# Why Isn't Aaron Copland Mentioned More?



## haydnguy (Oct 13, 2008)

Why isn't Aaron Copland mentioned more in conversation?

It seems that he has a respectable set of compositions and was close friends with Bernstein. It's a bit surprising that he isn't mentioned more, given his background. (At least to me.)


----------



## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

I have the Tilson Thomas compendium. I don't know why I don't pay more attention to it. Maybe because his populist style became so ubiquitously copied, it's easy to ignore. I hope to get my interest piqued here. 

My favorite piece of his, at least as of right now, is the clarinet concerto.


----------



## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Copland was a favorite of mine when I was a youngster. I just haven't found his music to hold up very well over the decades.


----------



## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

haydnguy said:


> Why isn't Aaron Copland mentioned more in conversation?
> 
> It seems that he has a respectable set of compositions and was close friends with Bernstein. It's a bit surprising that he isn't mentioned more, given his background. (At least to me.)


Good question! I don't know. But I sure like his Clarinet Concerto, the one Ken Burns used extensively in "The War". It's soulful! I hope he's discussed more. Perhaps it's time for a reexamination and renewed interest (or not) in so many of his sparkling works and some of his serial compositions. His music is very American but he was investigated by the FBI and blacklisted for his political views. He had a lot to overcome personally. 
.


----------



## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

I like _Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, Billy the Kid, El Salon Mexico_, in general, the ballet/dance music.


----------



## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

I like the smaller chamber version of Appalachian Spring. I don't do this very often, but certain parts of that music cause me to get misty. The music is so sweet, so tender, yet comes through _strong_ at times. Monumental. I'm going to have to get that out & listen to it, for Spring. It really is different in its way, not like your standard classical. It's got rhythmic drive. I really like Symphony Nr. 3, which uses "Fanfare for the Common Man" in its fourth movement. Another piece of his I always get out for Spring is "O Lark," a choral piece.

I get a really patriotic feeling when I listen to "Fanfare for the Common Man," even though Copland probably meant it in a more Communist way.


----------



## MatthewWeflen (Jan 24, 2019)

Copland was my first love in classical, as a kid. I still enjoy my Copland Collection now and again. I can't speak for others or for the great mass of people (I've given up trying to interpret their behavior), but for my part, I tend towards German Romanticism a bit more, and his music for me is pleasant but not terribly emotional (outside of Appalachian Spring) or possessing great range thematically.

Basically, I break it out when I want to lament an America long since past. Not when I want to ponder the imponderables or to rage against the universe.


----------



## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

One of his serial compositions:






He did not escape the existential angst of the '50s and '60s and somehow I was hoping he did. But you can still vaguely hear the Copland personality in some of it after he took a break from his delightful populist works. Perhaps he needed to do something that interested him more and was more for him and his own personal development before it was too late, at least for the time being. In this instance, I'm somehow reminded of an alien space landing.  He should be on the new composer's list as another one squeezing out Beethoven to cancel the whole idea of personal well-being and contentment. But as a personal exploration and experiment, I rather like it because I think he had a refined sense of dissonance that some of the other composers didn't have. Composers have to try new things, or die!


----------



## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

I love Copland, really excellent composer....not just just his popular ballet scores..he wrote so much fine music.


----------



## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I'm a fan - I usually give everything I have by him (about ten discs in all) an airing once every few months. One work which has really grown on me is his early ballet _Grohg_.


----------



## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

Aaron Copland

Aaron Copland

Aaron Copland

How's that?


----------



## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

Strange Magic said:


> I like _Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, Billy the Kid, El Salon Mexico_, in general, the ballet/dance music.


