COPLAND 2000

Table of Contents

Opera Music

The Second Hurricane
In the years following the Great Depression, artists turned to socialist ideals of reaching the Masses. Copland was no exception. When the Henry Street Settlement Music School asked for an opera for children, he was eager to face a new challenge. "There's a certain excitement in hearing your music sung and played by an enthusiastic group of youngsters that no highly trained organization of grown-up professionals can produce," Copland wrote. He chose his friend, the noted dance critic and poet Edwin Denby to write the libretto. They created a simple and natural stage work that American youngsters could relate to in their lives using their own language. Hurricane has a simple plot with a moral. It tells the story of high school students stranded in a hurricane learning tolerance, courage and the spirit of freedom in a time of danger. For the premiere in 1937, a young Orson Welles was responsible for the staging. The opera has had several productions through the years, among them a staging by Leonard Bernstein in Boston in 1942, and his version for television in 1960.

The Second Hurricane (1936) 90'
A play opera in two acts for school performance Libretto by Edwin Denby
(E) 2S,A,2T,Bar,B,3 adult speakers; mixed chorus
1(=picc).1.2.asax(=tsax).1 — 0.2.1.0 — timp.perc:susp.cym/
cyms/SD/BD/glsp/xyl/tgl/tam-t — pft — musical saw
(theremin) — strings

The Tender Land
Copland wanted to compose a "grand" opera, but could not find a libretto that suited him. In 1953, he decided to work on a story with his friend Erik Johns (who wrote the libretto under the pseudonym Horace Everett). The Tender Land is a simple yet touching story of Laurie, a young girl yearning for a life beyond her farm surroundings as she graduates from high school. The score is lyrical and tonal, capturing the love interest betweenLaurie and a young man who arrives with a friend looking for farm work. The Tender Land has gone through various changes since its premiere by the New York City Opera in 1954, which opened to mixed reviews. Copland called opera "La forme fatale," pointing to the variables and difficulties in the complicated collaborative genre. Copland and Johns hoped their opera would be performed by young artists in college workshops across the country. A more recent version of the score with reduced orchestration makes that possible.

The Tender Land (1952-54, rev.1955) 100'
Opera in three acts
Libretto by Horace Everett (E)
2S,M,A,2T,2Bar,B,speaker; chorus
2(II=picc).1.corA.2(II=bcl).2 — 2.2.2.0 — timp.perc(2):glsp/
tgl/SD/wdbl/xyl/susp.cym/ratchet/BD/slap stick/tabor/
sandpaper — harp — pft(ad lib) — strings
Chamber version by Murry Sidlin (1987):
1.0.1.1 — 0.0.0.0 — pft — strings (4.0.2.2.1)

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Table of Contents Opera Music
The Second Hurricane In the years following the Great Depression, artists turned to socialist ideals of reaching the Masses. Copland was no exception. When the Henry Street Settlement Music School asked for an opera for children, he was eager to face a new challenge. "There's a certain excitement in hearing your music sung and played by an enthusiastic group of youngsters that no highly trained organization of grown-up professionals can produce," Copland wrote. He chose his friend, the noted dance critic and poet Edwin Denby to write the libretto. They created a simple and natural stage work that American youngsters could relate to in their lives using their own language. Hurricane has a simple plot with a moral. It tells the story of high school students stranded in a hurricane learning tolerance, courage and the spirit of freedom in a time of danger. For the premiere in 1937, a young Orson Welles was responsible for the staging. The opera has had several productions through the years, among them a staging by Leonard Bernstein in Boston in 1942, and his version for television in 1960. The Second Hurricane (1936) 90' A play opera in two acts for school performance Libretto by Edwin Denby (E) 2S,A,2T,Bar,B,3 adult speakers; mixed chorus 1(=picc).1.2.asax(=tsax).1 — 0.2.1.0 — timp.perc:susp.cym/ cyms/SD/BD/glsp/xyl/tgl/tam-t — pft — musical saw (theremin) — strings		The Tender Land Copland wanted to compose a "grand" opera, but could not find a libretto that suited him. In 1953, he decided to work on a story with his friend Erik Johns (who wrote the libretto under the pseudonym Horace Everett). The Tender Land is a simple yet touching story of Laurie, a young girl yearning for a life beyond her farm surroundings as she graduates from high school. The score is lyrical and tonal, capturing the love interest betweenLaurie and a young man who arrives with a friend looking for farm work. The Tender Land has gone through various changes since its premiere by the New York City Opera in 1954, which opened to mixed reviews. Copland called opera "La forme fatale," pointing to the variables and difficulties in the complicated collaborative genre. Copland and Johns hoped their opera would be performed by young artists in college workshops across the country. A more recent version of the score with reduced orchestration makes that possible. The Tender Land (1952-54, rev.1955) 100' Opera in three acts Libretto by Horace Everett (E) 2S,M,A,2T,2Bar,B,speaker; chorus 2(II=picc).1.corA.2(II=bcl).2 — 2.2.2.0 — timp.perc(2):glsp/ tgl/SD/wdbl/xyl/susp.cym/ratchet/BD/slap stick/tabor/ sandpaper — harp — pft(ad lib) — strings Chamber version by Murry Sidlin (1987): 1.0.1.1 — 0.0.0.0 — pft — strings (4.0.2.2.1)