Appalachian Spring
Collaboration with Martha Graham brought Copland’s name to a larger public. Originally titled Ballet for Martha and commissioned by Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, this ballet won the Music Critics Circle Award. The orchestral suite garnered a Pulitzer Prize and soon became a beloved staple of orchestras worldwide. After Bernstein conducted the Suite in 1946, he wrote to his friend: “I manage somehow to borrow some of that fantastic stability of yours, that deep serenity. It is really amazing how the clouds lift with that last page.” It was not until Copland's seventieth birthday that he revived the original thirteen instrument version of Appalachian Spring. Such is the demand for this piece that the full ballet score has also been made available. In whatever format, this music, with its sensitive use of the Shaker tune, "The Gift To Be Simple," has an intimacy and beauty that the public has taken directly to its heart.
Appalachian Spring (1944) 3 3 '
Ballet in one act
symphonic version: 2(II=picc).2.2.2 — 2.2.2.0 —
timp.perc(2):glsp/xyl/cyms/tgl/claves/wdbl/BD/SD/tamb —
harp — pft — strings
original version: 1.0.1.1 — 0.0.0.0 — pft — strings (4.0.2.2.1)
Appalachian Spring: Ballet Suite 25'
(symphonic and original versions as above)
Variations on a Shaker Melody 4'
2(II=picc).2.2.2 — 2.2.2.0 — timp.perc:glsp/tgl — harp — pft —
strings
Billy the Kid
Lincoln Kirstein and Eugene Loring of Ballet Caravan asked Copland to compose music for a cowboy ballet."Lincoln tempted me with several books of western tunes, and Loring wrote a scenario about the notorious bandit of the Southwest, Billy the Kid. I became intrigued with using tunes such as Git Along Little Dogies, The Old Chisholm Trail, and Goodbye Old Paint." The ballet is still performed regularly, and the orchestral suite of six connecting movements is one of Copland's most popular works.
Prairie Night and Celebration Dance: Two movements from Billy the Kid were reduced for small orchestra by the composer.
Waltz: The dance of the outlaw and his sweetheart is often performed as a single movement in the version Copland arranged for small orchestra.
Billy the Kid (1938) 35'
Ballet in one act
2.picc.2.2.2 — 4.3.3.1 — timp.perc(5):glsp/xyl/cyms/sleigh
bells/tgl/guÔro/wdbl/whip/BD/SD/tin whistle — harp — pft —
strings
Billy the Kid: Ballet Suite 22'
(orchestra as above)
Prairie Night and
Celebration Dance 5'
full version: 3.2.2.2 — 4.3.3.1 — timp.perc:xyl/BD/SD —
harp — pft — strings
reduced version: 1.1.2.1 — 1.2.2.0 — timp.perc:xyl/BD/
SD — pft — strings
Waltz 4'
1.1.2.1 — 1.2.1.0 — harp(pft) — strings
version for violin or cello and orchestra:
1.1.2.1 — 1.2.1.0 — harp — strings
Canticle of Freedom
A patriotic work for chorus and orchestra written originally for a non-professional chorus. Copland confined himself to two-part choral writing and to introducing the chorus only in the final third. As he wanted to "Make a big noise," a large battery of percussion is called for in the orchestra. The piece was revised later for a performance conducted by Robert Shaw.
Canticle of Freedom (1955, rev. 1967) 13'
for chorus and orchestra
Text: John Barbour (E)
2.picc.2(II=corA ad lib).2.2 — 4.3.3.1 — timp.perc(4):glsp/
gong/t.bells/vib/xyl/cyms/susp.cym/tam-t/tgl/wdbl/whip/
BD/SD — harp — strings
Ceremonial Fanfare
Copland was one of several composers asked to compose a fanfare to commemorate the centennial of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. The first performance of the Ceremonial Fanfare took place on Copland's 70th birthday at the opening of the exhibit "Masterpieces of Fifty Centuries."
Concerto for Clarinet
The renowned jazz clarinetist Benny Goodman asked Copland to compose a work for him. The result was a two-movement concerto: the first section is one of Copland's most lyrical and melodious creations; the second is in an all-out jazzy style replete with a glissando or jazz "smear" at the end. The movements are connected by a cadenza for the soloist. Benny Goodman said in an interview, "I always felt good about that commission and about playing the Concerto with Aaron conducting." Since then, many of the foremost clarinetists worldwide have performed the piece.
