Much of Harris's instrumental oeuvre possesses extra-musical associations. For instance, the Free to Build movement of American Creed is a (triple) fugue, a procedure the composer associated with constructive activity (Part III of Symphony No. 8 is another example), while the Ode to Truth, is founded on canon, a "learned" device that reflects the work's origin in a commission from a university. As indicated earlier, only a few pieces might be regarded as actually following a descriptive program {e.g., Cimarron, with its almost graphic depiction of a land rush); rather, most convey generalized activity or serve to evoke moods {e.g., Kentucky Spring, Evening Piece). Most of Harris's symphonies, even those lacking descriptive subtitles, contain programmatic elements; in fact, in his later years the composer appeared to deem this element virtually sine qua now. he planned that all of his symphonies from No. 9 on were to have a program and that he would write nothing in the genre unless it had some kind of "historical import."
Harris was a prodigious reviser and self-borrower, reworking themes, extended passages, even entire compositions in the creation of new works. His practice here resulted from a combination of a desire to refine and improve, a sometimes insecure technique, and a lack of firm self-criticism while engaged in the heat of composition (though he could be ruthless in this respect once a piece was finished). The success of his revisions is uneven, particularly those undertaken long after completion of the work in question, when the impulses generating it had dissipated. The problem is especially severe with compositions that he had an opportunity to hear only a very few times. However, some revisions, particularly those based on long experience with a work in performance, such as the Violin Sonata and Symphony No. 7, resulted in a genuine tightening of form and a more cogent manner of communication.
The expressive qualities of Harris's music reveal a dual nature: on the one hand, there is the extrovert, "civic" composer, whose work suggests, especially through its steady, organic growth, a quality of aspiration. This aspect is marked by great melodic expanses and large gestures and is revealed most potently in the symphonies and some of the larger chamber works. On the other hand, there is Harris the miniaturist, in which role he is sometimes more comfortable and successful than in that of the creator of large edifices, revealing more subtlety of expression, economy in harmonic idiom, and less of a tendency to overstate, overextend, and over-inflate. This is the Harris of the songs and some of the short choral and piano pieces.
