ABSTRACT
John Knowles Paine had been born into a musical family. His grandfather, John K. H. Paine was an organ builder in Portland whose three sons all became musicians. John Knowles studied in the United States under Hermann Kotzschmar, a German emigre. Paine’s 43-year association with Harvard University began in 1862 with his appointment as an Instructor of Music, becoming Assistant Professor in 1873. The score was published by Breitkopf and Haertel in Leipzig two years after Paine’s death. Although Gunther Schuller has described the work as ‘the best Beethoven Symphony that Beethoven did not write himself, Paine’s own personality is clearly evident in the music. Wilfred Meilers considers Paine a composer of international stature, the writer of the first American symphony that should be in the repertoire of the world’s leading orchestras. Although neither of Paine’s symphonies survived long in public performance into the twentieth century, they represent cornerstones of the American symphonic tradition.
