Aaron Copland
An American Original
Perhaps more than any other composer, Aaron Copland
established American concert music through his
compositions, promotions, and just plain hard work.
To many, his name is
synonymous with American
Music. It was his pioneering
achievement to break free of
Europe and create a style
that is characteristically
American.
“I was born on November 14, 1900, on a street in
Brooklyn, New York City that could only be
described as drab.”
- Copland autobiography
Little Aaron
At a young age, Aaron
learned to play piano from
an older sister.
By the time he was 15, he
had decided to become a
composer.
Continuing Study
Aaron riding through the
French countryside
She encouraged Aaron to explore a
serious style that sounded American,
often pointing out the odd rhythms he
would use - the rhythms of Jazz and
American popular music.
At the age of 21,
Copland traveled to
Paris to study with the
brilliant teacher Nadia
Boulanger, and was her
first American student.
Nadia Boulanger
A New Popular Style
Copland said he thought many composers were
endangered of “working in a vacuum” - that no one
would be able to understand their works.
An entirely new generation had grown up around the
radio and the phonograph, and it didn’t make sense to
ignore them and continue writing as if they didn’t exist.
He embraced a
populist idea, and
strove for a greater
simplicity without
sacrificing artistic
values and falling
into purely
commercial music.
What’s this all
mean? Basically,
Copland tried to
keep the music as
simple as possible,
but still creative
and new.
Reaching the People
While his early work was influenced greatly by
Stravinsky, Aaron began to think about getting
“serious” music to be more appealing to the general
public. He began to write for Theatre, Ballet, and Films.
Reaching the People
His new simplified
style often used
American and
Mexican folk
melodies. Here is
Copland listening
to a Mexican
mariachi band.
Copland visited
Mexico many times
throughout the 30’s
and 40’s. He also
loved cowboy
songs.
Aaron’s new style was very popular, and it brought him
fame. His pieces became well known, and he became
one of the leading American Composers.
Copland was one of the few composers who were liked by
both professional musicians and the general public.
His ballet “Appalachian Spring” uses the folk melody
“Simple Gifts” – a popular song by the Shaker people
that settled in the Appalachian Mountains.
Copland won the Pulitzer Prize for music
in 1944 for Appalachian Spring.
A Teacher
Copland wanted to not just create a new
American sound in his own music, but to
encourage others as well. He started the
composition department at Tanglewood
Music Center in Boston, wrote and
lectured on modern music, and even
produced a music appreciation book for
the general reader.
Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland
He was also good at spotting new talented composers.
He helped launch the careers of William Schumann,
David Diamond, Peter Mennin, and Leonard Bernstein,
among others.
In the 1950’s, Copland began to become interested in a
new composition technique called serialism. This abstract
style was not as popular with the public as his earlier music.
Serialism is a type of music that includes 12-tone music. It
is often very dissonant and is not very memorable.
This is one of his serial compositions – it’s called Emblems.
It doesn’t sound much like his other music does it?
He turned his attention to conducting, and specialized
in his own pieces. In large part to make money, since
his new style pieces weren’t selling as well. He was
very successful, and enjoyed a lucrative career.
Aaron virtually gave up composing by 1970, but
continued to conduct and speak to young musicians
well into the 1980’s. When asked about giving up
composing, he said,
“I’m amazed that I don’t miss
composing more than I do. You’d
think if you had spent 50 years at it,
you’d have the feeling that something
was missing and I really don’t. I must
have expressed myself sufficiently.
I certainly don’t feel tortured or bitter,
only lucky to have been given so long
to be creative. And resigned to the
fact that it seems to be over.”
With Alzheimers setting in,
Copland spent the last
years of his life out of the
public spotlight.
He passed away on
December 2, 1990, at his
home in Peekskill, New
York.
Copland’s genius was able to sum up in sound the
vast space of the American landscape, and the
energy of the American people.
For Nearly Four Decades, he was regarded as the
foremost American composer.
He is still one of the most important and influential
composers that America has ever produced.
According to his wishes, his house was
turned into a center for young composers.
Listening:
1. Fanfare for the
Common Man
(Click to start)
2. Hoe-Down
from Rodeo
(Click to start)