Search - :: Harris: Folksong Symphony; Creston: Gregorian Chant

The Folksong Symphony is Harris's fourth symphony and the only one he wrote with a chorus. The folk material is drawn from the anthology by the Lomax brothers, Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads, and Carl Sandburg's "The American Songbag." All the songs will be familiar, but they are touched up with Harris's spirited and unique sense of tone colors. It begins with the 19th-century song, "The Girl I Left Behind Me," and ends with an abbreviated version of Harris's take on "When Johnny Comes Marching Home." The Creston piece is a quiet companion here. Recommended. --Paul Cook