Timeline of Symphonic Masterpieces

Lately, in my Symphony blogs, I have been increasingly careful to note the date each symphony was written and/or premiered, and how that relates to a timeline of the composer's life and his place in history. This is beginning to lead to embarrassment, however. In looking up the dates of the symphonies in "Assignment 3," I find that I am treating them atrociously out of order. In setting the assignment, I was moved more by a sense of the order in which one composer is associated with another in my mind. Unfortunately it makes for a very slipshod organization.

So, lest the order of my blog posts mislead you as to where these great symphonies belong in the timeline, here is a list of some selected symphonic works (starting with Haydn's Paris Symphonies), arranged in order of their year they were originally completed. Before the numbers following a composer's name please insert the words "Symphony (-ies) No." The tag (r) means "revised version." Likewise, (u) means "unfinished."

1785
J. Haydn: 83, 85, 87
M. Haydn: 30-31

1786
J. Haydn: 82, 84, 86
M. Haydn: 32-33
Mozart: 38

1787
J. Haydn: 88-89

1788
J. Haydn: 90-91
M. Haydn: 34-39
Mozart: 39-41

1789
J. Haydn: 92
M. Haydn: 40-41

1791
J. Haydn (likewise below): 93-96

1792
Haydn: 97-98

1793
Haydn: 99-100

1794
Haydn: 101-102

1795
Haydn: 103-104

1800
Beethoven: 1

1802
Beethoven: 2

1804
Beethoven: 3

1806
Beethoven: 4

1808
Beethoven: 5-6

1809
Méhul: 1-3

1810
Bomtempo: 1 (2?)
Méhul: 4, 5 (u)

1811
Spohr: 1

1812
Beethoven: 7-8

1813
Schubert: 1

1815
Schubert: 2-3

1816
Cherubini: Symphony in D
Schubert: 4-5

1818
Schubert: 6

1820
Spohr: 2

1822
Schubert: 8 (u)

1824
Beethoven: 9
Mendelssohn: 1

1826:
Schubert: 9

1828
Spohr: 3

1830
Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique

1831
Onslow: 1
Wagner: Symphony in C

1832
Mendelssohn: 5
Onslow: 2
Spohr: 4

1833
Mendelssohn: 4

1834
Berlioz: Harold en Italie
Onslow: 3

1837
Spohr: 5

1839
Berlioz: Roméo et Juliette

1840
Berlioz: Grande symphonie funèbre et triomphale
Mendelssohn: 2
Spohr: 6

1841
Schumann: 1, 4

1842
Berlioz: Grande symphonie funèbre et triomphale (r)
Gade: 1
Mendelssohn: 3

1843
Berwald: 1
Gade: 2

1845
Berwald: 3

1846
Onslow: 4
Schumann: 2

1847
Gade: 3

1848
Berwald: 4

1850
Gade: 4
Schumann: 3
Spohr: 9

1851
Rubinstein: 2
Schumann: 4 (r)

1852
Gade: 5

1855
Bizet: Symphony in C
Gounod: 1-2

1857
Gade: 6
Liszt: Faust, Dante
Spohr: 10 (u)

1864
Gade: 7

1865
Dvorak: 1-2
Rimsky-Korsakov: 1

1866
Bruckner: 1
Tchaikovsky: 1

1868
Bruch: 1
Rimsky-Korsakov: Antar (2)

1869
Borodin: 1
Bruckner: 0

1870
Bruch: 2

1871
Gade: 8

1872
Bruckner: 2
Tchaikovsky: 2

1873
Bruckner: 3
Dvorak: 3
Rimsky-Korsakov: 3

1874
Bruckner: 4
Dvorak: 4

1875
Dvorak: 5
Rimsky-Korsakov: Antar (r)
Tchaikovsky: 3

1876
Borodin: 2
Brahms: 1
Bruckner: 2 (r), 5

1877
Brahms: 2
Bruckner: 3 (r)

1878
Bruckner: 5 (r)
Tchaikovsky: 4

1879
Suk: 1

1880
Bruckner: 4 (r)
Dvorak: 6

1881
Bruckner: 6
Glazunov: 1

1882
