Aaron Copland – Fanfare for the Common Man

In 1942, Aaron Copland was one of 18 American composers asked to contribute patriotic fanfares for a performance by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Around this time, of course, America was in the middle of World War II, and these fanfares were intended to pay tribute to all those involved in the horrific events of the war.

The fanfare involves 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 2 trombones, tuba and a percussion section of timpani, bass drum and tam-tam. The piece begins with percussion, a robust yet sparse opening which perhaps goes against what would be typically expected at the start of a fanfare. The rest of the piece is then made up of rousing arpeggiated themes in the brass instruments, nearly always moving in a homorhythmic fashion, with occasional splashes of percussion. This creates a superb blend of sound, which is emphasised through the deliberateness with which each note must be played. The notion of all instruments moving as one could relate back to the idea of the common man, in that at the time, each man was fighting for the same goal and wanting the same thing.

A distinctly reflective timbre is created through the richness of the brass sound and the heavy texture, which was probably Copland’s intention. This fanfare was designed to make the listener look back and take notice of what was happening at the time, and it certainly achieves this to great effect. It is distinctly patriotic; in fact, by the time the ending of the fanfare came around, I was ready to run up onto a hill and salute whatever I could find.

- Tully

 

 

Aaron Copland – Appalachian Spring

Because ghosts are real...

Dear Aaron Copland,

Your two books; “What to Listen for In Music” and “Music and the Imagination” are amazing reads. They are inspiring, interesting, astute and all kinds of other good things. But I’m afraid that Appalachian Spring is just… well, it’s boring. I’m sorry, I really am.

Love,
Vince.

PS. Compliments on sounding distinctly American.
PPS. For writing “Fanfare for the Common Man”, you need to be smacked.

—

So, Appalachian Spring; the most uninteresting music to listen to? No, but it’s pretty damn uninteresting. However, compositionally speaking, it is somewhat interesting in the post-Beethoven kind of way.
Copland recycles the same ideas throughout the piece, quoting himself with variation.

Some of the variation techniques he uses are:

+ Rhythmic augmentation and diminution
This means that he takes a motive, something like crotchet minim minim, and adds to it: dotted crotchet, minim, dotted minim, for example. Or shrinks it, quaver crotchet crotchet. Stravinsky uses this same technique judiciously throughout “The Firebird”.

+ Melodic variation
This is where you take a small motive, let’s use the arpeggio “A C E” and make it “A C# D E”, before it may have been crotchet crotchet minim, now it is crotchet quaver quaver minim. OOOH THAT’S DIRTY, DO YOU THINK SO?!

What I find really interesting about this piece (and Copland in general) is that, given modern context, he sounds distinctly American. The other interesting thing about this statement is the following question: does this make Aaron Copland distinctly American-sounding, or is it to do with my limited knowledge of American classical music since: John Williams, for example. Is Copland’s music only “American” to my ears due to everything since, and my association, or is it actually “American” sounding.

My thoughts are that his use of brass and woodwind is a lot different to that of European composers in general, I presume that this is due to the explosion of brass in jazz bands throughout the early 1900s.

Interesting…

Vince

About time.., Aaron Copland – Appalachian Spring

Well, this is a ballet score that is more famous as an orchestral suite (in many ways like Rite of Spring etc). The part that everyone recognises from this piece is the movement based up on the Shaker song by Elder Joseph Brackett, entitled “Simple Gifts”. As this original one-verse Shaker piece was a dancing tune (with instructions such as “turn” in the lyrics) it is quite apt for Copland to use the theme in the ballet score.

The Simple Gifts theme goes through a number of variations throughout the piece (just to clarify – it’s in theme and variation form…). The most stark change between any of the variations is the key, in my opinion. The orchestration tends to vary quite a lot, by necessity because Copland needs to change register, timbre, instrumentation and accompaniment. In most of the variations, other than the second and the last, the theme is played by woodwinds, normally the clarinet (which originally introduces the theme). In the other two variations the theme is string orientated, which is a nice change, and the last variation is especially… Well, the best word really is “epic”. It’s big chords with a big melody. What more could you want?

Saska

Quiet City – Aaron Copland

One of the things that has amazed me so far with these listening analyses is how often I have looked at the title of a piece, naively thought, ‘How could that possibly be portrayed through music?’, before realising that I can actually envisage whatever the title is quite easily just by listening intently to aspects of the piece.

This process came easily with Aaron Copland’s Quiet City, a beautiful and evocative piece composed in 1940. It is written for English Horn (replaced by oboe in the recording I listened to) and trumpet, with accompanying orchestral strings. As the piece developed I began to imagine the main melodic instruments as two people who are having some sort of conversation with each other, a discussion which holds deep significance to both their lives. After initially thinking that this was an extremely insightful thought on my behalf, I somewhat disappointingly found out that Quiet City is actually based on material Copland had previously written for a play – a play which focused on two main characters, whose personalities are portrayed through the music.