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra
Copland played the piano solo in the premiere of his "Jazz Concerto" with Koussevitzky and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Scored for large orchestra, the instrumentation includes alto and soprano saxophones and extra percussion. The Concerto is in two sections reflecting what Copland considered the two basic moods of jazz — "the slow blues and the snappy number." Copland's parents came from Brooklyn to Boston for the premiere, and Copland wrote, "I was delighted when Ma said it was her proudest moment and that my playing in the Concerto made all those music lessons worthwhile!" The critics panned the piece, and it retained a reputation as a shocker until Bernstein revived it in 1946 with Leo Smit at the keyboard.
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1926) 18'
2.picc.2.corA.2.Ebcl.bcl.asax(=ssax).2.dbn — 4.3.3.1 —
timp.perc(5):xyl/Chinese dr/cyms/tam-t/tgl/wdbl/BD/SD —
cel — strings
Connotations for Orchestra
Copland knew that other music for the gala opening of Philharmonic Hall would be traditional. He said, "I preferred to compose a work expressing something of the tensions, aspirations, and drama inherent in contemporary living." In order to do this, he employed a personalized kind of serialism. The result was an abstract piece that is intense and dramatic in nature. It includes special percussion effects as well as a piano solo. Copland dedicated the piece to the players of the New York Philharmonic.
Connotations for Orchestra (1962) 20'
3(III=piccII).picc.2.corA.2.Ebcl.bcl.2.dbn — 6.4.4.1 —
timp.perc(5):glsp/vib/xyl/conga dr/timbales/cyms/metal
sheet/tam-t/tgl/claves/tpl.bl/wdbl/BD/SD/TD — pft(=cel) —
strings
Cortège Macabre
This work comprises the beginning of Grohg, Copland's first ballet, which opens with four coffins displayed before the magician in a series of three dances. Copland arranged Cortège as a separate work and submitted it to Howard Hanson in Rochester, who included it on the first program of the American Composers Concerts.
Cortège Macabre (1923) 8'
3.3.4.3 — 4.5.3.1 — timp.perc(3):glsp/xyl/cyms/tam-t/tgl/
wdbl/BD/SD/tamb — 2harps — cel — pft — strings
Dance Panels
Ever since Jerome Robbins had directed the opera, TheTender Land, he and Copland had wanted to work together again. Robbins asked him for ballet music, and Copland created a piano score. Robbins said, "A strange thing happened. When I began working with the company, I got interested in what they were doing with just the counts and without the music. I was sorry I wasn't able to do Dance Panels." The music was
revised later for use by another ballet company. Finally, it became an orchestral work in seven contrasting sections.
Dance Panels (1959, rev. 1962) 26'
Ballet in Seven Sections
2(I=afl ad lib,II=picc).1.2.1 — 2.2.1.0 — perc(2):glsp/xyl/
cyms/tgl/4tpl.bl/wdbl/BD/SD — strings
Dance Symphony
Copland joked about "stealing from the best sources — mostly myself!" When he could not complete his Symphonic Ode in time for an RCA Victor competition, he "stole" three dances from the early ballet score, Grohg, and submitted them as the Dance Symphony in time for the deadline.
Dance Symphony (1925) 18'
2.picc.2.corA.2.Dcl.bcl.2.dbn — 4.3.2crt.3.1 —
timp.perc:xyl/cyms/tam-t/tgl/wdbl/whip/BD/SD/tamb/
rattle — 2harps — cel — pft — strings
Danzón Cubano
Along with El Salón México, Danzón Cubano, based on Latin American folk tunes, became a model for composers using Latin American materials. Based on the danzón, a stately Cuban dance, Danzón Cubano is in two contrasting sections. Copland wrote, "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." The original version for two pianos has been superseded in popularity by the composer's orchestral arrangement which employs Cuban rhythms played by an interesting battery of percussion.
Danzón Cubano (1942) 6'
2.picc.2.corA.2.bcl.2.dbn — 4.3.3.1 — timp.perc(5):xyl/bell/
cyms/claves/guÔro/maracas/tpl.bl/wdbl/whip/BD/SD — pft —
strings
Down a Country Lane
A piece for young performers that meets Copland's criteria — attractive yet challenging. It began its life as a short piano piece. Copland orchestrated it for inclusion in a Youth Orchestra Series.
Eight Poems of Emily Dickinson
Copland chose eight from his song cycle of twelve poems by this unique American poet to transcribe for voice and small orchestra. He hoped the arrangement would give the songs a wider hearing. Dickinson's writing had a particular appeal to the composer. "Her poetry, written in isolation, was folklike, with irregular meters and stanzas and many unconventional devices," wrote Copland. The orchestrated version was premiered for a concert in honor of his seventieth birthday at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Eight Poems of Emily Dickinson (1958-70) 20'
for medium voice and chamber orchestra
Text: Emily Dickinson (E)
1.1.1.1 — 1.1.1.1 — harp — strings(minimum 8.6.4.3.2)
Fanfare for the Common Man
In late August 1942, Eugene Goossens, the conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony, wrote to Copland requesting a patriotic fanfare to help with the war effort. Goossens suggested the instrumentation of brass and percussion and length of about two minutes. A large group of American composers were given similar requests, and Goossens hoped to perform Copland's fanfare in October at his first concert of the season. Since Copland did not deliver the Fanfare until November, Goossens suggested another date: March 12, 1943, as it would then be income tax time, an ideal opportunity for honoring the common man.
