AARON COPLAND EL SALON MEXICO.
INTRODUCTION.
Aaron Copland (1900-1990) is among the most widely known American classical
composers. He grew up in New York and also spent 3 years in Paris studying
composition with Nadia Boulanger. He became aware of radical new music of
Europe from composers such as Stravinsky, Bartok and Schoenberg. After
composing a number of works reflecting the European influences, he made a
decision to try to make his music appeal more to audiences, whose tastes
revolved around the established classics, later writing
“I felt it was worth the effort to see if I couldn’t say what I had to say in the
simplest possible terms”
Shortly afterwards he produced his first popular success El Salon Mexico in
1936 based on Mexican tunes. Other pieces that reflect the approach of using
simple material to engage audiences include the ballets Billy the Kid ( 1938),
Rodeo (1942) and Appalachian Spring ( 1944) which were all based on American
themes and including examples of American folk music. Other notable pieces
include Fanfare for the Common Man (1942) and the opera Tender land (1954)
Activity.
Listen to other examples of Copland’s work using YouTube or ITunes as a
resource.
MUSICAL INFLUENCES
The main influences on Copland’s music stem from his formative years in Paris.
In musical circles there was a reaction against Germanic music (particularly
Strauss, Wagner and Mahler) and support for Neoclassicism, a clearer, simpler
type of music that looked back to composers of the Baroque and Classical
period.
Stravinsky influenced Copland on Copland’s rhythmic experimentation and also
his use of harmony, orchestration and use of folk material.
Milhaud’s use of polytonality was also an influence.
Jazz, and atonal and serial music of composers such as Schoenberg also
influenced Copland.
Copland was also interested in folk songs as seen in the cowboy melodies and
American folk music in his ballets and the Mexican folk music of El Salon Mexico.
BACKGROUND EL SALON MEXICO
In 1932, Copland went to Mexico to visit his friend composer Carlos Chavez.
Chavez took Copland to El Salon Mexico which was a wild dance hall in Mexico
City. It was described as
“Harlem type night club for the people, grand Cuban orchestra, Salon Mexico.
Three halls: one for people dressed in your way, one for people dressed in
overalls but shod and one for the barefoot”
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Copland was taken with the earthy quality of the venue. He was attracted to the
spirit of the place and felt a close connection with the Mexican people and their
humanity, shyness, dignity and charm.
He decided to compose a piece with the dance hall’s name as the title basing it
on Mexican melodies. The music for El Salon Mexico was completed in 1934
and orchestrated by 1936.
MEXICAN FOLK MUSIC IN EL SALON MEXICO
The strongest Mexican influence in El Salon Mexico is the Mexican Melodies that
Copland borrowed. They are El Palo Verde, La Jesusita and El Mosco. Listen to
these songs on YouTube.
The alternation between 6\8 and 3\4 that these melodies contain is typical of
Mexican Folk Music and Copland further developed this metrical contrast in El
Salon Mexico.
The Mexican guiro is the only actual instrument used in this work however
Copland’s inclusion of solos for the eflat clarinet was designed to imitate the
piercing sound of the Mexican clarinetist.
A “grand Cuban orchestra” would include clarinet, cornet, trombone, bassoon,
tuba, piano, guiro and drums. All these instruments have prominent parts in El
Salon Mexico, the cornet being mimicked by the use of the trumpet.
A general characteristic of Mexico folk music is its raucous home made quality.
Copland imitates this in his orchestration with frequent use of open strings and
effects such as hand stopping on the horn and rhythms on percussion
instruments such as woodblocks, temple blocks, tabor and guiro.
Bars 19-33 shows this influence through the major and minor thirds in the
bassoon and trumpet suggesting an out of tune quality with the lurching rhythms
suggesting drunkenness. The trumpet solo in this section is marked ad lib and is
often played crudely with wide vibrato, imitating the sound of a cornet and the
style of Mexican brass playing.
Copland admired and was influenced by the music of Carlos Chavez by the way
he integrates Mexican influences into a classical idiom. Copland attempts to do
this in Salon Mexico rather than striving for authenticity
OVERALL FORM
El Salon Mexico is a succession of interlinked sections based on different
melodies, encompassing a variety of tempi, keys and changes of metre.
