Symphony in G minor (Moeran)

The Symphony in G minor was the only completed symphony written by Ernest John Moeran. He wrote it in 1934–37. It is in four movements.

In 1926, the conductor of the Hallé Orchestra, Sir Hamilton Harty, commissioned a symphony from Moeran. He had already been working on a symphony since 1924, and the premiere performance of the new work was announced for 4 March 1926. However, when it was almost finished, he decided he was not satisfied with its structure and withdrew it. Over the next eight years he worked on his revision of the piece, but in 1934 he abandoned his sketches and started again. He reused some earlier material, but the work was substantially new. The symphony was finished on 24 January 1937, and dedicated to Harty. Harty initially refused the dedication after he was overlooked as the conductor for the first performance (by now he was ill and had left the Hallé Orchestra).

The work takes about 45 minutes to play, and is in four movements:

The symphony is scored for 2 flutes (II takes piccolo), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (triangle, tamtam, tenor drum, snare drum, bass drum, cymbals), harp, and strings.

The symphony's first movement is a robust sonata form, with a questioning harmonic structure.

Much of the work was written in County Kerry, Ireland, where Moeran spent most of this time, but the slow second movement was inspired by the sand dunes and marshes of East Norfolk, England, and may have its roots in Moeran's 1924 arrangement of a folk-song called The Shooting of His Dear (the 5th of his Six Songs from Norfolk).

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