COPLAND 2000

As It Fell Upon a Day
When Copland was studying with Nadia Boulanger in Paris in the early twenties, one of his assignments was to compose a piece for flute and clarinet. He came upon a poem by the 17th century English poet Richard Barnefield and decided to add a voice part to the Boulanger assignment. Copland explained: "The poem had the simplicity and tenderness that moved me to attempt to evoke that poignant expression musically." As It Fell. . . had its premiere in Paris in 1924.

As It Fell Upon a Day (1923) 5'
for soprano, flute and clarinet

Movement
While working at the Library of Congress on Copland's autobiography, Vivian Perlis came upon parts for a movement of a string quartet among the composer's papers. Little is known about the circumstances of its composition. It was probably written as an assignment for Nadia Boulanger just before Copland returned to the U.S. from Paris in 1924. The movement is in three parts: a haunting slow section, followed by a short lively segment and a lilting finale. The Alexander String Quartet played the movement for Copland at his home in 1983, almost sixty years after its composition. He approved it for publication and for the premiere by the Alexander Quartet.

Movement (1921-24) 4 1/2'
for string quartet

Nonet
The unusual choice of nine solo strings grew from "a series of rather darkly colored three-voiced chords," according to Copland. Nonet is one of Copland's most unusual experiments in instrumentation. He wrote to his friend Carlos Ch·vez in Mexico: "My main news is that I completed my Nonet, and it was premiered at Dumbarton Oaks last week. I wonder if you will like it? I myself thought it had a poignant and elegiac sound—almost autumnal in quality." The piece is dedicated to Nadia Boulanger, "after forty years of friendship."

Nonet (1960) 18'
for 3 violins, 3 violas and 3 cellos
see also Orchestral works

Quartet
Copland was interested in exploring various methods of composition that might stimulate his melodic and harmonic ideas. It had been twenty years since he had adapted serialism to his own use. He said that "composing with all twelve notes of the chromatic scale can give one a feeling of freedom. It's like looking at a picture from a different point of view." Copland was the first to admit that he did not keep strictly to the rules of serialism. In fact, the sense of a tonal center is rarely missing in the Quartet.

Quartet (1950) 23'
for piano, violin, viola and cello




Table of Contents Chamber Music
As It Fell Upon a Day When Copland was studying with Nadia Boulanger in Paris in the early twenties, one of his assignments was to compose a piece for flute and clarinet. He came upon a poem by the 17th century English poet Richard Barnefield and decided to add a voice part to the Boulanger assignment. Copland explained: "The poem had the simplicity and tenderness that moved me to attempt to evoke that poignant expression musically." As It Fell. . . had its premiere in Paris in 1924. As It Fell Upon a Day (1923) 5' for soprano, flute and clarinet Movement While working at the Library of Congress on Copland's autobiography, Vivian Perlis came upon parts for a movement of a string quartet among the composer's papers. Little is known about the circumstances of its composition. It was probably written as an assignment for Nadia Boulanger just before Copland returned to the U.S. from Paris in 1924. The movement is in three parts: a haunting slow section, followed by a short lively segment and a lilting finale. The Alexander String Quartet played the movement for Copland at his home in 1983, almost sixty years after its composition. He approved it for publication and for the premiere by the Alexander Quartet. Movement (1921-24) 4 1/2' for string quartet Nonet The unusual choice of nine solo strings grew from "a series of rather darkly colored three-voiced chords," according to Copland. Nonet is one of Copland's most unusual experiments in instrumentation. He wrote to his friend Carlos Ch·vez in Mexico: "My main news is that I completed my Nonet, and it was premiered at Dumbarton Oaks last week. I wonder if you will like it? I myself thought it had a poignant and elegiac sound—almost autumnal in quality." The piece is dedicated to Nadia Boulanger, "after forty years of friendship." Nonet (1960) 18' for 3 violins, 3 violas and 3 cellos see also Orchestral works Quartet Copland was interested in exploring various methods of composition that might stimulate his melodic and harmonic ideas. It had been twenty years since he had adapted serialism to his own use. He said that "composing with all twelve notes of the chromatic scale can give one a feeling of freedom. It's like looking at a picture from a different point of view." Copland was the first to admit that he did not keep strictly to the rules of serialism. In fact, the sense of a tonal center is rarely missing in the Quartet. Quartet (1950) 23' for piano, violin, viola and cello		Sextet The Sextet came about due to Copland's frustration that his Short Symphony was considered too difficult. By arranging it for fewer instruments, he hoped for more performance possibilities. As he predicted, the terrors of both versions have worn off for players as well as listeners. The Sextet is highly admired by chamber music players and it is considered one of the composer's finest accomplishments. Taking a long view of history, Copland said, "One learns to have patience." Sextet (1937) 15' for clarinet, piano and string quartet Threnody I: in memoriam Igor Stravinsky Threnody II: in memoriam Beatrice Cunningham Boosey & Hawkes invited sixteen composers to compose brief pieces in honor of Stravinsky after his death in 1971. Threnody: in memoriam Igor Stravinsky was later called simply Threnody I. It is a two minute piece featuring a flute melody above a canonic ground in strings. Threnody II was composed as an elegy to Copland's friend, Beatrice Cunningham. Copland described it as being "more complex than Threnody I." Since both pieces are short, Copland paired them for their premiere at the Ojai Festival under Michael Tilson Thomas in 1973. Threnody I: in memoriam Igor Stravinsky (1971) 2' for flute, violin, viola and cello Threnody II: in memoriam Beatrice Cunningham (1973) 4' for alto flute, violin, viola and cello Two Pieces for String Quartet Lento Molto was composed in New York in 1928. Later, Copland paired it with the Rondino, composed earlier in Paris as the second part of an "Hommage a Fauré." Rondino is based on the letters of Fauré's name. The coupling of the two short pieces was so satisfactory that in 1948 they were published together as Two Pieces. Two Pieces for String Quartet 11' Lento molto (1928) Rondino (1923) see also Two Pieces for String Orchestra under Orchestral works Vitebsk Based on a Jewish folk song from Ansky's play The Dybbuk, Vitebsk is one of Copland's few works making use of a Jewish theme. (Vitebsk, Ansky's home town in Russia, was where the playwright first heard the tune.) Copland wrote, "Jewish influences were present in my music, even when I did not refer to them overtly. I grew up in the Eastern European tradition and so there was no novelty to it as was the case with folk materials relating to the American West." With Vitebsk, it was Copland's intention to reflect the harshness and drama of Jewish life in Russia. Audiences find it a strangely moving work. Vitebsk (1929) 11' for piano, violin and cello