Grohg
Copland's first orchestral piece was a ballet composed in Paris in the early twenties when he was studying with Nadia Boulanger. Grohg was an evil magician, and the scenario is replete with mummies and vampires. Boulanger arranged for Copland to play part of the score at the piano for Serge Koussevitzky, and from then on, the great Russian conductor became Copland's most influential supporter. Grohg had never been performed in its entirety until seventy years after it was written, when composer/conductor Oliver Knussen reconstructed, performed, and recorded it. Grohg is a welcome new addition to the Copland catalogue of orchestral works.
Grohg (1922-25, rev. 1932) 32'
ballet in one act
2.picc.2.corA.2.bcl.Dcl.2.dbn — 4.3.2cnt.3.1 —
timp.perc(5):BD/cyms/tam-t/SD/tamb/wdbl/tgl/ratchet/
xyl — pft — cel — 2harps — strings
Happy Anniversary
Based on the well-known "Happy Birthday" tune, this short piece was originally part of a group of variations by famous composers commissioned for the Philadelphia Orchestra's seventieth anniversary. The occasion included President Nixon's presentation of the Medal of Freedom to Eugene Ormandy. It has since been performed for other occasions, among them several Copland birthday celebrations.
Hear Ye! Hear Ye!
A recent addition to Copland's catalogue of orchestral scores is the ballet composed for the well-known dancer and choreographer Ruth Page in Chicago. She wrote the scenario about a nightclub murder and the divergent accounts of guilt in the courtroom. This lively ballet was Copland's first experience writing music for a ballet that would actually be staged. It gave the composer the opportunity to use colorful effects and to parody Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" and "The Star Spangled Banner." Although the ballet was a success, it was not scheduled after the first season, and the score was not heard again until Oliver Knussen brought it back to life with recent performances and a recording.
Hear Ye! Hear Ye! (1934-35) 32'
ballet in one act
large orch version: 2(II=picc).2(II=corA).Ebcl.2.2 —
4.3.3.1 — timp.perc(4):susp.cym/BD/SD/gavel/tamb/cyms/
wdbl/ratchet/castanets/xyl/pistol/maracas/sandpaper bl/
slapstick — pft(=cel) — strings
small orch version: 2(II=picc).2(II=corA).2.2 — 2.2.2.0 —
timp.perc(4):susp.cym/BD/SD/gavel/tambour/cyms/wdbl/
ratchet/castanets/xyl/pistol/maracas/sandpaper bl/
slapstick — pft(=cel) — strings
The Heiress Suite
Copland won an Oscar for his score for The Heiress, a Paramount film based on Washington Square by Henry James. Although the music evokes the nineteenth-century New York of the story, Copland was able to include a dissonant variation he had put aside during composition of the Piano Variations in 1929. At the request of the director William Wyler, Copland incorporated "Plaisirs d'Amour" by the eighteenth-century composer Giovanni Martini into the score, but to his surprise his prelude was changed in the completed film without his knowledge. In 1990, Arnold Freed prepared a single continuous concert movement using Copland's original prelude, with the "Plaisir d'Amour" music as an option.
The Heiress Suite (1949)
reconstructed in 1990 by Arnold Freed
Original version 8 '
Plaisir d'amour version 9 '
3(I=afl,II=afl/picc).1(corA).3.1 — 4.3.3.1 — perc(2):cym/
glsp/gong/BD/tgl/timp — harp — pft(=cel) — strings
Inaugural Fanfare
The city of Grand Rapids, Michigan commissioned Copland to write a fanfare marking the dedication of a large red Alexander Calder stabile entitled La Grande Vitesse. The sculpture was the first work of art in American history to be jointly commissioned and financed by federal and private funds. Copland revised the work in 1975, prompted by the city's installation of a rooftop Calder painting close to the sculpture.
Inaugural Fanfare (1969, rev. 1975) 3'
3.2.2.0 — 4.3.3.1 — timp.perc(4):slapstick/glsp/cyms/SD/vib/
TD/susp.cym/BD/tam-t
Inscape
Copland describes the material for Inscape as coming from two different series of twelve tones that in turn give rise to subsidiary serial patterns. He felt that serialism "freshened his harmonic palette," although this one-movement piece is more tonal than is customary in serial composition. While Copland never attached a great deal of significance to titles, he admitted to being drawn to a literary source for Inscape, the title of a poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins.
