Aaron Copland

Aaron Copland

Biography

Aaron Copland (born 14 November 1900 in Brooklyn, NY; died 2 December 1990 in Sleepy Hollow, NY) was an American composer, often referred to as "the Dean of American composers." Copland's music achieved a balance between modern music and American folk styles, and the open, slowly changing harmonies of many of his works are said to evoke the vast American landscape. He incorporated percussive orchestration, changing meter, polyrhythms, polychords and tone rows.

In the 1970s, Copland virtually stopped composing, although he continued to conduct. In addition to composing and conducting, Copland wrote several books, including What to Listen for in Music (1939), Music and Imagination (1952), and Copland on Music (1960).

Copland was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in composition for Appalachian Spring. His scores for Of Mice and Men (1939), Our Town (1940), and The North Star (1943) all received Academy Award nominations, while The Heiress won Best Music in 1949.

Works for Winds

• "Buckaroo Holiday" from Rodeo (tr. Megan)
• "Buckaroo Holiday" from Rodeo (tr. Sudduth)
• Ceremonial Fanfare -- for brass choir
• Down a Country Lane (tr. Patterson)
• El Salon Mexico (tr. Hindsley)
• Emblems
• Fanfare for the Common Man --for brass and percussion
• "Hoe Down" from Rodeo (tr. Rogers)
• Inaugural Fanfare
• Lincoln Portrait, A (tr. Beeler)
• Our Town (arr. Singleton)
• Outdoor Overture, An
• Promise of Living, The (tr. Singleton)
• Quiet City (arr. Hunsberger)
• The Red Pony: Film Suite for Band
• Variations on a Shaker Melody

References

• An Educators Guide to the Music of Aaron Copland on the United States Army Field Band - Washington D.C. Website
• Copland, Aaron. Music and Imagination Digital Text
• Copland, Aaron. Copland on Music Digital Text
• Svanoe, Erika Kirsten. (2009) El Salón México by Aaron Copland: A Study and Comparison of the Orchestral Score and Two Transcriptions for Band. Doctoral Dissertation Ohio State University.