And that's about it, isn't it? I would add The Red Pony and An Outdoor Overture. The problem with Copland is that his more populist music is so readily listenable and enjoyable, but his more serious works are not. They are not fun to play, either. Before he became the composer of the American West, he horrified audiences with stuff like the first two symphonies. They're the Hillary Clinton of symphonies:they seem to have all the right credentials but are just not likable. The third symphony shows up from time to time, but if it weren't for the inclusion of Fanfare for the Common Man in it, would it shrink in stature? He was a very nice man, very pleasant and friendly - I was at a luncheon with him some 40 years ago. Being the smart-*** I was then, I challenged his opinion of Mahler (it wasn't high). He just said that Lenny had been trying for 30 years to convince him that Mahler was a great composer but he remained unconvinced.


----------



## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

I tend to give Copland the benefit of the doubt. I was first drawn to his populist works, as everyone was, then realized that beneath this surface was a composer who was not obligated to attract or entertain me; "Copland the Modernist" as the disc title goes. 
Success with a mass audience is overrated. So, when there is no automatic attraction, one must go to the art. Failure to engage with Copland's more serious side is the failure of a culture and a society. Copland seemed to be at odds with America from the start, when you consider his leanings, political and other. No wonder "success" is an uneasy fit for such men.
Overall, I think he is a success, and a model for other American musical figures.


----------



## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

I am an American, and I don't say that with pride. I don't like how extreme our nationalism has become. I'm embarrassed for how uneducated and uncultured many of our citizens are (not all of course). I don't like our imperialist foreign policy, our gun culture, our religious extremism, and our capitalism gone wild economic system.

BUT, I love the music of Aaron Copland. Its probably the only thing that makes me feel good about America just because it provides me with an ideal image of what our country COULD be under the right conditions and with a lot of work.

I love the popular compositions (App Spring, Rodeo, Billy the Kid, El Salon Mexico, Fanfare for the Common Man, Symphony 3, Clarinet Concerto, etc), but I enjoy the modern compositions too like the Short Symphony (#2) and the Piano Variations. Then there's the film scores (Red Pony, Our Town, Of Mice and Men, etc).

My favorite work though is a little piece called "Down A Country Lane". I've played it several times and conducted it on a few occasions. Its so lovely and serene. Its like the musical equivalent to a poem by Robert Frost.


----------



## mmsbls (Mar 6, 2011)

I like a good number of Copland works. My favorite is the Clarinet Concerto, which has been mentioned several times. Works unmentioned above that I also like are the nonet and sextet for clarinet, piano and string quartet. 

I'm not sure why he isn't mentioned more on TC, but he's probably mentioned about as much as his popularity would suggest.


----------



## RICK RIEKERT (Oct 9, 2017)

mbhaub said:


> I was at a luncheon with [Copland] some 40 years ago. Being the smart-*** I was then, I challenged his opinion of Mahler (it wasn't high). He just said that Lenny had been trying for 30 years to convince him that Mahler was a great composer but he remained unconvinced.


Copland's interest in and writings about Mahler's music extend over a period of 60 years. He appears to have been driven to both revere and disparage the composer, but the weight of his endorsements of Mahler far outweighs that of his reservations. He was introduced to Mahler's works by Nadia Boulanger and wrote to her after hearing a performance of Mahler's Second Symphony that he hoped eventually to hear all Mahler's symphonies, concluding "Once more I have to thank you for discovering Mahler for me!"

In the second volume of his autobiography, when discussing his own Third Symphony Copland refers to himself as "a longtime admirer of Mahler." He refers to "Mahler's contrapuntal skill, a skill surpassed by no modern composer". In a letter to the NY Times in defense of Mahler's music Copland writes, "Mahler orchestrates on big, simple lines, in which each note is of importance. He manages his enormous number of instruments with extraordinary economy, there are no useless doublings, instrument is pitted against instrument, group against group" and states, "I am willing to overlook his shortcomings for the sake of those real qualities which are also his: an apocalyptic grandeur, with its concomitant, a child-like naïveté greater than that of any other composer before him; an amazing contra-puntal mastery; an original orchestration thirty years in advance of his time."


----------



## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

Y


Olias said:


> ... I love the music of Aaron Copland...


