term paper on aaron copland

Aaron Copland Aaron Warner
485-13-5800
25:014:000
Masterpieces in Music
4/29/95 Aaron Copland was the embodiment of what a
composer can hope to become. Copland was very much in touch not only
with himself and his feelings, but with the audience he intended to reach.
Very few composers have a concrete idea of what "types" of people they
wish their music to reach. Copland was one of these few. The "Common
Man" was the central part of much of his volumes of music strived to
reach. Copland felt that, ". .everyone should have a chance to see things
through this music. Limiting who can understand it only limits your
usefulness" Throughout his 75+ years as a composer and conductor, he
touched the lives and hearts of as many people as he could. Copland was
born in Brooklyn, New York in 1900 to fairly affluent parents. Because of
his family's financial status, he started formally training as a teen, and
moved to Paris where he became the first American student of Nadia
Boulanger. It was here that Copland developed much of his neo-classical
style. Although he enjoyed the precise structure that Boulanger had
taught him, Copland's heart was truly in creating music that people other
than musicians could appreciate. It was upon his return to America in
1924 that he decided that he would write ". . .truly American music." He
traveled throughout America, getting a taste of what the "common man"
was listening to. During these travels he strayed into Mexico, and wrote
the highly successful El Salon Mexico. A quote from the fall of 1932 sums
up his intentions in writing this piece: "Any composer who goes outside
his native land wants to return bearing musical souvenirs." This is exactly
what he did. The piece is a lively adaptation of Frances Toor's
Cancionero Mexicano, with a very loose tempo, and heavy use of the
horn section. It was after the success of El Salon Mexico that
Copland proceeded to produce what is now considered the epitome of

"American" music. He combined his neo-classical schooling with jazz-like
syncopation and a new, more "open" use of old chordal progressions.
He created Billy The Kid in 1938, producing the first "Western" musical.
The score achieved a remarkable balance between outright humor and
pathos, and oftentimes bordered on tragic. It was this base understanding
of humanity that made Copland's music what it is. Many texts also refer
to a certain built in sympathy that Copland may have had for the main
character, citing his homosexuality as a cause for his deep understanding
of what it is to be looked down upon by society. Another rowdy
musical followed, entitled Rodeo. This piece was comprised of a similar
hybrid of popular western themes, and used as a story line the universally
known as "The Ugly Duckling". Rodeo had it's premiere in 1942 at the
Metropolitan Opera House, and was judged as an unqualified success.
Copland was clearly breaking down barriers with his "common" music.
The Metropolitan Opera was known at this time for it's stuffy renditions of
Verdi and Puccini's operas, and not for the joyful playfulness of such a
work. The warm exuberance of Copland's music attracted Martha
Graham in 1943. She commissioned him to write a score for her ballet
entitled Appalachian Spring, which is impossible not to mention. (despite
the fact that we heard it in class) Appalachian spring brought nothing but
good fortune to Copland, assuring him an eternal place in classical music.
It was after the widespread success of Spring that he produced his most
prolific piece, and perhaps the best summation of his attitude towards
classical music, "Fanfare for the Common Man" Finished in 1942, this
was one of 18 pieces commissioned by Eugene Goossens for the
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. The horns and the timpani play a major
role, producing a strong and bold urgency. This provides an interesting
paradox: "Common Man" seems to be as "American" as a piece could
get. It is strong, bold, to the point and unquestioning. Interestingly
enough, Copland was spending much of his time with an extreme leftist

group of friends who made plays about the injustice and hypocrisy that
existed in society during the 1940's. Copland was not only known for
his prolific style and unquestionable compositional language. He was also
a great supporter of other musicians, sponsoring event after event, and
starting the career of the now world renowned Leonard Bernstein . He
spoke and taught at countless Universities across the country, and gave
to the American people a style of music that they could claim as their
own. All of this is an example of the caring and humanity that was both
the cornerstone and the trademark of his music. Although he died in
1990, his music will live on in the hearts and minds of the American
people as long as there is a place called "America."