The symphonic form is one Copland approached with some caution—the Third Symphony (1944-1946) would be his last such effort—and that, like his three major piano works, helped to codify particular compositional concerns that occupied him at the time. Though the three symphonies (not including the Dance Symphony of 1925, which is more properly a suite) are clearly of the same composer and all exploit what have come to be identified as Copland hallmarks (including changing, dance-influenced rhythms and expressive gradations of orchestral color), each in its own way exists quite apart from the others. While, for example, the bumptious, impudent character that characterizes much of the Second Symphony (1932-1933) lurks unmistakably in the Allegro molto of the Third, its essence and context are subtly distinctive; the relationship is one between cousins rather than siblings. More markedly, the symphonies represent an evolution—not necessarily in a predictable linear fashion, but in the more circumspect and elusive sphere of the composer's imagination.

The lyricism which is an overarching characteristic of the the Third Symphony was, according to Copland himself, inspired in large part by the knowledge that the work was commissioned and to be premiered by conductor Serge Koussevitsky and dedicated to the memory of his wife, Natalie. The first movement, Molto moderato, is thus imbued with a songful melodic expansiveness (looking forward, at times, to the composer's opera The Tender Land) emerging from the subdued, ever-expanding opening theme. The movement proceeds to a more assertive, brass-laden climax, which eventually dissipates into the calm of the opening via a series of bassi ostinati that gently underpin the gradually stilling activity above.

The opening of the Allegro molto announces at once the movement's jovial intent, the percussion crashes and brass rocket figure foreshadowing the fanfare of the last movement. The movement continues in the cast of a scherzo with trio, in turns assuming a martial drive and a humorous bounce; one direction in the score the composer provides for this music is "perky."

The third movement, Andantino quasi allegretto, opens with a dialogue among the strings that in gradual, subtle degrees introduces the rest of the orchestra; the winds, for example, enter by quietly doubling the strings so that their presence is realized almost only after the fact. A vocally fluid, converging "wedge" figure introduces a more rhapsodic and expansive section, characterized by plangent harmony and frequent parallel motion in the instruments that provides a gentle suggestion of medievalism.

A quiet wind and string chorale leads directly into the fourth movement, Molto deliberato—Allegro risoluto. In a particularly pregnant and dramatic stroke, the theme which forms the centerpiece of the last movement (perhaps best known as the basis for Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man), is introduced—not with its full complement of brass and percussion, but as a somewhat reflective meditation for the flutes and clarinets. It is quickly taken up by the whole orchestra, serving as introduction for the movement proper, which presents and develops two additional themes. Material from the first movement is later incorporated into the texture, here assuming a different, strengthened guise appropriate to the nobilmente, heroic character of the finale. The theme that opens the work, now newly emboldened, brings the Third Symphony to an exhilarating conclusion.

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