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American Composer Series #1- Aaron Copland (part 2)

© Brad Foust

The 1930s saw a dramatic shift in Copland's compositional style, and this change would introduce the style that he is most known for today. He had gained success and recognition, but up to the mid-30s, Copland's music was very abstract and complex. This new direction would gain a much wider audience and confirm his position as 'Dean of American Composers.'

Copland's affinity for folk music and his ability to present it in an intimate setting were showcased in the ballets Billy the Kid (1938), Rodeo (1942) and Appalachian Spring (1944), which proved to be such a powerful work that it won a Pulitzer Prize. These works used traditional American music and themes to brilliantly mix music and dance. In using folk music, Copland made his music much more accessible to the general public. He chose subjects that all Americans could relate to and wrote his music accordingly. His appeal is not in the fact that he used traditional music such as Simple Gifts in Appalachian Spring or Goodbye, Old Paint in Billy the Kid: His appeal is in the way in which he wove these beautiful tunes into the tapestry of sound we know today as the 'Copland sound.' The airy, open harmonies and clarity of voice typify his music in this time period, and for this, he would become one of the most copied composers of the 20th century.

The flavor for Americana carried over into Copland's orchestral works as well. Lincoln Portrait (1942) uses a narrator and a dramatic musical background to quote and reflect on the life of one of America's greatest presidents. During this time, he also wrote El salon Mexico (1936), a work based on Mexican folk music and themes, and his Third Symphony (1944-46). Music for films was also written in this period, such as Of Mice and Men (1937), Our Town (1940) and The Heiress (1949), a project that gained him an Oscar for Best Dramatic Film Score.

The 1950s saw another change in Copland's work, this time to a much more abstract style. Works such as Piano Fantasy (1957), Connotations (1962), written for the opening of Lincoln Center in New York City, and Inscape (1967) were written during this time. These pieces were very different from the simple melodies and romantic themes of his ballets and earlier orchestral writings. As a result, these pieces were not nearly as well received.

Copland virtually stopped composing after 1970, but he was an active conductor (and had done so since 1956). His last piece, Proclamation, was written in 1982 and was performed at his 85th birthday celebration. After a long illness, Aaron Copland died on December 2, 1990 at the age of 90.