Two Australian symphonies in one movement: Horace Perkins's Elegiac symphony and Felix Gethen's symphony in E flat

Two Australian symphonies in one movement: Horace Perkins's Elegiac symphony and Felix Gethen's symphony in E flat

This article explores two Australian symphonies in one movement that date from the 1950s. The Elegiac Symphony of Horace Perkins (1903-1987) was a response to the composer's first hand experience as a combatant in the Battle of Buna in December 1942. The work is cast in one long movement of about 37 minutes duration and is linked programmatically with the events of the battle and its aftermath. The Symphony in E flat by Felix Gethen is a shorter work that is not programatic. Nevertheless, like the Perkins work, it includes prominent references to traditional tunes. Both composers, one in South Australia, the other in Tasmania, were Directors of Music for the ABC in their respective states and were important musicians during the 1950s. Both are now undeservedly forgotten and neglected and these works have not been heard since the late 1950s.

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