Inscape (1967) 13'
2.picc.2.corA.2.bcl.2 — 4.3.3.1 — timp.perc(4):glsp/vib/xyl/
cyms/3 susp.cym/tgl/claves/SD/tamb/TD — harp —
pft(=cel) — strings
John Henry
Originally intended for radio broadcast on CBS' "School of the Air," John Henry was revised for high school orchestras. It is a programmatic piece about the American folk legend, a 19th Century black man, and his heroic battle in a contest against a railroad pile-driver. Copland wrote, "Knowing my audience was to be a young one, and that young people like their music exciting and not too long, I kept John Henry down to less than four minutes and called it "a descriptive fantasy." The music is meant to simulate the sounds of a train and John Henry's hammer.
John Henry (1940, rev. 1952) 4'
2(II=picc ad lib).2(1).2.2(1) — 2.2.1.0 — timp.perc:anvil/tgl/
BD/SD/sandpaper bl — pft(ad lib) — strings
Jubilee Variation
A wartime commission from Eugene Goossens stimulated the composition of a short fanfare-like piece that was played several times before falling into disuse. Jubilee has been reinstated to Copland's catalogue. Similar in style to the popular Fanfare for the Common Man, Jubilee differs in that it was composed for full orchestra.
Jubilee Variation (1945) 2'
on a theme of Eugene Goossens
2.picc.2.corA.2.bcl.2.dbn — 4.3.3.1 — timp.perc:BD/cyms/
xyl/SD/susp.cym/tgl — pft — strings
Letter From Home
During WWII, Copland could feel that he was doing his part for the War effort by composing patriotic music thatwould be meaningful to the general public. He accepted a commission from bandleader Paul Whiteman, who was requesting pieces from famous composers to be played by his orchestra on the Philco Radio Hour of the American Broadcasting System. The result was the touching Letter From Home. Following the radio
premiere, Copland shortened the piece slightly and expanded the orchestration so that it could be performed in the concert hall.
Letter from Home (1944, rev. 1962) 6'
2.2(1).2.bcl(ad lib).2(1) — 2.2.2.0 — timp.perc(2):glsp/
susp.cym/tgl/BD — harp(ad lib) — pft(ad lib) — strings
Lincoln Portrait
One of Copland's most popular pieces, Lincoln Portrait was commissioned during the early years of the War by conductor Andre Kostelanetz for a program of three new works by American composers. Copland chose excerpts from Lincoln's own words for the narration. The score includes quotations of Springfield Mountain and Camptown Races. According to Copland, "I hoped to suggest something of the mysterious sense of fatality that surrounds Lincoln's personality. The challenge was to compose something simple, yet interesting enoughto fit Lincoln." The piece has been performed on many significant occasions and with innumerable narrators, among them Carl Sandburg, William Warfield, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Copland himself.
Lincoln Portrait (1942) 14'
for narrator and orchestra
Text: arr. from speeches by Abraham Lincoln (E)
2(=picc).2.corA(ad lib).2.bcl(ad lib).2.dbn(ad lib) —
4.3(2).3.1 — timp.perc(4):glsp/xyl/cyms/sleigh bells/tam-t/
BD/SD — harp — cel(ad lib) — strings
Music for a Great City
Copland was drawn to the film, Something Wild, an unusual psychological drama about the feelings of a young girl learning to live with violence and with the moods of the city. The scenario required long stretches of uninterrupted music which Copland later shaped into a symphonic suite to satisfy a commission from the London Symphony Orchestra. The four movements are titled: Skyline, Night Thoughts, Subway Jam, and Toward the Bridge.
Music for a Great City (1964) 24'
3(II=picc,III=picc,afl).2.corA.2.bcl.2.dbn — 4.3.3.0 —
timp.perc(5):glsp/gong/vib/xyl/conga dr/timbales/cowbells/
cyms/susp.cym/tgl/claves/maracas/tpl.bl/wdbl/whip/BD/
SD/TD/rattle/sandpaper — harp — pft(cel) — strings
Music for Movies
The challenge of enhancing a film with music was of great interest to Copland. He enjoyed the idea of adding to the dramatic action by creating an atmosphere unique to each production. He drew music from three films to make up a five movement suite for small orchestra: The City, Our Town, and Of Mice and Men. Each movement bears a title linking it with the action of the movie. The Suite is dedicated to Darius Milhaud, whom Copland considered a pioneer in the field of film music.
