Continuing on
with our “American music” theme this month, let’s look at Aaron Copland and how
he contributed to creating this “American sound.” Though born in New York,
Copland received much of his music education in Europe, studying under the
infamous Nadia Boulanger.
Copland made
it his goal to write in an Americanist style, hoping to peak the American
public’s interest in classical music. He also worked to promote the
compositions of other American composers, both those before his time and
contemporaries.
Early in his
career, Copland sought to use what he considered the first American musical
movement in his Americanist pieces: jazz. An example of this is his Music for Theatre (1925). By using jazz
elements within a symphonic style, Copland hoped to create an “American sound”
apart from the European tradition.
During the
1930s, Copland began pulling from popular and folk music of other countries and
using the material in his work. The use of Mexican folk elements in his El Salón México (1932–1936) and cowboy
songs in Billy the Kid (1938) and Rodeo (1942) were additional attempts to
expand the American audience for classical music by creating sounds that may
sound comfortable or familiar. Copland also used his skill in film scores for
movies such as Of Mice and Men (1939)
and Our Town (1940).
On Thursday we
will take a look at one of Copland’s most popular works, Appalachian Spring. What is your favorite?
El Salón México
Billy the Kid
