The Airborne Symphony The Airborne Symphony ( also known as Symphony : The Airborne ) is a work by American composer Marc Blitzstein for narrator , vocal soloists , male chorus , and large orchestra that premiered on 1946 . The symphony uses music that the United States Army Air Forces , in which Blitzstein served during the World War II , originally commissioned for use in film . History . Blitzstein began the war as a member of the U . S . Eighth Army Air Force ' s film division in London , England , working as a composer , scriptwriter , and translator . He was chosen to score a film on the history of aviation through his promotion to corporal in January 1943 . Blitzstein also began work on the orchestral poem " Freedom Morning " that summer for eventual performance in Royal Albert Hall . Work on the " Airborne " score continued into 1944 , with Blitzstein providing other services to the U . S . Army . By mid - 1944 , he had been promoted to sergeant and became music director of the American Broadcasting Service . The original film project did not come to fruition and Blitzstein , who composed his score for a large orchestra and male chorus , did not have the needed manpower for a wartime concert . Blitzstein returned to the United States in May 1945 . His score of " The Airborne " had been lost en route from England , but he was able to play sections of the work on piano for conductor Leonard Bernstein . Bernstein enthusiastically arranged its premiere for April 1946 and Blitzstein rewrote the score from memory . The original score was recovered , but Blitzstein preferred the newer version . The symphony was first performed by the New York City Symphony Orchestra under Bernstein on April 1 , 1946 . Renowned filmmaker Orson Welles served as narrator ; Charles Holland was tenor soloist and Walter Scheff was baritone soloist with men from the Robert Shaw Collegiate Chorale . Structure . " The Airborne Symphony , " while having symphonic elements , models itself largely after the choral cantata . The symphony is divided into three parts , with each part divided into subtitled sections . " The Airborne " is a highly dramatic work that connects the birth of flight with the role of airplanes in modern warfare : As expected , the narrator holds a primary role in advancing the symphony ' s plot . The soloists and chorus provide commentary on the action . The symphony is comparable to works by Dmitri Shostakovich , American counterpart Samuel Barber , and the earlier works of Igor Stravinsky . Blitzstein , who subscribed to the artistic principles of socialist realism , wrote in a conservative style that was understandable on first hearing . Reception . " The Airborne Symphony " was fairly successful in its premiere , despite expressing wartime concerns that began subsiding after 1945 . Since then , the work has been rarely performed , owing to its massive orchestral forces , topicality , and lack of standing with musicologists . " The Airborne Symphony " has passages of stunning musicality , but is also judged as a work of brazen propaganda with limited performing value in modern times . Leonard Bernstein has been the symphony ' s best - known disciple , performing and recording the work on two different occasions ( 1946 and 1966 ) .