Aaron Copland

Introduction to Music

Early Life•Born November 14, 1900•Father was a Jewish Immigrant from Russia•Mother was an Immigrant from Lithuania•His mother was the primary musical influence she sang and played the piano.

Early Music Experience

•Aarons mother pushed her children to take music lessons•His oldest brother was very musically talented and played the violin•Aaron sister gave him his first piano lessons

Musical Studies

•After high school Aaron went to Paris•He went to the American Academy in Paris•In Paris he worked with his most influential teacher Nadia Boulanger

1930-1950’s America

•Aaron spent the next twenty years composing in the United States•During this time he composed some of his most famous works•Billy the Kid•Rodeo•Appalachian Spring

Later Years

•Aaron spent many years helping other young composers in the United States•He spent some years teaching at Harvard•The last twenty years of his life he wasn’t in the music spot light•Aaron Copland died December 2, 1990

Composition History

•Popular action/drama listened to on the radio by many Americans during the 20’s and 30’s was the quintessential Western.

•Ballet companies commissioned works with Western themes.

World War II

•Before world war II there was a big movement towards western music and shows•Some ballet companies got into this movement/idea

Commissioning of Rodeo

•European ballet company tours the US

•Head of ballet company approaches Copeland to commission Western themed ballet

•Copeland is very reluctant after just completing Billy the Kid

•Copeland is finally convinced and accepts commission to write Rodeo.

Listening Guide

Buckaroo Holiday• 0:00 Theme I Opens with the timber of a cymbal with some horns playing the

primary melody• 0:30 Theme I continues echoed by the woodwinds and strings with an extra few

notes on the end done by the brass• 0:45 Theme II enters with a quiet portion played by the woodwinds and a counter

point by the brass this part is a lot slower than the other portion and much quieter• 1:30 Theme II continues which is much quieter with a flute playing the primary

melody and a counter point done by the brass and woodwinds• 2:00 Theme III the music picks up tempo slightly with a new theme that is played

by the woodwinds that is slowly ascending rhythm• 2:30 Theme III continues with some sharp vibrant sounding flute notes then

continued into the theme III with the brass and percussion• 3:00 Theme I comes back with its descending sounding woodwinds and strings

with a counter point done by the brass tagged on at the end.• 4:00 Theme II enter which is much quieter with a very vibrant but quiet timbered

trumpet

Buckaroo Holiday• 4:30 Theme II with the brass doing the melody and the strings doing some notes

as a counter point which is over all much quieter but the strings are even more subtle• 5:00 Theme II reentered played on the flutes with the strings doing a counter

point and the timber of the flute is very bright and this time the theme is much slower• 5:30 Theme II the strings are playing the theme with the woodwinds doing a

counter point to the song• 6:00 the woodwinds continue theme II which is much quieter with the strings

doing the counter point and the brass come in shortly after. • 6:30 theme II Strings are playing the melody of this portion with the woodwinds

doing a counter melody• 7:00 Theme I renters with the strings and woodwinds playing the melody and the

brass tacking on the few notes with the percussion aiding this time around• 7:30 the brass play a new set with the strings playing the counter melody which

sounds very tense• 8:00 Theme I is played an octave higher with the timpani playing notes

throughout this set of the original theme• 8:30 the strings play a quick set of notes with the timpani and the brass do some

notes and the cymbals finish off the song

Hoedown• 0:00 Theme I Opens with vibrant timber of trumpets played in a round type of melody• 0:30 Theme I continues but it’s in a much quieter portion with the wood block and

some very quit short notes from the trumpets which progresses very shortly into theme II “beef it’s what’s for dinner” theme is what Theme II is which is very familiar to most people

• 1:00 Theme II repeats with the snare drum quietly played in the background with the trumpets. Which creates texture and visualization of a group of dancing cowboys on a farm or in the back country

• 1:30 Theme II tapers out with some tense sounding trumpets that slowly and quietly die out for a short pause then theme III enters

• 2:00 The trumpets and trombones start playing a round type of sound mimicking the other one.

• 2:30 Theme I reenters but quickly tapers off with the trumpets doing the descending notes that get quieter and reenters into Theme II

• 3:00 The trumpets continue Theme II with a triangle chiming in the background and a xylophone playing a descending scale with the vibrant trumpets playing the melody.

• 3:10 the trumpets create some tense sound with the xylophone playing a few staccato notes that tapers off into the end

Bibliography• "Aaron Copland Biography."Encyclopedia of world biography.

Encyclopedia of world biography, n.d. Web. 2 Oct 2011. <http://www.notablebiographies.com/Co-Da/Copland-Aaron.html

• "Rodeo, Ballet." Answers.com. Answers.com, n.d. Web. 2 Oct 2011. http://www.answers.com/topic/rodeo-ballet-ballet-classical-work

• Reinhardt , Claudia. "Pop Culture Goes to War ." Living History Farm. Farming in the 1940's, n.d. Web. 2 Oct 2011. http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe40s/life_07.html

• Buckaroo Holiday. Dir. Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Rhapsody, Film. <http://www.rhapsody.com/

• Hoedown. Dir. The London Trumpet Orchestra. Rhapsody, Film. <http://www.rhapsody.com/