Symphonies for concert band

Prior to the 20th century, only a handful of original symphonies for wind band existed. Symphonies were almost exclusively written for orchestra at the time, but, beginning in the early-mid 20th century, numerous symphonies for concert band began to appear.

There are also numerous orchestral symphonies that have been transcribed for concert band, but those are not included in this article.

Note: 20th and 21st century symphonies labelled with an asterisk (*) are for a smaller band, typically the wind section of the orchestra.

18th and 19th centuries

François-Joseph Gossec

"Military" Symphony in F (1794)

Louis-Emmanuel Jadin

Symphony in F (1794)

Anton Reicha

Commemoration Symphony (Musique pour célébrer la mémoire des grands hommes) (1815)

Hector Berlioz

Grande symphonie funèbre et triomphale (1840)

Charles Gounod

Petite symphonie pour neuf instruments à vent (1885)

1900–1959

Ernst Krenek

Symphony for winds and percussion op. 34 (1924-25)

Paul Fauchet

Symphony in B-flat (Symphonie pour musique d'harmonie） (1926)

Arthur Meulemans

Symphony No. 4 (1935)

Nikolai Myaskovsky

Symphony No. 19 (1939)

Nikos Skalkottas

Classical Symphonny (1947)

H. Owen Reed

"La Fiesta Mexicana", A Mexican Folk Song Symphony for Concert Band (1949)

Boris Kozhevnikov

Symphony No. 3, "Slavyanskaya" (1950/rev. 1958)

Paul Hindemith

Symphony in B-flat for Band (1951)

Morton Gould

Symphony No. 4, "West Point" (1952)

Roy Harris

Symphony for Band, "West Point" (1952)

Vincent Persichetti

Symphony No. 6, Op. 69 (1956)

Frank Erickson

Symphony No. 1 for Band (1954 rev 1956)

Symphony No. 2 for Band (1958)

Alan Hovhaness

Symphony No. 4, Op. 165* (1958)

Symphony No. 7, "Nanga Parvat," Op. 178* (1959)

Vittorio Giannini

Symphony No. 3 (1959)

1960–1999

James Barnes

Symphony No. 1, Op. 35 (1974)

Second Symphony, Op. 44 (1980-1981)

Third Symphony, Op. 89 (1994)

Warren Benson

Symphony for Drums and Wind Orchestra* (1962)

Symphony No. 2, "Lost Songs" (1983)

Derek Bourgeois

Symphony No. 4 "A Wine Symphony", Op. 58a (1978)

Symphony of Winds, Op. 67 (1980)

Symphony No. 6 "A Cotswold Symphony", Op. 109a (1988)

Andrew Boysen Jr.

Symphony No. 1 (1997)

Symphony No. 2 (1999)

Symphony No. 3 "JFK" (1999)

John Barnes Chance

Symphony No. 2 (1972)

Johan de Meij

Symphony No. 1, "The Lord of the Rings" (1988)

Symphony No. 2, "The Big Apple" (1993)

Martin Ellerby

"Natalis", (Symphony No. 1) (1993)

Symphony for Winds (Symphony No. 2) (1997)

Donald Erb

Symphony for Winds (1995)

Frank William Erickson

Symphony No. 3 (1984)

Nicolas Flagello

Symphony No. 2, "Symphony of the Winds," Op. 63

Nancy Galbraith

Wind Symphony No. 1 (1996)

David Gillingham

Symphony No. 1, "Apocalyptic Dreams" (1995)

Ida Gotkovsky

Symphonie pour quatre-vingt instruments a vent (Symphony for 24 wind instruments)* (1960)

Symphonie pour Orgue & Orchestre d'Harmonie (Symphony for Organ and Concert Band) (1982)

Brillante Symphonie (Brilliant Symphony) (1988-1989)

Alan Hovhaness

Symphony No. 14, "Ararat," Op. 194* (1961)

Symphony No. 20, "Three Journeys to a Holy Mountain," Op. 223 (1969)

Symphony No. 23, "Ani, City of a Thousand and One Cathedrals," Op. 249 (1972)

Symphony No. 53, "Star Dawn" (1983)

Yasuhide Ito

Symphony (1990)

A Jubilee Symphony (1994)

"La Vita", Symphony in 3 Scenes (1998)

Gordon Jacob

Symphony A.D. 78 (1978)

Robert E. Jager

Symphony No. 1 (1964)

Symphony No. 2 (1980)

Serge Lancen

Manhattan Symphony (1961)

Symphonie de Noël (1964)

Mini-symphonie (1967)

