Peter Mennin, born in 1923, was one of the youngest of the group of American tonal symphonists who emerged before the international fad for serial (i.e., twelve-tone) music resulted in their style being considered out of date by classical music tastemakers. Their music, such as this concise but dramatic symphony, saw a resurgence well before the end of the 20th century, but Mennin died in 1983, in time to see only the glimmerings of that revival.

The symphony begins with an somewhat self-consciously Important Statement, but this is soon set off by a long melodic line. The movement is devoted to this line spinning itself into variants, which then combine in counterpoint. The opening statement makes several appearances, breaking into this self-developing theme.

The second movement is a long melody with the strings predominating. Once again, after the melody is well established the texture turns polyphonic. The texture thickens and the music grows to the most intense point of the symphony. The opening calm returns to end the movement quietly.

The third movement is fast and linear: Mennin uses chords much less often than he lets the harmonies be defined by the relationship of the individual melodic lines. Mostly, the movement is a canon that constantly shifts its rhythmic basis and its mood. At the end the important-sounding opening of the first movement is recalled, more by recapturing that mood than by any actual quotations.

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