Download Aaron Copland

Aaron Copland
1900 - 1990
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Aaron Copland
 Born in Brooklyn, New York
 Had formal musical training from early
on
 Was an accomplished pianist
 At age 20, began studying in Paris
 In addition to being a composer,
Copland was a teacher, lecturer, critic,
writer, and conductor (generally, but
not always) of his own works.
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Copland’s Music
 Studied great composers of the past.
 Copland stated that an ideal music
might combine Mozart’s “spontaneity
and refinement”, with Palestrina’s
“purity", and Bach’s “profundity”
 Influenced in his music by jazz
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Jazz
 Jazz music originated with slaves.
 In the African tradition, they had a single-line
melody and a call-and-response pattern, but
without the European concept of harmony.
 In the early 19th century an increasing
number of black musicians learned to play
European instruments.
 Begin with a basic melodies and musicians
take turns improvising or “taking a solo” on
the melody.
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Copland’s Music
 In his ballets, he used folksong,
traditional dance & hymn joined by
modern rhythms, harmonies &
orchestration
 Ballets – Billy the Kid, Rodeo,
Appalachian Spring
 Orchestral music – “Fanfare for the
Common Man”
 “12 Poems of Emily Dickinson” 5
Copland’s Rodeo
 Rodeo contains 5 songs:
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Buckaroo Holiday
Corral Nocturne
Ranch House Party
Saturday Night Waltz
Hoe-Down (based on an
American folk song)
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Copland’s Appalachian
Spring
Copland’s Appalachian
Spring
 The ballet, scored (written) for a
thirteen-member chamber orchestra,
was premiered on Monday, Oct. 30th,
1944.
 The story is a spring celebration of
the American pioneers of the 1800s
after building a new Pennsylvania
farmhouse. Among the central
characters are a newlywed couple, a
neighbor, a revivalist preacher and
his followers.
Copland’s Appalachian
Spring
 The orchestral suite is divided in eight sections
 The 7th section is calm and flowing. Scenes of
daily activity for the Bride and her Farmer
husband. There are five variations on a Shaker
theme. The theme, sung by a solo clarinet, was
taken from a collection of Shaker melodies
compiled by Edward D. Andrews, and published
under the title "The Gift to Be Simple." The melody
most borrowed and used almost literally is called
"Simple Gifts."