Synopsis

On today’s date in 1928, the Columbia Phonograph Company of New York announced that the Symphony No. 6 by Swedish composer Kurt Atterberg was the winner of its $10,000 Schubert Memorial Prize.

The competition was intended to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Schubert’s death, and originally, Columbia wanted the prize to go to the composer who most successfully finished Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony. After protests that this was an insult to his memory, Columbia expanded the competition to include the best original score conceived in the spirit of Schubert’s music. Attenberg’s symphony was chosen as the winner by an international jury, which included several composers.

Now, in 1928, $10,000 was a small fortune — and about 10 times the normal commission fee for a big symphonic work. Not surprisingly, Atterberg’s score was soon nicknamed The Dollar Symphony. Some even accused him of cynically tailoring his music to appeal to the conservative taste of the competition’s jury, and even quoting from works by the composers on the panel to curry their favor.

Atterberg defended himself by pointing out the symphony’s opening movements were very much in his normal style, but admitted the final movement was, in fact, intended as a parody of the competition’s requirement to write in Schubert’s style. “It brought me special pleasure, to observe that all the critics who found reminiscences of other composer’s works were not able to identify a very obvious quotation of a Schubert theme in my Rondo-Finale,” Atterberg said.

Music Played in Today's Program

Franz Schubert (1797-1828): Symphony No. 8 (Unfinished); Chamber Orchestra of Europe; Claudio Abbado, conductor; DG 423 655

Kurt Atterberg (1887-1974): Symphony No. 6 (Dollar Symphony); Norrköping Symphony; Jun’ichi Hirokami, conductor; Bis 553