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Bar Numbers
Section
1-18
19-102
103-182
183-243
243-390
391-402
Introduction (Allegro Vivace)
Section 1 ( Moderato Rubato)
Section 2 (Allegro Vivace)
Section 3 (Moderato Molto)
Section 4 (faster)
Coda
MELODY
Copland based the melodies of El Salon Mexico on Mexican folk melodies that
he found in two collections of folk music. Francis Toors Cancionero Mexicano
and Ruben Campos’ El folk lore y la musical Mexicana.
He decided against using melodies in their original form as
“Most composers found that there is little that can be done with such material
except repeat it. In El Salon Mexico I decided to use a modified potpourri in
which the Mexican themes or fragments and extensions thereof are sometimes
inextricably mixed”
Can you make a link to Mozart’s treatment of melodic fragments???
The melodies that Copland creates in El Salon Mexico are often constructed from
short fragments taken from two or more melodies supplemented with extra
material of his own. (Refer to melodic fragment sheets) You will need to know
the three main melodies and be able to give examples of Copland’s practice of
combining and developing fragments from different melodies to create new ones.
RHYTHM
Rhythm is frequently the most striking aspect of Copland’s music and in El Salon
Mexico it is used with sophistication. Copland was influenced by his study of jazz
in the 1920s and the music of Stravinsky and Bartok during his time in Paris.
Copland’s use of rhythm in El Salon Mexico is complex seen through his use of
rhythmic devices. He keeps the music fresh by constantly switching from one
rhythmic device to another. There is a succession of metrical changes, changing
divisions within the bar, use of syncopation, tied notes and polyrhythmic
passages. There is a basic interplay between groups of note values lasting two
and three quavers.
TWO VERSUS THREE
The 2 versus 3 relationships can be seen from the opening bars of the score.
Bars 1-15 shows the following relationships
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Bars 1-4
Bar 5
Bar 6
Bar 7-9
Bar 10-11
Bar 12-15
3+3+3+3+2+2+3
2+4 (or 2+2)
3+2+3
3+3+2+3+2+2+3
3+3+2+2+2
2+2+3+2+2+3+2+3+2+3
The pattern of rhythmic groups of 2 and 3 quavers is irregular and unpredictable;
there are also passages of regular rhythm to contrast this. As there is mainly 2
and 3 quaver patterns the domination of this pattern could lead to boring and
static rhythm, Copland eliminates this possibility by bringing the unpredictability
of 2 versus 3 relationships that gives the music drive and life. The influence of
Stravinsky in the Rite of Spring and Bartok’s work in Bulgarian rhythms can be
seen here.
ADDITIVE RHYTHMS
An additive rhythm can be seen when the composer has adapted a rhythmic
pattern in a regular metre extending certain note values, inserting extra note
values and reducing and removing others to create unpredictable sounding
rhythms with an irregular pattern of stresses. E.g. Bars 40 -43 compared to the
first phrase of El Mosco.
SYNCOPATIONS
There are a number of syncopations in El Salon Mexico as well as ties over the
bar line
Find examples of syncopations from the score.
USE OF METRE
The richness of Copland’s rhythmic language is especially evident in the variety
of ways he uses metre e.g.
 Regular metres whose beat pattern remains constant e.g. 6\8 bars 73-102
and 4\4 bars 222-226
 A regular pattern consisting of 2 or more alternating metres e.g. 6\8 and
3\4 bars 34-39 and 59-73
 An irregular pattern of different metres e.g. bars 380-391 5\8, 4\4 x3, 3\4
5\8, 3\4. 5\8x3, 3\4 and 4\4
POLYRHYTHM
This is the simultaneous superimposition of 2 or more metres with different beat
patterns. The effect of this is the relative stresses of metres shift in and out. E.g.
269-273 3\4 against 6\8
Another example can be where one or more of the rhythms are irregular e.g. bars
257-260 where the cor anglais has a changing rhythm over a regular viola
pattern.
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RUBATO AND CADENZA LIKE PASSAGES
In El Salon Mexico there are occasional freer passages marked cadenza or
rubato. They provide contrast and respite to the many tight rhythmic passages in
this work. E.g.
