Petite Portrait (ABE)
Conceived as the third of four short pieces, or "four moods." Petite Portrait was removed from the grouping and became an independent piece. ABE refers to a school friend, Abe Ginsburg, who was "rather moody and unhappy with himself," according to Copland. The first three notes spell his name and are heard as a
motive throughout.
Petite Portrait (ABE) (1921)
available in Copland Piano Album (ed. Leo Smit)
Piano Album (ed. Leo Smit)
Includes:
Petite Portrait (ABE) (1921)
Down a Country Lane (1962)
Midsummer Nocturne (1947/77)
In Evening Air (1966)
Piano Blues No. 1 (1947)
Piano Blues No. 4 (1926)
Saturday Night Waltz from Rodeo (1942)
Sentimental Melody (1926)
The Resting-place on the Hill from 'Our Town' (1940)
The Young Pioneers (1935)
Sunday Afternoon Music (1935)
Piano Fantasy
As President of Juilliard, William Schuman requested a major piece from his close friend in celebration of the school's fiftieth anniversary. Copland thought the Juilliard anniversary an ideal occasion for the premiere of Piano Fantasy, which he was composing in honor of William Kapell. Copland admitted that it was difficult to write, "particularly the fast sections." He explained, "My purpose was to suggest the quality of fantasy, a
spontaneous and unpremeditated sequence of events that would carry the listener along, while at the same time exemplify clear, if somewhat unconventional, structural principles." Although the work was not ready by the date for which it was commissioned, Schuman arranged a special concert for the premiere by the pianist William Masselos. Copland commented, "Lucky for me that the president of Juilliard was a composer!"
Piano Sonata
Although the second of Copland's three major piano works was commissioned by the playwright Clifford Odets, the composer thought of this piece in connection with Rubin Goldmark: "My old teacher considered sonata form as music's highest goal," said Copland. "I think of the sonata as dramatic—a kind of play being acted out with plenty of time for self-expression. It seems to me that my Piano Sonata follows that idea. It is a serious piece that requires careful and repeated study. There is considerable dissonance in it, yet the work is predominantly consonant." Since the first performance by John Kirkpatrick, many great pianists have performed and admired the work, among them Leonard Bernstein. According to Copland, "Lenny took to it as though it was his own." Bernstein responded, "The Piano Sonata is my favorite piece of Aaron's. I adore it. Aaron's music just always seemed so natural for me to play or conduct—as though I could have composed it myself!"
Piano Variations
Copland's first major piano piece caused a stir from the time the composer gave the premiere performance at the artists' colony Yaddo, where he had started a festival of contemporary American music. He wrote that the Piano Variations "was the first work where I felt very sure of myself." Critic Paul Rosenfeld prophesied: "One felt its author the composer of the coming decades." The work has continued to draw attention and has been described as strong, spare, and granitic. While Copland adapted the twelve tone method for the
piece, the twenty variations and coda flow naturally in a style that is recognizably Copland's own.
Proclamation for Piano
Visitors to Copland's home and studio in the 1980's
would see a manuscript page on his piano titled "Improvisation," dated 1973. The composer played through it occasionally, commenting that it was meant as the opening of an important work which he had not been able to carry further. Pianist Bennett Lerner requested permission to make a short piece from the sketch and Copland agreed. It became Proclamation for Piano and has been paired with Mid-Day Thoughts for publication as Two Piano Pieces.
Rodeo (1942) 24'
(arr. Aaron Copland)
see also Orchestral works
El Salón México (1936) 12'
(arr. by Leonard Bernstein)
see also Orchestral works
Saturday Night Waltz from Rodeo (1942)
(arr. Aaron Copland)
available in Copland Piano Album (ed. Leo Smit); see also Orchestral works (Rodeo)
Sentimental Melody (Slow Dance)
Copland wrote a Blues 1 and 2 while working on his Piano Concerto. Later, when the sequence Four Piano Blues evolved, Blues 1 was removed and renamed Sentimental Melody (Slow Dance) and the original Blues 2 became the fourth of the Four Piano Blues. Copland recorded a piano roll of Sentimental Waltz for the Ampico Company in 1927.
Sunday Afternoon Music
During the summer of 1935, while working on El Salón México at the MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire, Copland composed several works for young musicians: the choral piece What Do We Plant? and two short piano pieces, Sunday Afternoon Music and The Young Pioneers.
Three Moods
The history of these early pieces begins with a grouping of four; then a decision to include only three under the title "Trois Esquisses;" and finally their renaming as Three Moods. Each piece is titled individually: I. Embittered, II. Wistful, and III. Jazzy.
Two Piano Pieces 8'
Includes:
Midday Thoughts (1944/82)
Proclamation for Piano (1973/82)
The Young Pioneers
Like Sunday Afternoon Music, which Copland also composed during the summer of 1935, The Young Pioneers is a simple piece for piano which introduces young ears to the contemporary idiom. Copland said "The title The Young Pioneers has a double meaning, for I had in mind instilling in young piano students the courage to attempt music that is somewhat modern."
The Young Pioneers (1935) 1'
available in Copland Piano Album (ed. Leo Smit)
Two Pianos
Billy the Kid (1938) 15'
(excerpts arr. Aaron Copland)
see also Orchestral works
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra
Copland's method of composition was to work at thepiano. As a pianist, he produced sketches and short scores for keyboard with indications for instrumentation penciled in. The Concerto was conceived for two pianos before reaching its final orchestral form. Pianist John Kirkpatrick pointed out that it did not take too much to arrange Copland's Concerto for a two piano version which he and Copland performed together in the 30's.
Dance of the Adolescent from 'Dance Symphony'
Copland's first orchestral piece was Grohg, a ballet composed while he was studying with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. It was not performed or published then, but at various times through the years, he pulled from it what he considered usable. One section, Dance of the Adolescent, became a two piano arrangement.
Dance of the Adolescent from Dance Symphony (1930) 3'
see also Orchestral works (Dance Symphony, Grohg)
Danza de Jalisco
From the Two Mexican Pieces (which would later become Three Latin American Sketches), Copland chose to make a two piano arrangement of Danza de Jalisco. As Copland explained, "The music of Latin America had more than a passing interest for me ever since my first visit to Mexico in 1932."
Danzón Cubano
Cuba had been on Copland's mind for some time. A commission to write a piece for the League of Composers' 20th anniversary gave him the incentive to compose Danzón Cubano for two pianos. It is based on Cuban dance rhythms, particularly the danzón, a stately dance, somewhat like the waltz. In two contrasting sections, Copland makes use of four Cuban dances with syncopated beats and polyrhythms. Copland explained, "I did not attempt to reproduce an authentic Cuban sound, but felt free to add my own touches of displaced accents and unexpected silent beats." As commentator for the program at which it was first presented, the composer told the audience, "Danzón Cubano is a genuine tourist souvenir."
Hoe Down and Saturday Night Waltz from Rodeo 6'
(arr. Arthur Gold and Robert Fizdale)
see also Orchestral works (Rodeo)
El Salón México (1936) 12'
(arr. Leonard Bernstein)
see also Orchestral works
Piano Duet
Variations on a Shaker Melody
(from Appalachian Spring) (1944) 6'
(arr. Bennett Lerner)
see also Orchestral works (Appalachian Spring)