Music for Movies (1942) 16'
1(=picc).1.1.1 — 1.2.1.0 — timp.perc(1):glsp/xyl/susp.cym/
tgl/BD/SD — pft — harp — strings
Music for the Theatre
Determined to find an American sound in music, Copland incorporated jazz idioms into his first orchestral pieces, causing scandal in concert halls in the twenties. These pieces continue to project the energetic rhythms and catchy melodies of jazz in the Roaring Twenties. Music for the Theatre was written for small orchestra with no specific play in mind, but as Copland pointed out, "The music seemed to suggest a certain theatrical atmosphere, so after developing the idea into five short movements, I chose the title."
Music for the Theatre (1925) 22'
1(=picc).1(=corA).1(=Ebcl).1 — 0.2.1.0 — perc:glsp/xyl/cyms/wdbl/BD/SD — pft — strings
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Nonet
The Dumbarton Oaks Research Library commissioned Copland's Nonet in honor of the fiftieth anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Woods Bliss (who presented the library to Harvard University). The premiere was to have been conducted at a special anniversary concert by Nadia Boulanger, who was a longtime friend of the music-loving Bliss family. The work was not finished in time for that event, so Copland conducted the premiere himself with nine string players from the National Symphony, and dedicated the score to Boulanger, "after forty years of friendship." The composer authorized three string configurations for performance by larger ensembles.
Nonet (1960) 18'
3vln.3vla.3vlc
or the following larger string ensembles:
medium ensemble of 24 strings: 12vln.6vla.6vlc,
large ensemble of 36 strings: 18vln.9vla.9vlc,
full ensemble of 48 strings: 24vln.12vla.12vlc
Old American Songs
Copland's orchestrations of his two sets of American folk song arrangements were both premiered by William Warfield, who said, "If I had to make a choice, it would probably be toward the orchestra versions, especially for I Bought Me a Cat, where you have all these wonderful barnyard sounds in the orchestration." Copland took such pleasure in the popularity of the folksongs that he also approved various arrangements for chorus and orchestra.
Old American Songs
First Set (1950,orch.1954) 13'
for medium voice or chorus and orchestra
Text: traditional (E)
1.The Boatmen's Dance 2.The Dodger 3.Long Time Ago
4.Simple Gifts 5.I bought me a Cat
1(=picc).1.2.1. — 1.1.1.0 — harp — strings
Second Set (1952,orch.1957) 12'
for medium voice or chorus and orchestra
Text: traditional (E)
1.The Little Horses 2.Zion's Walls 3.Golden Willow Tree
4.At the River 5.Ching-a-Ring Chaw
1(=picc).1.2.1 — 2.1.1.0 — harp — strings
Orchestral Variations
One of Copland's favorite pieces was his early Piano Variations. Disappointed that the work was performed infrequently, he decided to transcribe the variations for orchestra in response to a commission from the Louisville Orchestra. He had thought about making the arrangement for a long time. "It was a unique challenge to think of this material in terms of orchestral color," Copland said.
Orchestral Variations (1957) 14'
2(=picc).1.corA.2(II=bcl).2 — 4.2.3.1 — timp.perc(2):crot/
glsp/t.bells/xyl/bongos/conga dr/cowbell/cyms/tam-t/wdbl/
BD/SD/TD — harp — strings
Our Town
With the threat of impending war, Thornton Wilder's play Our Town, with its look back at an America of homespun values, was tremendously appealing. Copland accepted the invitation to compose the musical score for the screen version of life in the small town of Grover's Corners, New Hampshire. He explained, "For the film version, they were counting on the music to translate the transcendental aspects of the story. I tried for clean and clear sounds and in general used straight-forward harmonies and rhythms that would project the serenity and sense of security of the story." Copland arranged about ten minutes from the film score for a suite. It is dedicated to Leonard Bernstein.
Our Town (1940) 11'
Music from the Film Score
3(2).2(1).corA.3(III=bcl).2 — 3.3.2.1 — perc:glsp — strings
An Outdoor Overture
Composing for young performers was always close to Copland's heart, so he accepted the commission for a large orchestra piece from the High School of Music and Art in New York City. Copland wanted to play a role in introducing good contemporary American music to young players. In a review, Elliott Carter wrote: "Its opening is as lofty and beautiful as any passage that has been written by a contemporary composer. It is Copland in his prophetic vein. . . never before has heexpressed it so simply and directly."
