The Symphony No. 4 is an orchestral symphony by the American composer William Schuman. The work was composed on a Guggenheim Fellowship grant awarded to Schuman in 1939. The piece was given its world premiere by the Cleveland Orchestra under the direction of Artur Rodzià Âski on January 22, 1942.
The symphony has a duration of roughly 25 minutes and is composed in three numbered movements. It is scored for a large orchestra comprising 3 flutes (3rd doubling piccolo), 3 oboes, English horn, 3 clarinets, E clarinet, bass clarinet, 3 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, 3 percussionists, and strings.
In a contemporary review of the symphony, the composer and music critic Virgil Thomson called it "vague and more than a little diffuse." In 2005, however, Lawrence A. Johnson of the Sun-Sentinel viewed the work more favorably, writing: