Impressionism · Composers linked to impressionism
1896 – 1981
Wahoo, Nebraska, USA USA → Rochester, New York
Life
Howard Hanson was born in Wahoo, Nebraska, on October 28, 1896, the son of Swedish immigrants. He was the first American composer to win the Rome Prize of the American Academy, and in 1924 was appointed director of the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, a position he held for forty years and from which he promoted several generations of composers in his country.
His music is openly romantic, but he borrowed from both Sibelius and Impressionism, especially in the luminous orchestration of his Second Symphony, «Romantic». In 1944 he won the Pulitzer Prize with his Fourth Symphony. He died in Rochester on 26 February 1981.
Featured works
- Symphony No. 1, «Nordic» (1922)
- Lament for Beowulf (1925)
- Symphony No. 2, «Romantic» (1930)
- Merry Mount, opera (1934)
- Symphony No. 4, «Réquiem» (1943, Pulitzer Award 1944)