An Outdoor Overture (1938) 10'
2.picc.2.2.2 — 4.2.3.0 — timp.perc(3):xyl/cyms/tgl/BD/SD —
cel(ad lib) — pft — strings
Prairie Journal
Radio was a novel and exciting medium for classical music in the 1930s. Copland always enjoyed the challenge of something new, so he welcomed a commission from CBS for an orchestral work specifically for their network. He used several special effects, such as muted trumpets, woodwinds at the microphone, and a vibraphone. A contest for the title was announced, and the winner was Music for Radio, Saga of the Prairie. The piece was later renamed Prairie Journal.
Prairie Journal (1937, retitled 1968) 12'
(originally titled 'Music for Radio')
2(II=picc).2.2.asax(=cl).tsax(=bcl).1 — 2.3(2).2.1 —
timp.perc(2):vib/xyl/tgl/BD — harp — pft(cel) — strings
Preamble for a Solemn Occasion
Originally conceived as a hymn, this slow and stately piece was written to mark the first anniversary of the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights" by the United Nations. As Copland said, "It was not difficult to compose, for the words, which were drawn directly from the United Nations Charter, were in themselves inspiring." Copland revised the accompaniment so that Preamble can be played by orchestra without narrator as well. It is particularly appropriate for performances at special occasions.
Preamble for a Solemn Occasion (1949) 6'
for orchestra, with optional narrator
Text: Part of the Preamble to the UN Charter (E)
3(II,III=picc).2.corA.2.bcl.2.dbn — 4.3.3.1 —
timp.perc(3):gong/vib/cyms/tgl/BD/TD — harp — strings
Proclamation
For a few years in the early eighties, a manuscript page in pencil sat on Copland's piano stand. It was dated 1973 and bore the title Improvisation. With Copland's permission, pianist Bennett Lerner made the piece into the Proclamation for Piano and gave its premiere in early 1983. During Copland's 85th birthday year, composer Philip Ramey orchestrated Proclamation, also with the composer's authorization.
Proclamation (1973-82, arr. 1985) 2'
arr. by Philip Ramey from the original piano solo
3(III=picc).2.2.2 — 4.3.3.1 — timp.perc — pft — strings
Quiet City
Harold Clurman, Copland's closest friend, was a founder of the Group Theatre. He had long hoped for a collaboration between Copland and the Group; the opportunity came with Irwin Shaw's play, Quiet City. Clurman convinced Copland to compose incidental music to a script about a distressed trumpet player, who played to express the emotions of different people in various parts of the city. After a few tryouts, the play was dropped, but as Clurman pointed out, "Aaron just scooped up that music and arranged a suite for trumpet, English horn, and string orchestra. The play was long
forgotten but the music lives on."
Quiet City (1940) 10'
corA(ob),tpt,strings
The Red Pony
The film was adapted from a novel by John Steinbeck and featured famous Hollywood stars. But it was not a commercial success, and Copland's practical nature led him to recast the musical material for concert purposes. The Suite is in six sections with titles that match the action of the film. Although the melodies have a folklike quality, they are Copland's own. Unusual instrumental colors derive from the dramatic action of the film. As Copland pointed out, "This was not your typical Western with gunmen and Indians."
The Red Pony (1948) 24'
Suite from the film music
2(=picc).2(II=corA ad lib).3(III=bcl).Ebcl (ad lib).2 —
4(3).3.3.1 — timp.perc(2):glsp/vib/marimba(xyl)/xyl/cyms/
sleigh bells/tgl/BD/SD/TD — harp — pft(=cel) — strings
Rodeo
Agnes de Mille suggested a cowboy ballet to the reluctant Ballet Russe. She said, "I dug in my heels and said I wanted the best American composer for the music, Aaron Copland." Rodeo was an enormous success from the start. De Mille said, "I gave the performance of my life and got twenty-two curtain calls." Copland particularly enjoyed conducting the ballet and the orchestral suite he drew from it, the Four Dance Episodes. Rodeo incorporates several American folk songs and dance tunes.
Hoe Down
The best known and most frequently performed of the four dances from Rodeo, it makes lively and comic use of two traditional square dance tunes played in folk fiddle style.
Rodeo (1942) 24'
Ballet in one act
3(II,III=picc).2.corA.2.bcl.2 — 4.3.3.1 — timp.perc:glsp/xyl/
cyms/tgl/wdbl/whip/BD/SD — harp — pft(=cel) — strings
Four Dance Episodes 18'
Buckaroo Holiday, Corral Nocturne, Saturday Night
Waltz, Hoe Down
(orchestra as above; all four dances can be performed
separately)
Hoe Down 4'
arr. for strings
El Salón México
From the time of Copland's first visit to Mexico City in1932, when his friend Carlos Chávez took him to the colorful nightclub called "El Salón México," Copland wanted to compose a piece about the unusual dance hall. He said, "I was attracted by the spirit of the place and by the Mexican people. Using Mexican melodies seemed appropriate. My purpose was not merely to quote literally, but to heighten without in any way falsifying the natural simplicity of Mexican tunes." Much to Copland's surprise and delight, El Salón México was welcomed warmly in Mexico and has consistently been one of his most performed pieces. He said, "Never in my wildest dreams did I expect this kind of acceptance for the piece!"
