin says it is

“basically a slow movement with contrasting sections, emphasizing duality of opening

material.”105

The fourth section, which Mennin calls “cumulative variations,”106 is a Moderato

(q = 96) for 129 measures that also changes time signatures frequently. The final section

is an Allegro vivace in 44 for eighty-four measures (no tempo marking is given). This

section contains a “new use of musical ideas, and final summing up.”107

According to the publisher, the duration of the Seventh is 26:00 minutes and

commercial recordings by the Seattle and Chicago Symphonies list it as 26:11 and 26:31,

respectively. The Cleveland Orchestra commissioned the Seventh, though according to

Mennin, it was George Szell who really paid for it “out of his own pocket.”108 Szell had

been a long supporter of Mennin: “I…felt that he was one of the most loyal friends I ever

had.”109 George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra premiered the work 23 January 1964

and first performed it in New York 17 February.

104
Ibid.
105
Ibid.
106
Ibid.
107
Ibid.
108
Carrington, "“for the Sake of Art”: A Talk with Peter Mennin.," 41.
109
Ibid.
 45

Neil Butterworth wrote in The American Symphony that “Mennin’s Seventh

Symphony represents the peak of his symphonic achievement, a closely argued work of

massive integrity. It can rank among the finest of the American symphonic tradition of

this century.”110Also, critic Walter Simmons considers the Seventh one of the greatest

American symphonies,111 as does Karl Miller, who even states that it is “one of the finest

essays in symphonic form written in the 20th Century.”112

In 1969, Mennin composed his most ambitious work: Cantata de Virtute (The

Pied Piper of Hamelin). This forty-two minute work incorporates soloists, two choirs,

and orchestra. Based on Robert Browning’s poem with additional Latin secular and

religious texts, Mennin scored it for solo tenor and baritone voices, narrator, children's

chorus, SATB chorus, and the same orchestra instruments as in Symphony No. 7. It was

commissioned by the Cincinnati Musical Festival Association for their 1969 May

Festival and premiered 2 May of that year by Max Rudolf conducting the Cincinnati

Symphony Orchestra. There have been few subsequent performances because of the

enormous performing forces and extensive rehearsal time required.113

In 1970, Mennin wrote another single-movement work originally titled

Symphonic Movements, but later renamed Sinfonia. This fifteen-minute work was

performed in Minneapolis 21 January 1971, but later withdrawn by the composer for

110
Butterworth, The American Symphony, 158.
111
Walter G. Simmons, Five Picks of the Year: 1997 [Web Page] 1997, accessed 22
February 2003); available from http://www.walter-simmons.com/articles/115.htm.
112
Karl Miller, Peter Mennin Symphonies(Classical Net Review, 1997, accessed 3 March
2003); available from http://www.classical.net/~music/recs/reviews/a/alb00260a.html.
113
Ayers, “The Major Choral Works of Peter Mennin.” 8.
 46

unknown reasons. He scored it for the same instruments as the Seventh, with the addition

of a fourth trumpet and a third flute part.

Symphony No. 8

Mennin completed his Eighth Symphony in 1973, approximately ten years after

the Seventh. According to the publisher, its duration is 26:00 minutes and the Columbus

Symphony’s recording lists it as 27:08. Of the symphonies he wrote after college (Nos. 4-

9), this is his longest one; it is also the only one which was not commissioned.

Nonetheless, Daniel Barenboim and the New York Philharmonic premiered it 21

November 1974 and Harold C. Schonberg reviewed the premiere in the New York Times:

The scoring is sharp and clear, even with textures that look impossibly
thick in the score. Mr. Mennin is, after all, an old pro, and he has achieved
some brilliant sounds. He has always been happy with impulsive rhythmic
patterns, and the Eighth Symphony is full of those. He has put everything
together neatly and precisely.114

Although scored for virtually the same instrumentation as his Seventh, except for

using only one bassoon and one extra flute (doubling the piccolo), the Eighth represents

another radical change in Mennin’s symphonic approach. First of all, this is a far more

dissonant work than his other symphonies. “The language is uncompromisingly harsh, at

times dense in texture and often very dramatic…[it is] a work of disturbing violence

which makes huge technical demands on the orchestra.”115 Though, as Mennin explains,

it still retains harmonic centers: “In my Eighth Symphony, you might not recognize the

