Roy Harris

American composer Roy Harris studied at the University of California at Berkeley, and from 1926-29 in Paris with Nadia Boulanger. He was also educated by his mother in piano and clarinet. In 1933 he composed the first American symphony to be commercially recorded on vinyl together with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Harris had his biggest breakthrough with his Third Symphony. He composed over 170 works including chamber music, choral works, and 13 numbered symphonies. From 1924-60 Harris taught at various American universities including Mills College, the Juilliard School, Princeton, and Cornell. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1957 and the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters in 1979. He was married to the Canadian pianist, composer and music teacher Johana Harris (1912-95).

His work When Johnny Comes Marching Home – An American Overture is an orchestral work just over 7 min long, based on a well-known song from the American Civil War. Written in 1934, it was first performed in 1935 by the Minneapolis Symphony conducted by Eugene Ormandy. According to musicsalesclassical.com, “Harris incorporates the familiar melody into music that explores a variety of moods and orchestral textures”.