The music is also intended to reflect the sounds and feelings of ‘a city that never sleeps.’ This is effectively achieved through the use of space and silence; the texture is never particularly dense, but rather sparse and open as if reflecting upon the vastness of the city landscape. There is also a distinct improvisatory feel to the melodies in both the horn and trumpet, which adds to the idea of two people interacting with one another.

The overall mood of the piece does not change drastically at any point, but subtle changes in dynamics and texture, as well as the unpredictable melodic lines, ensure that interest is constantly maintained. One of my favourite parts was the build-up to the one obvious climax contained within the piece. Here, the horn and trumpet melodies interact with each other in an agitated manner, as if each ‘character’ is trying to prove a point to the other. The trumpet eventually wins out, supplying a resonant long note as the strings and horn drop out.

- Tully

A. Copland, Concerto for Clarinet and String Orchestra

Aaron Copland was commissioned by the great Jazz Clarinettist Benny Goodman, to write a concerto for clarinet what came about is a work that, to me, sounds distinctly American with elements of Jazz, ragtime, gushing film score strings all with the grandiosity of a classical orchestra.

I found this a very fun piece to listen to as it really does use such a variety of playing techniques for the clarinet. The first movement “Slowly and expressively” requiring a great amount of control and restraint from the player with such huge register leaps, continuous sustain notes in the A section and quick arpeggiations, with numerous accidentals in the B section. It should be taken into consideration that, in regards to the first section, there was discussion about leaving it out or it being a separate “elegy for strings”. Copland decided to leave it in (at least until it had been performed for a few years and become accepted as an integral part of the concerto) as he believed it would compromise the integrity of the concerto. The first movement does feel separate from the rest of the piece, as even the cadenza that joins the two movements, is played in a faster and brighter fashion more similar to the second movement “rather fast”.

The Cadenza that separates the two movements is written for solo clarinet no accompaniment, which is an interesting sound to hear in the middle such a highly orchestrated work from either sides, it is a seamless way to join such contrasting movements.

The second movement goes through such a variety of emotions. The initial melody that is returned to many times, in the form of variations and repetitions. The bright section develops into a call and response from clarinet to orchestra. Followed by a reprise of the theme and an evolution into a sinister, dramatic and discordant section. This sinister mood, upon climaxing, suddenly becomes a swing section, in major key, complete with swinging bass line and syncopated clarinet melody.

The whole piece is bought to a conclusion by a fantastic glissando upward from the clarinet and a glissando from the orchestra in contrary motion.

I also must say that I can’t put into words how much the opening section of the second movement fills me with joy. It makes my heart sing, like a bird on a breeze with a snowflake on its eyelash eating crisp apfel strudel.

Jamie-Leigh

Appalachian Spring – Aaron Copland

Sylvester Stallone IS Aaron Copland

Prior to this score study I had heard of this piece, but not actually heard it. I had several pre-conceived expectations of the piece based on the people I know who like this piece and my own experience in listening to other Copland compositions. Initially it was everything I expected. A beautiful combination of strings and woodwinds playing simple yet expressive parts at a slow tempo with the clear use of fourths and fifths. That was about all I was expecting, and I was some what shocked to discover the places the piece ventured to. Had I known it was written for a Ballet I imagine I would have been expecting a bit more of what I actually got.

The piece seems to be split into seven sections, the first section begins in A Major and sounds very ‘open’ harmonically. The three note melody that is used sequentially rises up, like water from the earth. We reach the second section and the same sequence is reworked, this time the rhythm is diminished into quavers and a crotchet, instead of the original use of crotchets and a note of greater value.

As I listened to the piece I attempted to conduct along with the score. This was relatively easy to begin with, but as the piece progresses Copland begins to play with the rhythms and it got increasingly difficult to follow and conduct the variety of meters.

In the fourth section the addition of a piano and a snare drum present a strong rhythmic pulse as the ‘Boom-Cha’ rhythms of a Hoedown style dance are presented. At this point it is clear that the composition is intended to be very ‘American’. Nothing is more American than a Hoedown (except the blues or jazz or soul or…). At figure 29 the strong accent within the bar of 4 crotchets is shifted to the fourth beat, with the second quaver from the third beat pushing into the fourth beat of the bar. This reminds me of Oklahoma, which I was ‘Lucky’ enough to see as a young kid when my sisters school did a performance of it.