Symphonie de l'eau (1984)

Symphonie joyeuse (1993)

Libby Larsen

Short Symphony (1996)

David Maslanka

Symphony No. 2 (1986)

Symphony No. 3 (1991)

Symphony No. 4 (1993)

W. Francis McBeth

"Divergents", A Short Symphony for Symphonic Band, Op. 49 (1969)

Alfred Reed

Symphony No. 2 (1979)

Symphony No. 3 (1988)

Symphony No. 4 (1992)

Symphony No. 5 (1994)

Gunther Schuller

Symphony No. 3, "In Praise of Winds" (1981)

Claude T. Smith

Symphony No. 1 for Band (1977)

Dan Welcher

Symphony No. 3, "Shaker Life" (1997)

2000–Present

James Barnes

Fifth Symphony, "Phoenix", Op. 110 (2000)

Sixth Symphony, Op. 130 (2008)

Seventh Symphony, "Symphonic Requiem", Op. 135 (2011)

Eighth Symphony, "Symphony for Wangen", Op. 148 (2015)

William Bolcom

First Symphony for Band (2008)

Derek Bourgeois

Symphony No. 8 "The Mountains of Mallorca", Op. 184a (2002)

Symphony for William, Op. 212 (2004)

Symphony No. 41 "Sinfonia Andalucia", Op. 261a (2007)

Symphony No. 68 "The Tower of Babel", Op. 316a (2012)

Andrew Boss

Tetelestai (2014)

Franco Cesarini

Symphony No. 1, "The Archangels", Op. 50 (2015)

Symphony No. 2, "Views of Edo" Op.54 (2018)

Symphony No. 3, "Urban Landscapes" Op. 55 (2020)

Nigel Clarke

Symphony No. 1, "A Richer Dust" for Speaker and Wind Orchestra (2014)

John Corigliano

Symphony No. 3, "Circus Maximus" (2004)

Johan de Meij

Symphony No. 3, "Planet Earth" (2006)

Symphony No. 4, "Sinfonie der Lieder (Symphony of Songs)" (2013)

Symphony No. 5, "Return to Middle Earth" (2018)

Martin Ellerby

A Little Symphony of English Carols (Symphony No. 4) (2009)

David Gillingham

Symphony No. 2, "Genesis" (2007)

Julie Giroux

Symphony No. 1, "Culloden" (2000)

Symphony No. 2, "No Finer Calling" (2006)

Symphony No. 3, "A Symphony of Fables" (2006)

Symphony No. 4, "Bookmarks from Japan" (2013)

Symphony No. 5, "Elements" (2017)

Symphony No. 6 (2021)

Samuel Hazo

"Blessings", Symphony No. 1 (2001-2003)

Yasuhide Ito

Sinfonia Singaporiana (2005)

John Mackey

"Wine-Dark Sea", Symphony for Band (2014)

Marcin Masecki

"Victory" ("Zwycięstwo"), Symphony No. 1 (2013)

David Maslanka

Symphony No. 5 (2000)

Symphony No. 7 (2005)

"Give Us This Day", Short Symphony for Wind Ensemble (2006)

Symphony No. 8 (2008)

Symphony No. 9 (2011)

Symphony No. 10 (left unfinished at the composer's death in 2017, completed by his son Matthew Maslanka in 2018)

Francisco José Martínez Gallego

Symphony No. 1, "Kaprekar" (2011)

Jean-François Michel

Symphony No. 1, "Colors of live" (2016)

Steven Reineke

Symphony No. 1, "New Day Rising" (2007)

Robert W. Smith

"The Divine Comedy", Symphony No. 1

"The Odyssey", Symphony No. 2

"Don Quixote", Symphony No. 3 (2008)

Philip Sparke

"Earth, Water, Sun, Wind", Symphony No. 1 (2006)

"A Savannah Symphony", Symphony No. 2 (2012)

"A Colour Symphony", Symphony No. 3 (2014)

James M. Stephenson

Symphony No. 2 (2016)

Frank Ticheli

Symphony No. 2 (2003)

Jess Langston Turner

Symphony No. 1, "If I am to leave..." (2019)

Jan Van der Roost

Sinfonia Hungarica (2001)

Dan Welcher

Symphony No. 4, "American Visionary" (2005)

Judith Lang Zaimont

Symphony for Wind Orchestra in Three Scenes (2003)

See also

• List of concert band literature

External links

• A History of the Wind Band, by Dr. Stephen L. Rhodes
• The Wind Repertory Project
• The Wind Band Symphony Archive