This was new to me, but so representative of him at his best. Just beautiful... with such a beautiful orchestra texture like a clear drink of water, and such strong lines, decisive, sincere, healthy and emotionally direct. (I believe whatever he learned from Mahler may be on display here without Copland sacrificing his own individuality...) I love how positive he is on the human experience, and he can be poignant and touch the emotions in the way that can be quite moving... He makes me feel good to be alive. Inspiring. Not one wasted note painted on a beautiful American canvas. The basic simplicity and goodness of life. Nature.


----------



## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

RICK RIEKERT said:


> Copland's interest in and writings about Mahler's music extend over a period of 60 years. He appears to have been driven to both revere and disparage the composer, but the weight of his endorsements of Mahler far outweighs that of his reservations. He was introduced to Mahler's works by Nadia Boulanger and wrote to her after hearing a performance of Mahler's Second Symphony that he hoped eventually to hear all Mahler's symphonies, concluding "Once more I have to thank you for discovering Mahler for me!"
> 
> In the second volume of his autobiography, when discussing his own Third Symphony Copland refers to himself as "a longtime admirer of Mahler." He refers to "Mahler's contrapuntal skill, a skill surpassed by no modern composer". In a letter to the NY Times in defense of Mahler's music Copland writes, "Mahler orchestrates on big, simple lines, in which each note is of importance. He manages his enormous number of instruments with extraordinary economy, there are no useless doublings, instrument is pitted against instrument, group against group" and states, "I am willing to overlook his shortcomings for the sake of those real qualities which are also his: an apocalyptic grandeur, with its concomitant, a child-like naïveté greater than that of any other composer before him; an amazing contra-puntal mastery; an original orchestration thirty years in advance of his time."


Thanks for this information; I didn't know he had these opinions. The one I remember was from What to Listen For in Music where he wrote something like (I don't have the book on hand): The difference between Beethoven and Mahler is the difference between a great man walking down the street and another pretending to be a great man walking down the street.


----------



## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

“The difference between Beethoven and Mahler is the difference between a great man walking down the street and another pretending to be a great man walking down the street.”

Oh my... where are my smelling salts?


----------



## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

i really enjoy 5he "Dance Symphony" and "Music for the Theater"....I love the original, chamber version of "Appalachian Spring"....wonderful to perform.


----------



## RICK RIEKERT (Oct 9, 2017)

mbhaub said:


> I didn't know he had these opinions. The one I remember was from What to Listen For in Music where he wrote something like (I don't have the book on hand): The difference between Beethoven and Mahler is the difference between a great man walking down the street and another pretending to be a great man walking down the street.


The exact quote is: "One is always being told that Mahler was no Beethoven. Quite so. The difference between Beethoven and Mahler is the difference between watching a great man walk down the street and watching a great actor play the part of a great man walking down the street. The two experiences can be equally impressive, though in different ways." I think this quote shows Copland's conflict, his inclination to both revere and disparage Mahler.


----------



## flamencosketches (Jan 4, 2019)

mbhaub said:


> Thanks for this information; I didn't know he had these opinions. The one I remember was from What to Listen For in Music where he wrote something like (I don't have the book on hand): The difference between Beethoven and Mahler is the difference between a great man walking down the street and another pretending to be a great man walking down the street.


:lol: That was a great paraphrase. I had to get the book and try and find it. Unfortunately, the only two Mahler references in the index were one in which he says "I for one am certain that his eventual position will be equivalent to that of Berlioz" and another where he describes the 9th symphony as "very tough", comparing it to Schoenberg's 4th quartet. If you do find that quote (maybe from another book of his, or another edition of this one?), please do share.


----------



## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

A humorous aside: "Because he composed the music without the benefit of knowing what the title was going to be, Copland was often amused when people told him he captured the beauty of the Appalachians in his music." Copland referred to the work before its premiere as just "Ballet for Martha."