Copland then ramps up the rhythmic interest another notch as he starts swapping between bars of 2/4 and 5/8, producing uneven phrases that contain 9 quaver beats. In the fifth section the variation of meter increases with constant transition from 3/8 to 3/4 to 5/8 to 4/4. At figure 40 Copland takes a different approach to writing his rhythms. He presents us with four groups of three crotchets ascending, but instead of grouping them in 4 bars of 3/4, he maintains the current meter (cut common) and places an accent on the first of each group of three crotchets.

At figure 51 we reach the sixth section and the orchestration takes a break from the heavy tutti passages it had been playing and returns to a more homophonic style with a return to ideas presented at the beginning of the piece.

The final section provided me with the biggest shock. For the next eleven or so pages Copland works and reworks the melody from what I had always believed to have been ‘The Lord of the Dance’, a traditional folk tune from Ireland. Alas, my childhood was actually a scam for this is no Celtic composition, in fact the version I was introduced to as a child is a re-wording of this tune that was made several years after Copland had composed this ballet. It turns out that the tune (Simple Gifts) is actually very ‘American’ (of course it is – why would he have used it otherwise!) and was written in 1848 by a yank named Joseph Brackett who was an elder of the Christian society known as the ‘Shakers’.

The work finishes with a final return to the opening material. A Solo clarinet plays the final melodic figure over a unison ‘C’ from the strings who are all pianissimo. The upper strings and harp then spell out the notes of a C Major 7 chord with an added 9^th which produces the ‘open’ sound of 4^ths and 5ths we are so used to hearing from Copland.

Warren.

Aaron Copland- Fanfare for the Common Man

‘God bless America!’

This very short, yet instantly recognizable piece is one of Copland’s most well known works. It was originally written during World War II to support the troops, acting as an introductory fanfare for a series of orchestral works conducted by Eugene Goossens.

A fanfare is generally a short, highly melodic tune comprised of brass instruments and percussion. This piece is no exception. It’s simple, yet effective and uplifting. Fitting, considering its intention is to inspire soldiers at war.

A crash of cymbals and a low bass drum begins the piece. Followed by a solo horn playing the main melodic motif, which is soon repeated and joined by the accompanying brass ensemble. The texture is largely homophonic throughout the piece, with sustained quarter notes accenting nearly every downbeat. While it may not be a technical marvel, Copland’s grasp on tonal harmony and his talent as an arranger to give each instrument a vital role, creates unity and balance among the instrumentation. The melody itself is modulated through sequences and its smooth phrasing makes it a memorable and easily hummable tune.

It’s these characteristics that have allowed it to live on. Out of the 18 other fanfares written (by other composers) during the idea’s original conception, this is the only piece that is still part of the standard repertoire. Its influence is most notable in popular culture, such as being covered by the 70′s prog rock group ‘Emerson, Lake and Palmer,’ with this version going on to become a big hit for the group and being featured prominently in several TV shows and other forms of media.

While slightly out of the context with the piece’s original intention, it still remains a culturally significant work and a fitting exemplification of Copland’s trademark style.

Shannon

Aaron Copland – Concerto for Clarinet

As this is my first attempt at music blogging, I thought I’d start with a work which involves one of my favourite instruments, the clarinet. This concerto, by American composer Aaron Copland, is basically made up of two very distinct sections, marked on the score as ‘slowly and expressively’ and ‘rather fast.’ These sections are separated by one hell of an epic cadenza.

The clarinet melody in the first section is extremely disjunct, encompassing very wide melodic contours and little chromaticism. Although played at a gentle pace, this melody would be extremely technically demanding for the player; it rarely ventures out of the top registers of the clarinet, and strict legato must always be employed even across wide leaps. The accompanying instruments include harp and the standard instruments of a string quartet. For the majority of the movement these play very simple, unrushed motifs (such as holding a note for the duration of the bar while adding a higher note on the second beat) which add a waltz-like feel to the work (it’s in ¾ by the way).

After a broad climactic passage and a gradual descent back into a pianissimo dynamic, the work arrives at the fantastic cadenza. Here, the performer plays a huge series of fast, mostly ascending motifs involving a range of dynamics, articulations and tempos. There is no discernible tonic here either and accidentals are placed seemingly at random. Towards the end of the passage a playful fortissimo section appears to almost be in swing time, before a lengthy ascending semiquaver run introduces the second movement.

In this section, beginning in 2/4 time, the accompanying instruments (which now include piano) play vibrant, bright staccatissimo motifs, which according to the score should be played ‘delicate-wraith like.’ There are a number of identifiable recurring themes played by the clarinet throughout the section. Ostinatos or repeating patterns are often swapped between the clarinet and the accompanying instruments.