Bruch: 3

1883
Brahms: 3
Bruckner: 7

1884
Glazunov: 1
Rimsky-Korsakov: 1 (r)

1885
Brahms: 4
Bruckner: 7 (r)
Dvorak: 7
Tchaikovsky: Manfred

1886
D'Indy: Symphony on a French Mountain Air
Glazunov: 2
Rimsky-Korsakov: 3 (r)
Rubinstein: 6
Saint-Saëns: 3

1887
Borodin: 3 (u)
Bruckner: 8

1888
Bruckner: 4 (r)
Franck: Symphony in D minor
Mahler: 1
Tchaikovsky: 5

1889
Bruckner: 3 (r)
Dvorak: 8

1890
Bruckner: 2 (r), 8 (r)
Chausson: Symphony in B-flat
Glazunov: 3

1891
Bruckner: 1 (r)

1892
Bruckner: 8 (r)
Nielsen: 1
Sibelius: Kullervo

1893
Bruckner: 1 (r)
Dvorak: 9
Glazunov: 4
Tchaikovsky: 6

1894
Mahler: 1 (r), 2

1895
Glazunov: 5
Rachmaninoff: 1
Vianna da Motta: A Pátria

1896
Bruckner: 9 (u)
Dukas: Symphony in C
Glazunov: 6
Mahler: 3

1897
Alfvén: 1
Rimsky-Korsakov: Antar (r)

1898
Ives: 1
Sibelius: 1

1900
Glière: 1
Holst: The Cotswolds
Scriabin: 1

1901
Alfvén: 2
Ives: 2
Mahler: 4

1902
Bloch: Symphony in C-sharp minor
Mahler: 5
Nielsen: 2
Scriabin: 2
Sibelius: 2

1903
Glazunov: 7

1904
Mahler: 6
Scriabin: 3
Strauss: Symphonia Domestica

1905
Alfvén: 3
Enescu: 1

1906
Glazunov: 8
Mahler: 7
Roussel: 1
Suk: 2

1907
Glière: 2
Mahler: 8
Rachmaninoff: 2
Sibelius: 3
Stravinksy: Symphony in E-flat

1908
Elgar: 1
Myaskovsky: 1

1909
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde
Vaughan Williams: A Sea Symphony (1)

1910
Glazunov: 9 (u)
Ives: 3
Mahler: 9, 10 (u)
Szymanowski: 2

1911
Elgar: 2
Glière: 3
Myaskovsky: 2
Nielsen: 3
Sibelius: 4

1914
Enescu: 2
Myaskovsky: 3
Respighi: Sinfonia Drammatica
Vaughan Williams: A London Symphony (2)

1915
Martin: Symphony
Sibelius: 5
Stenhammar: 2
Strauss: Eine Alpensinfonie

1916
Bloch: Israel
Ives: 4
Nielsen: 4
Sibelius: 5 (r)
Szymanowski: 3

1917
Prokofiev: 1

1918
Enescu: 3
Myaskovsky: 4

1919
Alfvén: 4
Myaskovsky: 5
Sibelius: 5 (r)
Villa Lobos: 4

1921
Roussel: 2

1922
Bax: 1
Hanson: 1
Myaskovsky: 7
Nielsen: 5
Vaughan Williams: A Pastoral Symphony (3)
Zemlinsky: Lyric Symphony

1923
Myaskovsky: 6
Sibelius: 6

1924
Freitas Branco: 1
Sibelius: 7

1925
Hindemith: Concerto for Orchestra
Myaskovsky: 8
Nielsen: 6
Prokofiev: 2
Shostakovich: 1

1926
Bax: 2
Freitas Branco: 2

1927
Brian: 1 (largest symphony ever)
Myaskovsky: 9-10
Shostakovich: 2

1928
Copland: 1
Larsson: 1
Prokofiev: 3
Webern: Symphony

1929
Bax: 3
Copland: Symphonic Ode

1930
Bax: 4
Hanson: 2
Hindemith: Concert Music for Strings and Brass
Honegger: 1
Prokofiev: 4
Roussel: 3
Stravinsky: Symphony of Psalms

1931
Shostakovich: 3
R. Thompson: 2

1932
Bax: 5
Kabalevsky: 1
Myaskovsky: 11-12
Szymanowski: 4

1933
Copland: Short Symphony
Harris: Symphony 1933 (1)
Kabalevsky: 3
Myaskovsky: 13-14

1934
Elgar: 3 (u)
Harris: 2
Hindemith: Mathis der Maler
Kabalevsky: 2
Khachaturian: 1
Myaskovsky: 15-16
Roussel: 4
Yamada: Nagauta Symphony
Zemlinsky: Sinfonietta

1935
Bax: 6
[William] Schuman: 1
Vaughan Williams: 4
Walton: 1

1936
Barber: Symphony in One Movement
Bartok: Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta
Rachmaninoff: 3
Shostakovich: 4