----------



## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Olias said:


>


Seeing that picture reminded me of a picture of my dad and his little brother in 1926. Things were different then, a lot different.


----------



## haydnguy (Oct 13, 2008)

---delete--- (sorry).


----------



## haydnguy (Oct 13, 2008)

mbhaub said:


> Thanks for this information; I didn't know he had these opinions. The one I remember was from What to Listen For in Music where he wrote something like (I don't have the book on hand): The difference between Beethoven and Mahler is the difference between a great man walking down the street and another pretending to be a great man walking down the street.


I read that book when I first started listening to classical music and I seem to remember that when he was talking about the characteristics of music he described music as having tonality. (not sure he used that word).


----------



## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

Aside: For some reason the Pittsburgh public television station in the fifties filmed a studio version of the original Appalachian Spring without the original cast but with Graham. I saw a really scratched up print in college. It's been cleaned up and is on You Tube and should be seen by most CM fans with an interest in such things (and dance people).


----------



## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

Here is Appalachian Springs with Martha Graham rather than without:






It's a great country and we do have a story. The county has been incredible to me... but I gave back too. There is still the spirit of freedom that animates it and makes it the hope of the world (mostly) and the opportunity to make mistakes and correct them. The music gets to me every time and this is not traditional ballet but has the freedom of movement which I consider very American. Ultimately, it's probably whether our essential spirit can overcome the political differences that divide it so we can survive and thrive. I believe the Aaron Copland is more about the brighter side of life and our willingness to try. I'm glad I saw this today and I would like to hear him played more, at least for Americans.


----------



## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

Copland playing his jazzy Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, introduced by Leonard Bernstein. It gets better as it goes along and it's extremely hard to play, to get the right precision between the orchestra and piano, otherwise itcan sound disjointed and conflicting:






Another perhaps better performance with Earl Wild:


----------



## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

KenOC said:


> Seeing that picture reminded me of a picture of my dad and his little brother in 1926. Things were different then, a lot different.


Wow, that is really lovely.


----------



## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

_The Tender Land Suite_ (1949). I continue to be deeply impressed and emotionally touched by him:






Such beautiful orchestrations!


----------



## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

Exceptional performance by Leonard Bernstein in the New York Philharmonic:






I believe Copland's nature is basically upbeat, exhuberant and cheerful even if he sometimes has his dark moments, though I don't hear any dark moments in this particular work. But a few thoughtful moments, yes, in the exuberance and sparkle of its sparkling wonders.


----------



## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Some interesting Copland history. He had been quite the leftist in his earlier years, affected by the USSR's call for Socialist Realism. That seemed to very much affect his musical style (for the better, many might say).

In any event: "Because of his leftist views, which had included his support of the Communist Party USA ticket during the 1936 presidential election and his strong support of Progressive Party candidate Henry A. Wallace during the 1948 presidential election, Copland was investigated by the FBI during the Red scare of the 1950s. He was included on an FBI list of 151 artists thought to have Communist associations and found himself blacklisted, with _A Lincoln Portrait_ withdrawn from the 1953 inaugural concert for President Eisenhower." (Wiki)


----------



## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

Superb recording of Copland's tremendous 3rd Symphony:






Perhaps this is the greatest American symphony ever written, modern, fresh, lyrical, big in spirit, colorful, vibrant, distinctive, uplifting, complex, absorbing, its sparkling orchestration, its torrential explosion of energy at the end, its radiant triumphant ending. Just breathtaking!


----------



## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

KenOC said:


> Some interesting Copland history. He had been quite the leftist in his earlier years, affected by the USSR's call for Socialist Realism. That seemed to very much affect his musical style (for the better, many might say).
> 
> In any event: "Because of his leftist views, which had included his support of the Communist Party USA ticket during the 1936 presidential election and his strong support of Progressive Party candidate Henry A. Wallace during the 1948 presidential election, Copland was investigated by the FBI during the Red scare of the 1950s. He was included on an FBI list of 151 artists thought to have Communist associations and found himself blacklisted, with _A Lincoln Portrait_ withdrawn from the 1953 inaugural concert for President Eisenhower." (Wiki)


Interesting history, above. Copland strikes me a tiny bit as a paler, friendlier, less vigorous Prokofiev Lite, who was persecuted in 1950s America as being too Left, whereas Prokofiev in the USSR was regarded as being not Left enough.