El Salón México (1936) 12'
2.picc.2.corA(ad lib).2.Ebcl(ad lib).bcl(ad lib).2.dbn(ad
lib) — 4.3(2).3.1 — timp.perc(3):xyl/cyms/brush/guÔro/tpl.bl/
wdbl/BD/SD/tabor — pft — strings
Short Symphony (No. 2)
In the early 1930s, Copland turned to composing abstract pieces that were considered extremely difficult by performers and conductors. He had left his jazz period behind and was not yet making use of folk materials. "I was determined to write as perfected a piece as I possibly could," Copland wrote to his pianist friend John Kirkpatrick. He succeeded, but it took some time for the symphony to be recognized as one of Copland's greatest achievements. Copland felt particularly proud of the Short Symphony, since it was one of
his "neglected children."
Short Symphony (No. 2) (1933) 15'
2(I=afl).picc.2.corA(=heckelphone ad lib).2.bcl.2.dbn —
4.2.0.0 — pft — strings
chamber version arranged by Dennis Russell Davies
1(=picc,afl).2(II=heckelphone (opt),corA).1(=bcl).2 —
2.1.0.0 — pft — strings
Sonata for Violin and Orchestra
In composing his Violin Sonata, it was Copland's idea " for the piano to complement the violin rather than merely accompany it." Although he had not intended to incorporate folk materials, "certain qualities of the American folk tune had become part of my natural style of composing, and they are echoed in the Sonata." The violinist Gerald Elias orchestrated the piano part and premiered his new version during the week of the composer's 90th birthday.
Sonata for Violin and Orchestra 19'
(Arr. Gerald Elias, 1987)
2(II=picc).afl(opt).2(II=corA).2(II=Ebcl).bcl.2.dbn —
2.2.1.1 — timp.perc(4):tgl/chime/slapstick/cym/2wdbl/tam-
t/BD/SD/2field dr/xyl/glsp — pft(=cel) — harp — strings
Song of the Guerillas
The North Star was a Samuel Goldwyn production that cost more than three million dollars and was more than a year in preparation. With an original screenplay by Lillian Hellman, the movie told the story of a Russian agricultural community before and after the Nazi invasions. Copland wrote three songs for the score on lyrics by Ira Gershwin, including Song of the Guerillas.
Song of the Guerillas (1943) 4'
chorus from film music for The North Star
for baritone, male chorus and orchestra
Text: Ira Gershwin (E)
3.2.corA.2.bcl.2.dbn — 4.3.3.1 — timp.perc:BD/TD/cyms/
gong — strings
Statements for Orchestra
Comprised of six short movements each with a title "to aid the public in understanding what I had in mind when writing the movements." Titled Military, Cryptic, Dogmatic, Subjective, Jingo, and Prophetic, the movements are occasionally performed individually or in groups. In fact, only the last two were played for the premiere. Statements was not heard in its entirety until 1942. In a review, Virgil Thomson wrote, "They are clearly written and very, very personal. The whole group is a manly bouquet, fresh and sweet and sincere and frank and straightforward."
Statements for Orchestra (1934) 19'
3(III=picc).2.corA.2.bcl.2.dbn — 4.3.3.1 —
timp.perc(4):glsp/cyms/tam-t/whip/BD/SD — strings
Symphonic Ode
Copland was interested in experimenting with polyrhythms without direct use of jazz. "I have always regarded the Symphonic Ode as an important work. It had not been easy to compose, and it was difficult to perform, particularly at a time when orchestral performers were not trained to play rhythms that have since become standard." Copland, disappointed that the Ode was rarely performed, made a revised version for
the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1955. Nadia
Boulanger wrote, ". . . with the Ode, more than ever, I
have understood who you are, what you come to say,
and how you are ready to give it a definite form."
Symphonic Ode (1929, rev. 1955) 19'
3(III=picc).picc..3.corA.2.Ebcl.bcl.3.dbn — 4(8).4.3.1 —
timp.perc(4):t.bells/xyl/cyms/tam-t/tgl/tpl.bl/wdbl/whip/
BD/SD/TD — 2harps — pft — strings
Symphony for Organ and Orchestra
Koussevitzky became music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra just as Copland was returning from France to America in 1924. He asked Copland to compose a large orchestral work with organ for Boulanger to play with Walter Damrosch in New York and with him in Boston. "I had never heard a note of my own orchestration," exclaimed Copland, "but Nadia and Koussevitzky both said, 'You can do it! I will never forget the thrill of the glorious sound of the orchestra playing my own music for the first time."
