Nov. 14 is the birthday of the “Dean of American Composers.” Along with George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland is considered one of our “big three” composers, among the very best our country has produced. And while people will always debate who exactly the best among them is, Copland produced more popular classical works than either of the other two (if one discounts Gershwin the songwriter and only considers his instrumental works, which often strayed into cacophonous jazz pieces).
So, in celebration of Copland’s birthday, here is a list of eight compositions that contributed to his reputation as a “populist” composer.
‘El Salón México’
This one is not as well-known as Copland’s later works. However, it anticipates those pieces in the way he blended traditional melodies into his music. Inspired by a trip to a Mexican nightclub in 1932 and completed in Minnesota in 1936, it weaves in Mexican folk tunes like “La Jesusita,” “El Mosco,” and ”El Palo Verde.”‘Billy the Kid’
Copland used folk tunes in many of his works, and this is no exception. One example, the “Mexican Dance and Finale,” from his 1938 ballet “Billy the Kid,” highlights the sophisticated way that Copland expressed his populist sympathies. Different instruments all come together to suggest the feeling of being in the Wild West. Copland drew on the song “Git Along Little Doggies” for the melody, played by the trumpets. There is an uneven meter in the rhythm that one musical analyst has suggested could be an uneven wagon wheel. The percussive woodblock imitates the hooves of horses. The bass line, played by the bassoon and occasional trombones, suggests the manly struggles that made the hero and his Western culture iconic. The strings play in a “col legno” style, using the wooden side of the bow that creates a scratchy sound, again evoking the roughness of the times.‘Quiet City’
Copland would not have been as popular as he is without Eleanor Roosevelt. The First Lady actively promoted federal arts programs like the Works Progress Administration and the Federal Music Project, which allowed composers like Copland a wider audience by broadcasting their work. This helped Copland’s recognition in a big way.‘Rodeo’
The ‘40s was Copland’s best creative decade, and 1942 was possibly his best year. This saw the premiere of three of his most popular works. One was the ballet “Rodeo,” arguably the most quintessential expression of cowboy life ever composed.‘Lincoln Portrait’
Roosevelt played a personal role in promoting Copland’s works. When Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait” premiered on May 14, 1942 with the Cincinnati Orchestra, she performed some of the accompanying narration to the music, which was taken from Lincoln’s speeches. “I hoped to suggest something of the mysterious sense of fatality that surrounds Lincoln’s personality,” Copland said about the work.‘Fanfare for the Common Man’
This is one of Copland’s most celebrated compositions. The third of his great pieces written in 1942, it was not performed until the following year. Copland wrote it as a reflection of national sentiment following the attack on Pearl Harbor and the country’s entry into World War II.
Copland was actually one of 18 composers whom Eugene Goossens, conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony, commissioned to write fanfares. Copland initially considered a number of other titles, including “Fanfare for the Spirit of Democracy,” “Fanfare for Four Freedoms,” and the less inspired “Fanfare for the Rebirth of Lidice.”
‘Appalachian Spring’
If you’ve never seen Martha Graham’s modern ballet “Appalachian Spring,” you aren’t missing much. But you’re missing a great deal if you’ve never listened to a full orchestral performance of Copland’s music that was originally written to accompany Graham’s weird dance choreography. Even if you’ve never listened to the piece, though, you certainly would have heard the “Simple Gifts” tune somewhere, possibly while standing in an elevator, walking through a department store, or watching a movie as it played in the background. Copland’s arrangement of this Shaker folk song is often excerpted from the complete work. But whether excerpted or complete, this work continues to be widely performed.
‘Preamble for a Solemn Occasion’
The “Preamble for a Solemn Occasion” was one of the last popular works Copland wrote before straying into the more experimental avant-garde style that defines so many 20th-century composers.Appropriately, Roosevelt attended the premiere at Carnegie Hall on Dec. 10, 1949. The occasion was to celebrate the one-year anniversary of when the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Roosevelt had chaired the committee, and Copland composed a piece in the document’s honor. Addressing the audience, she spoke about veterans and never once mentioned Copland or music. Still, it was fitting that the woman most involved in establishing Copland’s iconic status should be present for the closing of his populist phase.
The “Preamble” drew from the words of the United Nations charter, and the ceremonial music is suitably stately. Copland’s friend Bernstein conducted the Boston Symphony Orchestra (although Copland and Bernstein are now “rivals” in greatness, they were great friends in life). Though it’s an underrated work and not as popular as others on this list, it deserves a listen.
