Harris wrote this symphony on a commission from Hans Kindler but he gave it to Serge Koussevitzky instead.
The music is scored for 3 flutes (the third doubling on piccolo), 2 oboes, English horn, 2 soprano clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, 1 euphonium, 1 tuba, timpani, bass drum, cymbals, triangle, xylophone, vibraphone and strings.
"After the first performance, Harris made two cuts" to the Pastoral section, specifically, measures 274–301 and 308–16.
This work uses a number of techniques that have become common in subsequent American classical music works, including "massive but spacious textures; a new emphasis on vital, syncopated rhythms... and a rich harmonic palette".
[6] Koussevitzky made the world-premiere recording in a performance which Harris "regarded ... as the finest interpretation".