HARMONY
Copland was exposed to contemporary European music during his studies in
Paris and he had an excellent understanding of the latest harmonic
developments. Stravinsky, Milhaud, Bartok and Schoenberg were influential to
him. He integrated many of these influences into a basically tonal language.
In El Salon Mexico he uses an accessible harmonic language which he felt suited
the folk music influences and was more consistent with the populist appeal of the
work. His use of harmony is basically diatonic with elements of added note
harmony and bi tonality.
DIATONIC HARMONY
The main diatonic passages are the whole of the introduction Bars 1-18, 34-102,
183-227,268-277, 292-300 and 391 to the end.
In these passages we can see
 Frequent unison passages (the opening)
 Passages in 2 parts (217-221)
 Lines moving in 3rds against a pedal note or simple bass line (40-58,7798)
 Repetition of the tonic triad (69-102 G Major)
 Use of tonic and dominant chords (268-277)
 Alternation of tonic and dominant chords (bars 59-102)
There is little chromaticism e.g. chromatic inflections of the cello line shadowing
the melody in bars 77-86
ADDED NOTES OR NON FUNCTIONAL HARMONY
This is seen where extra notes are added to chords that are not part of the
standard triad. E.g. 108-171 and 305-390
In the passage from 108-172 we can see
 A pair of pedal notes a tone apart e.g. G\A bars 124-133)
 A bass line that is dissonant with the harmony above it (133 beat 3 to 144.
This is a common device used by composers such as Stravinsky)
 An example of a major triad with an added 2nd ( C Major Bar 149)
 Block chards moving in parallel motion ( 124-133)
 A tonic chord sounded against a bass line outlining a dominant chord ( bar
156-159)
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MAJOR\MINOR HARMONY
This harmony occurs when the major and minor 3rd of a triad are sounded
simultaneously. It is a device found in blues piano and jazz as well as music of
Stravinsky and Bartok. E.g. Bars 20-29 contains wind accompanying chords that
outline G Minor and G major.
BITONALITY
This is the simultaneous use of 2 keys. Copland was influenced by Stravinsky
and Milhaud’s use of this device.
E.g. Bars 247-256 Cello material B flat major first inversion, Violin figures G
major, flute and piccolo D Major first inversion. The harmony of this passage is
based on the superimposed chords of B flat major, G Major and D Major, each
triad shares the note D thus the dissonant effect is lessened.
TONALITY
The tonal scheme of El Salon Mexico includes sections that are in specific keys,
those based around tonal centres and those where there are two tonal centres at
the same time.
Refer to the modulation and key centre charts.
POINTS FOR CONSIDERATION.
 The music passes through every major key with the exception of F major
 There are no passages in a minor key
 G Major is the most important tonal centre of the work and can be thought
of as being the tonic. After the first 114 bars each time it returns it is
contradicted by other harmonic elements: Bar 240- 247 by the appearance
of f naturals, 248-304 bi tonal passages,305-322 the bass line implies G
but there is an emphasis on A, C and E elsewhere in the texture and the
ending where G Major is alternated with an E Major chord ( 391-402)
 The second most important tonal centre which serves as a kind of
dominant is E Major which is the key of the second section ( bar 183-196)
and returns to be pitted against G major from 391-402.
 C Major (the subdominant of G Major) and A major (the subdominant of E)
appear more than once and are important in the 2 fast sections.
 Other keys (A flat major, D flat major, D Major, F Sharp major, B Major, B
flat major and E Flat major) seem to be used for the tonal contrast they
provide rather than structural reasons.
 Can you make links to Mozart’s treatment of tonality compared to
Copland’s?
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INSTRUMENTATION, TEXTURE, TIMBRE
Copland’s orchestral writing has a distinctive sound which is supplemented in El
Salon Mexico by his deliberate use of Mexican influences
INSTRUMENTS USED
The orchestra is a standard symphony orchestra with the inclusion of a piano.
This is common for Copland and he could have been influenced by Stravinsky’s
use of piano in Petrushka. The percussion writing especially the use of the
gourd, temple blocks, woodblock and tabor, hints at Latin American percussion
instruments and helps convey Mexican flavour in the work.
ORCHESTRATION
Clarity
Copland’s primary concern is for every part of the texture to be heard closely
throughout the work. This is a feature of Classical and Neo classical styles of
orchestration. (Make a link to Mozart) and contrasts with orchestration of the
Romantic period..
