Copland was born on November 14, 1900 in New York to Jewish immigrant parents from Lithuania. From an early age, he showed an interest in music and took lessons from his older sister. He soon surpassed his teacher and longed to take formal lessons. A first step in this direction was the undertaking of a correspondence course in harmony and counterpoint, which he started after graduating high school. This course led to theory lessons with Rubin Goldmark, a composer and instructor at the Juilliard School in New York.
Copland had visions of studying in France, and he began saving money for a trip there. In 1921, Copland finally had the resources to travel to Paris and begin his musical studies, an experience he later described as one of the most important in his life. Upon his arrival, he began his study with Nadia Boulanger at the New School of Music for Americans known as Fountainebleu. Here, talented, progressive teachers and colleagues surrounded Copland.
Boulanger was the preeminent teacher of the time, and every important American composer between 1920 and 1940 studied with her. While respecting the models of the masters such as Beethoven and Brahms, she was leading this group of composers away from the 19th century style and into a new, innovative style of composing. Copland took to this philosophy, and began writing music made up of many different elements and influences.
Copland returned to the United States in 1924 and set out to make himself known as a composer. His "First Symphony" (1925) was a piece that grew out of a request for an organ concerto from none other than his teacher, Nadia Boulanger. While working at a Pennsylvania resort, he would work on his commissioned work in his spare time. The piece was premiered by the New York Symphony Orchestra, which was conducted at the time by Walter Damrosch. When asked about his opinion of the young composer, he said, "If a young man (age 25) can write a symphony like that, in five years he will be ready to commit murder."
Copland continued his radical style of composing by using the popular jazz rhythms of the time in his "Music for the Theater" (1925) and the Piano Concerto (1926). He was beginning to enjoy success and was being recognized by some of the most important people in the music world, but Copland was only beginning to make his musical journey. The next few years would find him totally changing direction in his composing style, and in doing so, establishing himself as the leader of the American school of music.
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