Aaron Copland

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses some of the composer Aaron Copland's well-known compositions and analyzes his contribution to modern classical music. It includes an autobiographical account of Copland's life growing up in New York. It details his music and gives examples of his famous ballets and scores. It also describes his main influences in the music world. Finally, it details his great contribution with works such as: "Rodeo", and "Fanfare for the Common Man" making him one of the most loved American composers of all time.

From the Paper:

"Popular jazz and be-bop music heavily influenced his early works. As he matured, he began to compose strictly in the modern classical style, and most of his work falls under this style. His music most often celebrated the unique American character that he found so appealing. His ballets and scores included "Rodeo," "Appalachian Spring," "A Lincoln Portrait," "Theme for the Common Man," and "Billy the Kid." He also wrote numerous piano concertos, smaller pieces, and two sets of "Old American Songs," which were arrangements of traditional folk tunes "that became so popular in their piano and orchestral versions as to eclipse the original melodies on which they were based" (Hampson). At the height of his popularity and career in 1944, Copland's score for "Appalachian Spring" won the Pulitzer Prize for music. Yet, he continued to write for thirty years after this apex of his work. "

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