114
Harold C. Schonberg, "Music: A New Mennin," New York Times, 22 November 1974.
115
Butterworth, The American Symphony, 158-9.
 47

tonality, as such, but I feel it very tonal, even though in many spots there are all 12 notes

being used simultaneously.”116

In this symphony, Mennin uses large stacked chords, or tone clusters, in a “sound

mass” technique following that of Ligeti’s Atmospheres (see Ex. 18).

Ex. 18. Piano reduction of opening tone clusters. Symphony No. 8, Movement I, mm. 1,
5, 10. © 1973, Carl Fischer, LLC. Reprinted with permission.

He also uses non-traditional effects such as long trills, glissandos, and vertical dynamics

notation (see Ex. 19 and Ex. 20).

116
Peter Mennin, as quoted in Owens, "Composer Peter Mennin: An Interview."
 48

Ex. 19. Long trills and glissandos. Symphony No. 8, Movement IV, mm. 23-27. © 1973,
Carl Fischer, LLC. Reprinted with permission.
 49

Ex. 20. Vertical dynamics notation. Symphony No. 8, Movement II, mm. 169-170. ©
1973, Carl Fischer, LLC. Reprinted with permission.

Although the Eighth is not a serial work, Mennin sometimes uses a pointillistic

texture in a way similar to Webern (see Ex. 21).

 50

Ex. 21. Pointillistic texture. Symphony No. 8, Movement II, mm. 79-83. © 1973, Carl
Fischer, LLC. Reprinted with permission.

He also writes many chromatic runs distributed across the orchestra (see Ex. 22 and Ex.

23).
 51

Ex. 22. Characteristic rapid chromatic figures. Symphony No. 8, Movement II, mm. 1-3.
© 1973, Carl Fischer, LLC. Reprinted with permission.
 52

Ex. 23. Chromatic figures dispersed across the orchestra. Symphony No. 8, Movement II,
mm. 58-60. © 1973, Carl Fischer, LLC. Reprinted with permission.

Another distinctiveness of the Eighth is that it is in four movements, as opposed

to Mennin’s usual three. Each movement is also given a Biblical epigraph: In principo (In

the Beginning); Dies Irae (Day of Wrath); De profundis clamavi (Out of the Depths); and

Laudate Dominum (Praise Ye the Lord).117 This is the only programmatic work Mennin

wrote and unfortunately, he does not explain these references.

117
Translations from Schonberg, "Music: A New Mennin."
 53

Although the Eighth is in four movements, the first, third, and last movements

still follow his typical fast-slow-fast design. The first movement begins Sostenuto

(q = circa 60), speeds up to (q = 76) at measure thirty-nine, and returns to (q = 60) at

measure fifty-eight. It ends slower (q = 52) at measure seventy-six, and all of the

movement’s ninety-two measures are in 44 .

The second movement begins Allegro con molto (q = circa 104-112), slows to

(q = 72) at measure 112, returns to the initial tempo at measure 139, and ends (q = 120+)

starting at measure 185. All of its 224 measures are in 24 . The slow third movement’s one

hundred measures of 44 begin Adagio (q = circa 60), accelerate to (q = circa 76) in

measure fifty-four and then return to the initial tempo at measure sixty-three.

The tense and agitated sounding fourth movement is the only one with a time

signature change. It begins an Allegro vivace (q = 132) in 24 , slows to (q = 120) at

measure 145, returns to the initial tempo at measure 176, slows again to (q = 120) in

measure 268, and once again returns to the initial tempo at measure 329. At measure 354,

the time signature changes to 44 but the tempo remains the same. There are a few more

time changes from this point to the end of the movement at measure 432.

