About Copland

Aaron Copland was born in Brooklyn, New York on November 14, 1900 to Russian immigrant parents of Jewish nationality.  His sister Laurine taught him the fundamentals of piano playing, after which he began formal lessons in his early teens.  His upbringing allowed him to be exposed to ragtime and popular music, traditional hymns, as well as having a traditional European classical training in piano, theory and composition.  Copland went to Paris in 1921 and was the first of many Americans to study composition under the excellent tutelage of  Nadia Boulanger.  It was while studying under Boulanger than Copland produced his first score – the ballet Grohg.

 Copland composed many nationalistic works that focused on America, its problems, culture, issues and day-to-day life for Americans.  He was a Modernist composer, which makes it difficult to define concrete stylistic features in his music.  Modernism rejected romantic sentiments and sought to break from the past.  Modernist composers also used music as a vehicle to promote political and social agendas.  Modernist works are often characterized by strong dissonances (clashing tones) which are not always resolved, at least, not in the conventional way.  Music from this era may also sound confusing at times, especially to those who are not accustomed to such music.  Copland’s early music was very dissonant, although he changed his composing style to include more harmonious sounds and less dissonance later in life.  Copland was very fond of incorporating traditional folk tunes and American styles such as jazz into his music.  In the ballet Rodeo, Copland uses cowboy tunes to set the scene of an American frontier. 

   Copland established himself  in his day as America’s most prominent composer. He was a music teacher though he avoided a full-time university teaching position. He was a also a prolific writer and was a pivotal figure in founding and supporting agencies that would promote nationalistic and contemporary music.  By 1958, he stepped out in a career of conducting which would take him all around the world for the next 20 years.  In 1961 He moved to Rock Hill, New York where he remained until his death.  In the mid 1970’s he began to experience the onset of dementia and eventually had to be under constant medical supervision.  Shortly after his 90th birthday, on December 2, 1990, Copland died from an infection resulting from pneumonia.

 Questions:

 

Note:  You may not refer back to the information on this page to answer these questions.

 

  1. Where was Copland born?  
  2. True/False:  Copland used ideas from American folk tunes, jazz and hymns in his music?  
  3. True/False:  Rodeo was an opera?  

    

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