Very few get rich in the arts. But every once in a while, you can score a nice pay day.
On this date in 1928, Swedish composer Kurt Atterberg entered his Symphony No. 6 into a contest held by the Columbia Record Company in honor of the 100th anniversary of the death of Franz Schubert. For his effort, he was awarded the first prize of $10,000. (Not bad for 1928!) The work became known as Atterberg’s “Dollar Symphony.” It remains the composer’s most-recorded piece, starting all the way back with Sir Thomas Beecham and a recorded broadcast with Arturo Toscanini.
Though Atterberg was the winner of the international competition, divisional winners (by “zone”) included the now-forgotten English composer John St. Anthony Johnson, for his work “Pax Vobiscum,” and the equally-forgotten American, Charles Haubiel, for a piece called “Karma.”
Franz Schmidt was recognized in Austria, for his Symphony No. 3. Havergal Brian won second prize in England, for the first three movements of his “Gothic Symphony.”
You can find all the details here:
For a time at least, Atterberg’s “Dollar Symphony” was one of the darlings of Classical 24, a streaming service out of Minnesota used by classical music radio stations around the country to save on the cost of maintaining local announcers. However, characteristically, C24 only ever plays a single movement.
Whether it’s 1928 or 2022, money makes the world go ‘round. Ka-ching!
Atterberg, Symphony No. 6 – the whole thing – on YouTube
John St. Anthony Johnson, “Pax Vobiscum”
Charles Haubiel, “Karma”
Franz Schmidt, Symphony No. 3
Havergal Brian, “Gothic Symphony”