This symphony (and later, his Ninth) originally seemed to gain a great deal of

criticism for being viewed as a derivative of other composer’s works. “Everything sounds

a little secondhand; the symphony does not really say very much.”118 However, recent

reevaluation now views it as being in an individual style, independent from that of other

composers, and praises it for its emotional conviction:

118
Ibid., 30.
 54
The Eighth Symphony shows the composer in sombre and austere
mood: with its Biblical headings to each movement, the music reveals
anguish and pessimism, articulated by dark textures and brooding
sonorities…More than any other piece by Mennin, this is a powerful cri de
coeur in which the composer bares his soul, and his fears and doubts,
through a medium of boldly conceived musical language. Only in the final
bars does the light of major tonality shine through the clouded skies.119

In 1975, Mennin wrote the chamber work, Voices, for solo mezzo-soprano,

harpsichord, harp, piano, and six percussionists and set it to texts by Thoreau, Melville,

Whitman, and Dickinson. The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center commissioned

the fifteen-minute work and premiered it 28 March 1976 with Gerard Schwarz

conducting.

In 1978, he set more texts by Dickinson in his work Reflections of Emily, for SSA

chorus, percussion, piano, and harp. This piece was commissioned by the National

Endowment for the Arts for the Newark Boys Chorus and first performed in New York

City, 18 January 1979. Mennin also arranged a section of the work for solo harp, titled

Cadenza Capricciosa.

Symphony No. 9

Mennin’s Ninth Symphony was originally titled Sinfonia Capricciosa. Prior to its

completion, Mennin stated:

119
Bret Johnson, "Record Review (Mennin: Symphonies: Nos. 8 and 9; Folk Overture.
Columbus Symphony, C. C. Badea; New World)." Tempo; a Quarterly Review of
Modern Music v. 174 (September 1990): 58.
 55
I’m not using a number for the work, but it follows my Eighth
Symphony…As the title implies, it has many capricious moments, many
sharp changes, and more contrasting sections than the usual symphony.
It’s in four connected movements, but shorter and quite different from the
last three extended symphonies I wrote.120

Mennin did not initially use a number for this symphony, which was actually his Ninth,

because of the superstition about composers dying after writing their Ninth Symphony.121

He had once stated, “I may skip the Ninth. Just go on to the Tenth.”122

By the time he actually completed it though, the symphony’s form reverted to his

usual three-movement, fast-slow-fast plan, and he did refer to it as the Ninth. Mennin

died just two years after its completion, and it was his final symphony. The second

movement was performed at his memorial service.123

Mennin wrote the Ninth for a commission by the National Symphony Orchestra

for its Fiftieth Season Anniversary in 1981. Mstislav Rostropovich and the NSO

premiered it in Washington, D. C. on 10 March of that year and in a New Yorker review

of that performance, Nickolas Kenyon praised the work: “It made a fine showpiece for

the National Symphony…The bright colors of the orchestra and the fresh, open acoustics

of the Concert Hall in the Kennedy Center suited the piece.”124

The published duration of the Ninth is 20:00 minutes and the commercial

recording by the Columbus Symphony lists it as 20:59. Mennin scored the work similar

to his Seventh, but with an additional trumpet (four total).

120
Peter Mennin, as quoted in Suttoni, "Peter Mennin: The President of the Juilliard
School Leads an Orderly Double Life as Composer and Academician," 5.
121
Some composers who died after writing nine symphonies include Beethoven,
Bruckner, Dvorak, Gluck, Mahler, Schnittke, Schubert, and Vaughan Williams.
122
Peter Mennin, as quoted in Soria, "Artist Life," MA-6.
123
Walter G. Simmons, notes to Peter Mennin, Symphony No. 8 ; Folk Overture ;
Symphony No. 9 (1989), CD, New World Records
124
Nickolas Kenyon, "Musical Events," New Yorker v. 57 (1981): 148.
 56

Of the work’s three movements, the first one starts at a slow Lento, non troppo

(q = 60) but then quickens to (q = 104-108) in measure forty-nine. Like his Fourth and

Sixth Symphonies, Mennin begins this fast movement with a slow introduction. Only

seven of this movement’s 134 measures are not in 44 . The second movement also

increases in tempo, beginning Adagio arioso (q = circa 52) and changing to (q = 80) at

measure forty. Its ninety-eight measures begin in 34 , but frequently change to other time

signatures, including 24 , 44 , 54 , and 64 . The final movement, Presto tumultuoso

(q = 144+), remains in 34 for its entire 198 measures.

