Organizing the musical canon: the repertoires of major U.S. symphony orchestras, 1842 to 1969

• Published in: Poetics (Amsterdam) Vol. 30; no. 1; pp. 35 - 61
• Main Authors: Dowd ∗, Timothy J., Liddle, Kathleen, Lupo, Kim, Borden, Anne
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.05.2002
• Subjects: Fine Arts; Music; Social History; United States of America
• ISSN: 0304-422X; 1872-7514
• DOI: 10.1016/S0304-422X(02)00007-4

Scholars have addressed the tendency of U.S. symphony orchestras to perform the works of relatively few composers. While many highlight this phenomenon, others note that the nature and extent of this conformity can shift over time, as reliance on the works of certain composers decreases and allows the works of newly heralded composers to be heard. Drawing on the work of DiMaggio and others, we derive hypotheses about field-level factors influencing both phenomena. We analyze more than 86,500 performances given by 27 major U.S. symphony orchestras between 1842 and 1969. Our findings indicate that three factors spur the introduction of new composers into orchestral repertoires: the increased performance capabilities of symphony orchestras, the expanded resources for new music, and the proliferation of music programs among U.S. colleges and universities. We also find that one of these factors reduces the conformity of orchestral repertoires: the increased performance capabilities of orchestras. Our exploratory analyses, then, offer lessons about the organization of the musical canon.