1937
Larsson: 2
Myaskovsky: 17-18
Piston: 1
Schuman: 2
Shostakovich: 5

1939
Bax: 7
Harris: 3
Milhaud: 1
Myaskovsky: 19
Shotakovich: 6

1940
Britten: Sinfonia da Requiem
Hindemith: Symphony in E-flat
Myaskovsky: 20-21
Stravinksy: Symphony in C

1941
Hanson: 3
Honegger: 2
Myaskovsky: 22-23
Schuman: 3
Shostakovich: 7

1942
Bernstein: 1
Harris: Folksong Symphony (4), 5
Martinů: 1
Schuman: 4

1943
Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra
Hanson: 4
Hindemith: Symphonic Metamorphoses
Khachaturian: 2
Martinů: 2
Myaskovsky: 24
Piston: 2
Schuman: 5
Shostakovich: 8
Vaughan Williams: 5

1944
Barber: 2
Freitas Branco: 3
Harris: 6
Khachaturian: 2 (r)
Martinů: 3
Milhaud: 2
Prokofiev: 5

1945
Larsson: 3
Martin: Petite Symphonie Concertante
Martinů: 4
Shostakovich: 9
Stravinsky: Symphony in Three Movements

1946
Copland: 3
Hindemith: Sinfonia Serena
Honegger: 3-4
Martinů: 5
Milhaud: 3
Myaskovsky: 25

1947
Braga Santos: 1
Khachaturian: Symphony-Poem (3)
Lutosławski: 1
Milhaud: 4
Prokofiev: 6
Vaughan Williams: 6

1948
Braga Santos: 2
Messiaen: Turangalîla-Symphonie
Myaskovsky: 26
Piston: 3
Schuman: 6

1949
Bernstein: 2
Braga Santos: 3
Britten: Spring Symphony
Hindemith: Sinfonietta in E
Myaskovsky: 27

1950
Braga Santos: 4
Honegger: 5
Piston: 4
Rorem: 1

1951
Dutilleux: 1
Hindemith: Die Harmonie der Welt
Shostakovich: 10

1952
Freitas Branco: 4
Harris: 7
Prokofiev: 7
Vaughan Williams: Sinfonia antarctica (7)

1953
Alfvén: 5
Bloch: Sinfonia Breve
Martinů: Fantaisies symphoniques (3)
Milhaud: 5

1954
Bloch: Symphony for Trombone & Orchestra
Piston: 5

1955
Bloch: Symphony in E-flat
Hanson: 5
Milhaud: 6-7
Piston: 6
Vaughan Williams: 8

1956
Kabalevsky: 4
Rorem: 2

1957
Milhaud: 8
Shostakovich: 11
Vaughan Williams: 9
Villa Lobos: 12

1958
Rorem: 3

1959
Dutilleux: 2
Milhaud: 9

1960
Milhaud: 10-11
Piston: 7
Schuman: 7
Walton: 2

1961
Milhaud: 12
Shostakovich: 12

1962
Harris: 8-9
Schuman: 8
Shostakovich: 13

1963
Bernstein: 3

1965
Bernstein: 2 (r)
Piston: 8
Harris: 10

1966
Braga Santos: 5

1967
Hanson: 6
Harris: 11
Lutosławski: 2

1968
Schuman: 9

1969
Berio: Sinfonia
Harris: 12
Shostakovich: 14

1971
Shostakovich: 15

1972
Braga Santos: 6

1973
Penderecki: 1

1975
Schuman: 10

1976
Gorecki: 3
Harris: Bicentennial Symphony (13)

1977
Bernstein: 3 (r)
Hanson: 7

1980
Penderecki: 2

1983
Lutosławski: 3

1986
Rouse: 1

1988
Penderecki: 3

1989
Penderecki: 4

1991
Corigliano: 1

1992
Lutosławski: 4
Penderecki: 5

1994
Rouse: 2

1995
Penderecki: 3 (r)

1996
Penderecki: 7

2001
Corigliano: 2

2005
Penderecki: 8

IMAGES: Left column: Michael Haydn; Étienne Méhul; Georges Onslow; Franz Berwald; Anton Rubinstein; Camille Saint-Saëns, Alexander Glazunov, Reinhold Glière, Arnold Bax, Anton Webern, Lars-Erik Larsson, William Schuman, Paul Hindemith, Ned Rorem, Luciano Berio, and Witold Lutosławski. Right column: Luigi Cherubini, Max Bruch, Niels Gade, Vincent d'Indy, Cesar Franck, Charles Gounod, Albert Roussel, Ernst Bloch, William Walton, Frank Martin, Bohuslav Martinů, Roy Harris, Dmitri Kabalevsky, Christopher Rouse, and John Corigliano. Whew!