The harmonic language of the Ninth is similar to that of the Eighth in its use of

tone clusters, but this work contains less use of the “sound mass” technique (see Ex. 24)

and more percussion and percussion effects (see Ex. 25). When comparing the Eighth and

Ninth Symphonies, Bret Johnson writes in Tempo: “The Ninth Symphony…has less

emotional intensity than the Eighth but, if the mood of the Eighth is one of anguish and

despair, that of the Ninth is one of sad resignation, especially in the slow movement.”125

125
Johnson, "Record Review (Mennin: Symphonies: Nos. 8 and 9; Folk Overture.
Columbus Symphony, C. C. Badea; New World)." 58.
 57

Ex. 24. “Sound mass” technique. Symphony No. 9, Movement I, mm. 16-18. © 1981,
Carl Fischer, LLC. Reprinted with permission.
 58

Ex. 25. Percussion use. Symphony No. 9, Movement III, mm. 178-182. © 1981, Carl
Fischer, LLC. Reprinted with permission.

To a high degree in this work, Mennin again uses overlapping ostinatos to create

background textures. He even mixes scales with different tonics and different scale

patterns to create an even thicker texture. For example, at measure sixty-three of the first

movement, he simultaneously mixes scales such as octatonic (half-whole) on G, D, B,

and G-sharp; harmonic major on C, C-sharp, and G; and harmonic minor on E (see Ex.

26).
 59

Ex. 26. Simultaneous use of overlapping ostinatos with octatonic, harmonic major, and
harmonic minor scales. Symphony No. 9, Movement I, mm. 63-64. © 1981, Carl Fischer,
LLC. Reprinted with permission.

Just as with his Eighth, this work received criticism because of its alleged

similarity to other composers’ works. Critic Andrew Stiller wrote: “Mennin had a

positive genius for cobbling together something personal out of bits and pieces of other

people’s work. It is often possible to identify not only specific compositions but

individual phrases and bars that he has appropriated or reworked from other composers.

Nowhere is there to be found so much as a note of which it could be said: this could only
 60
have been written by Peter Mennin.”126 However, of both the Eighth and Ninth, Edith

Borroff gives an opposing view:

Mennin was maestro assoluto of orchestral writing at a time when the

radicals were taking their business elsewhere. What is so electrifying in
these works is: one, that the many new sounds devolve upon meaning and
are not mere “effects” (though strikingly effective); and two, that the
works are not just “rhythmic” but live in rhythm and texture, which are
primary and organic…I am tired of having fine American works criticized
for not being European in ideal, of having fine conservative (by which I do
NOT mean old-fashioned or tired) works pilloried for not being radical.
Let [these works] encourage us to look for American excellence in
American music.”127

Mennin’s final composition was his one-movement Concerto for Flute and

Orchestra, completed in 1983, the year of his death. The twenty-two minute work was

commissioned by the New York Philharmonic and premiered posthumously on 25 May

1988 with Zubin Mehta conducting. The instrumentation is the same as the Ninth with

one fewer trumpet (three total) and with the solo flute replacing one of the ensemble flute

parts.

126
Andrew Stiller, "Recordings in Review (Mennin: Symphonies Nos. 8 and 9; Folk
Overture)." Musical America v. 109 (1989): 57.
127
Borroff, "Record Reviews — Peter Mennin; Symphony No. 8; Folk Overture;
Symphony No. 9 (Columbus Symphony Orchestra; Christian Badea, Conductor) (New
World)." 330-31.
 61
Mennin died 17 June 1983 after a long battle with cancer; he was sixty years

old.128 In the fall, a memorial service was held for him at Juilliard. Joseph W. Polisi

eventually replaced him as the school’s President and a yearly Peter Mennin Prize for

Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Music was established in his memory.

128
"Peter Mennin, Composer and Educator, Dies at 60," Symphony v. 34, no. 4 (1983):
60.