The years of the Great Depression, World War II, and their aftermath brought a sea change in American music.  This period of economic, social, and political adversity can truly be considered a musical golden age.  In the realm of classical music, Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, Howard Hanson, Virgil Thompson, and Leonard Bernstein, among others, produced symphonic works of great power and lasting beauty during these troubled years.  It was during this critical decade and a half that contemporary writers on American culture began to speculate about "the Great American Symphony" and looked to these composers for music that would embody the spirit of the nation.  Hardcover, 256 p.