Symphony for Organ and Orchestra (1924) 25'
2.picc.2.corA.2.bcl.2.dbn — 4.3.3.1 — timp.perc(4):xyl/
cyms/wdbl/BD/SD/tamb — 2(1)harps — cel(ad lib) — strings
First Symphony
Leonard Bernstein joked about his friend's practical nature, which extended to his music. Concerned about performance possibilities for the Symphony for Organ and Orchestra, Copland provided an alternate arrangement without organ. The First Symphony, in traditional four movement format, calls for large orchestra.
Prelude
An arrangement for chamber orchestra by the composer of the First Movement of the First Symphony.
First Symphony (1928) 19'
(arr. from Symphony for Organ and Orchestra)
2(II=piccII).picc.2.corA.2.bcl.asax(ad lib).2.dbn —
8.5.3.1 — timp.perc(5):glsp/xyl/cyms/tam-t/wdbl/BD/SD/
tamb — 2harps — cel — pft — strings
Prelude (1924) 6'
arr. for chamber orchestra by the composer
1.1.1.1 — 1.1.0.0 — pft(harp) — strings
Second Symphony
See Short Symphony (No. 2)
Third Symphony
Copland's symphonic legacy was secured with the Third Symphony. In the '40s, American composers were searching for The Great American Symphony, and Copland's big four-movement work filled the bill. Composed for Serge Koussevitzky and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the jubilant full orchestral forces were a celebration of the end of WWII. Koussevitzky said, "There is no doubt about it — this is the greatest American symphony. It goes from the heart to the heart." The Symphony makes little or no use of folk materials, but Copland borrows from himself by incorporating his triumphant Fanfare for the Common Man in the last movement of this grand work.
Third Symphony (1946) 42'
3.picc.2.corA.2.Ebcl.2.dbn — 4.4.3.1 — timp.perc(5):glsp/
t.bells/xyl/anvil/tam-t/tgl/claves/wdbl/whip/BD/SD/TD/
rattle — 2harps — cel — pft — strings
The Tender Land: Orchestral Suite from the Opera
Following the less than enthusiastic reception of his only full length opera, Copland arranged an orchestral suite from the score. It includes the love duet, the lively square dance, and the stirring and beautiful The Promise of Living drawn from the quintet at the end of the opera's first act. The composer was gratified when the Suite garnered the good reviews he had hoped the opera would inspire. In 1996, Murry Sidlin created a new suite for soprano, tenor and chamber ensemble based on his successful reduced orchestration of the opera, which uses the same scoring as the 13 instrument version of Appalachian Spring.
The Tender Land (1952-56)
Orchestral Suite from the Opera 21'
2.picc.1.corA.2(II=bcl).2 — 4.3.3.1 — timp.perc(2):glsp/xyl/
susp.cym/tgl/wdbl/whip/BD/SD/rattle — harp — cel — pft(ad
lib) — strings — optional chorus
The Promise of Living 5'
for chorus and orchestra
Text: Horace Everett (E)
2.1.corA.2.2 — 2.2.2.0 — timp.perc:t.bells/cyms — harp —
cel(pft) — strings
Stomp your foot (1952-56) 3'
for SATB or TTBB chorus and orchestra
Text: Horace Everett (E)
1.picc.1.corA.2.2 — 2.2.2.0 — timp.perc:xyl/wdbl/whip —
harp — cel(pft) — strings
The Tender Land Suite (arr. Murry Sidlin) 25'
(1952-56, arr. 1996)
Text: Horace Everett (E)
soprano and tenor soloists
1.0.11 — 0.0.0.0 — pft — strings (2.2.2.2.1 players)
Three Latin American Sketches
The music of Latin America had a particular appeal for Copland. He composed two dances that when put together became Two Mexican Pieces. Later, he added a third and changed the title to Three Latin American Sketches. Copland wrote, "The tunes, the rhythms, and the temperament of the pieces are folksy, while the orchestration is bright and snappy and the music sizzles along — or at least it seems to me that it does."
Three Latin American Sketches (1959-72) 10'
for small orchestra
1.1.1.1 — 0.1.0.0 — perc:xyl/conga dr/cyms/tgl/claves/wdbl/
whip/rattle — 2pft — strings
Two Pieces for String Orchestra
At Koussevitzky's request, Copland rescored Two
Pieces for String Quartet. It is comprised of two short
movements, Lento Molto and Rondino.
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