An important element in this piece is the emphasis placed on articulation and the idea that each marking should be exaggerated as much as possible. Instructions throughout the score indicate this; Copland wants forceful, sometimes vigorous pizzicato, delicate but sometimes crude staccato, and emphatic accents. There are marcato signs everywhere.

Just as I thought the ‘rather fast’ movement couldn’t throw up any more surprises, in come various sections which contain jazz elements. In one passage Copland instructs the bass to play in a slap style while the clarinet plays smooth, somewhat humorous swing rhythms. Rhythm! How could I forget that? There is a hell of a lot of syncopation throughout this second movement. Time signatures and tempos also change rapidly but the overall playfulness and mysteriousness of the work, which I believe were Copland’s main intentions, are ever present. I hope I didn’t have to talk about specific modulations in this piece, because although key signatures are there, they are basically irrelevant – all I see before me is accidental after accidental.

As a clarinettist myself, I desperately hope that one day I will be able to play this piece. This is no run-of-the-mill concerto; it contains a brilliant energy and some highly creative aspects. I particularly like the importance that is placed on articulation and the extraordinary contrast that Copland creates between the first and second movements. Oh, and of course that epic cadenza. Gotta love that.

- Tully

Aaron Copland – Music and Imagination (book!)

To start with, while I don’t think anyone in this course would find this idea particularly odd, there are those out there that seem to, so I will quote the dead comedian, Bill Hicks:

I was in Nashville, Tennessee last week and after the show, I went to this waffle house … I’m eating, and reading a book and the waitress comes over to me and says ‘tsk tsk tsk! Whatchu readin’ fer?’ I said ‘wow! I’ve never been asked that. Not “what am I reading?” but “what am I reading for?” Well God damnit, you stumped me. I guess I read for a lot of reasons, but the main one is so that I don’t end up being a f**cking waffle waitress. Yeah, that’d be real high on the list.’ Then this trucker in the next booth gets up and stands over me and says ‘weelll, looks like we got ourselves a reader!’ and I was like ‘what the f**ck is going on?’ it was like I walked into a Klan rally in a Boy George costume. What, am I stepping out of some kind of intellectual closet here? I read, ok, there, I said it! I feel better…

Okay, so maybe that’s not the most appropriate quote for an academically inspired web log, but it’s perhaps more apt than some realise. How many times do I hear “books? who reads those anymore?” each day? Well, not many, but I can assure you, I hear it at least a few times per week. From students, as often as not, be they University level or high school level makes very little difference. People just don’t read anymore.

So, I thought I’d make a post about a book that I have read in the last week or so that relates very well to this here course, and as proof that I do do things other than not do listening studies to further my understanding of music.

So, this book, Music and Imagination, is a collection of lectures given by Aaron Copland when he was instated as a Professor of Poetry at Harvard University, back in 1951. It covers a lot of ideas, including some more abstract ones regarding the spirit of the thing itself (which I superimposed from another book that I am reading called The Book of Five Rings, by Miyamoto Musashi); some views and opinions on Stravinsky, Schoenberg and various other composers, on the art of composition itself and what it meant for American cultural identity (something Australia needs to catch up on) and various other things.

What did I get out of it? Well, a sense of hope, ironically enough, that Australia will not always be the cultural wasteland that it is now. America did not seem to get much musical identity until Jazz came around, and that was a few hundred years after its inception, so it stands to reason that soon, Australia will forge ahead and do something new… assuming that people can start caring about such things.

Copland also deals with the imaginative mind, both as listener and as composer and musician, and how they are all related.

Good read, recommended by yours truly.

- Vin

Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man”

Well, moving away from Requiems to the perhaps lighter side of life, I chose to study Copland’s “Fanfare for the Modern Man.” I didn’t realise it would be a predominantly brass-oriented piece (well, I should have known, but the CD said it was played by the San Fransisco Symphony), but I, being a trombonist, had no problem with that!

I think this was the most effective piece (read attention-grabbing) of music that I have heard in a long time. This is perhaps primarilly facillitated by the subtle use of contrast and variation. Copland opens the fanfare with unaccompanied percussive sounds, which is followed by trumpet calls. Not only does the pounding of the drums draw your attention, the immediate contrast between pitch and sound is remarkably astounding and effective.

Following this, each melodic “phrase” is “sandwiched” between percussive interludes. This provides continuous contrast, and interest is sustained by a variation where the timpani alone echoes the melody. The melodic material is first presented as a unison between the trumpets. As the piece continues, harmonies are gradually added. The first accompaniment is provided by the horns, moving in parallel fifths with trumpets. This results in the horn sound blending in with the trumpets, creating a new colour. Eventually, the piece ends with each instrument having its own part, resulting in dense chords which contrast to the opening unison

All the best,

Timothy