The melody, countermelody and accompaniments in El Salon Mexico tends to
avoid the Romantic traits such as rushes of scales, washes of sound based on
broken chord patterns, thick scoring with numerous doublings of parts and
melodramatic string tremolos. Examples of simple texture Bras 73-97
Homogeneity of Timbre
Copland tends to keep instrumental groups together in his scoring (make link to
Mozart) e.g. 40-59 bassoon and bass clarinet, flute and oboe 197-204 and 241244 muted trumpets. When doubling occurs each part of the texture is generally
doubled in a consistent way thus preserving a unified tone color.
Antiphony
Copland’s orchestration plays a vital role in distinguishing between different
blocks of material. E.g. opening there is antiphonal dialogue between
trumpets\cymbals and upper strings woodwind and piano. The differences in tone
color make the contrast in melodic material more dramatic. Other examples can
be seen at 133-136 and 173-181
Structural use of orchestration
Copland’s orchestration always includes noticeable changes at section points
such as a change from wind to string dominated scoring. even minor structural
points such as a new phrase could be marked by a subtle change. (Link to
Mozart)
Striking changes
 Bar 61 where the wind dominated scoring gives ways to strings
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Bar 103 where a climactic passage for wind brass and strings gives way
to oboe , bassoon and piano
Bar 124 where woodwind, trumpets, piano and strings gives way to horn,
woodblock and strings
Bar 133 where horns\woodblock\strings are followed by bassoon,
trumpet, timp, cello and basses
Bar 145 where woodwind, trumpet and strings give way to brass and side
drum.
Subtle changes
 Bar 89 where Violin 2 and cello swap roles, and oboe and cor anglais take
over from the flutes and clarinet
 Bar 118 beat 3 where oboes are added, doubling violin 2 and viola, cellos
are added, doubling bassoon and the piano doubles its own part an
octave higher
 Bar 214 where violin 1 takes over the melody from clarinet 1
 Bar 263 where the violins material is doubled by the addition of the flutes
and piano and the accompaniment rhythm is reinforced by Chinese
blocks.
ORCHESTRATION TO REINFORCE DYNAMICS
Copland adds or removes instruments to bring about or enhance changes in
dynamics e.g. Bars 98-102
ORCHESTRATION TO HEIGHTEN ARTICULATION
This is the frequent use of single notes or a short series of notes to point
important or accented notes in melodic phrases.
Examples
 Bars 1-2 where the cymbal reinforces the trumpets attack
 Bars 3-4 where the viola and cello accent the first note of the phrase and
the piano, cor anglais and E flat clarinet the end of the phrase.
 Bar 19 where strings, brass, snare drum and bass drum reinforce the first
quaver of the phrase in horn 1 and violin 1
 Bar 26 where string pizzicato emphasizes the entry of the clarinet.
 Bar 156- 161 where the wind, trumpet 1, xylophone, cymbal and first
violins reinforce the accented notes in the trumpets, violin2 and viola.
 Try to find some more examples
Interesting colors and techniques
Bar Number
19
34-50
Orchestration
The combination of open string violin
and stopped horn
The alternation of double bass, piano,
bassoon, contrabassoon and timpani
8
40-59
103-105
147, 150
206-207
217
252-260
276
372-379
The combination of bassoon and bass
clarinet in 3rds
The combination of oboes, bassoon
and piano
The combination of timpani chord and
bass drum
The glissandi in the solo violins
The combination of E flat clarinet,
bassoon and guiro
The use of E flat clarinet and piccolo on
the melody line followed by the cor
anglais
The use of glissando on the E flat
clarinet
The violin 2 and viola parts in which
Copland uses the open A string to
create parts with wide leaps.
TEXTURE EXAMPLES
 Monophonic 185-189 clarinet solo
 Homophonic 145-155
 Antiphonal 1-9, 391-402
 Contrapuntal 136-144, 165-171
 Layered texture 247-256
 Melody and accompaniment 76-99
CONCLUSION.
El Salon Mexico represents something of a paradox: a work with a deceptively
simple attractive appearance but which is also subtle and complex once you
delve below the surface. Your work for the exam should acknowledge these two
levels.
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