----------



## paulbest (Apr 18, 2019)

Bulldog said:


> Copland was a favorite of mine when I was a youngster. I just haven't found his music to hold up very well over the decades.


:lol:

No disrespect for Copland, just how you expressed your view , lol..
Seriously though,,,,,,yes his music did not some chamrs way back when for us. 
It is the nature of music, some stars rise, while others fall. 
Copland's *newness* has just worn thin. 
Elliott Carter's may et rise. Although neither music competes, as both are completely opposite forms. One is conservative, traditional, usually with themes of landscapes, old American west,,,while the other,,,,is difficult to describe into words.


----------



## paulbest (Apr 18, 2019)

Larkenfield said:


> Superb recording of Copland's tremendous 3rd Symphony:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You see this is what I take issue with Copland, He often attempts to portray a America, that was not real, fake, a lie, 
I hear his music as pure propaganda. 
Yes this does mean I have no intentions to ever hear from him again.


----------



## flamencosketches (Jan 4, 2019)

^I'm not familiar with all his music (hardly!) but I'm inclined to agree. One thing I will note is that with the great early piano concerto you can really hear the New York skyline. But with his "populist" period works, I don't hear much more than a highly romanticized vision of the America of the past. Doesn't connect with me much.

Is anyone familiar with his serialist music? It is clear he has a respect and appreciation for Schoenberg even very early on in his career. But I'm wondering why he was inclined to change his style.


----------



## paulbest (Apr 18, 2019)

I should have rephrased my opinion tgo say *Copland 's music portrays a American landscape that ONCE WAS, when the original settlers landed and just there after,,,But once mining/logging/industries showed up, that idyllic landscape/mountains all BUT DISAPPEARED. 
His music perfectly portrays a land that once was, but will never return.


----------



## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

I think Copland is a composer, though quite good, who like many good ones lacks a signature work. The one I most identify him with is Fanfare For the Common Man which is wonderful but brief. I don't know how much else he wrote can realistically be categorized among the best of its type in classical music. 

He is among the better American composers but other American composers wrote better music in many categories than Copland, in my opinion. I don't find his American tone paintings hold up as well as Ferde Grofe's or even Ives', for example, and I don't think his Symphony No. 3 (sometimes called the greatest American symphony) fares well against Hanson's "Romantic" Symphony 2, Ives No. 3 or even Thomson's Symphony on Hymn Tunes. I also like Piston's Symphony 2 and Paul Creston's Second better.

My favorite Copland work is a song called Long Time Ago that started life as a Negro spiritual during the Civil War. I've sung it in church a number of times.


----------



## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

paulbest said:


> I should have rephrased my opinion to say *Copland 's music portrays an American landscape that ONCE WAS, when the original settlers landed and just there after,,,But once mining/logging/industries showed up, that idyllic landscape/mountains all BUT DISAPPEARED.
> His music perfectly portrays a land that once was, but will never return.


Then, his music is an important part of the history of this country, isn't it? One could discount and be dismissive of Charles Ives or Elliott Carter for the same reasons. Copland's 3rd Symphony is not about the pioneer spirit or rural America, but it's brilliantly and masterfully done, inspiring, uplifting, thrilling, essentially positive and healthy in outlook rather than the too often 20th-century neuroticism, personal isolation and anxiety that in some instances may have served certain composers more than the interests of the public, though they can have their its virtues, too. (I'm currently going through Pettersson's symphonies and at times he's as tense and wound up as tightly as an 8-day clock.) The Battle of Stalingrad is no longer being fought either, but Shostakovich's 7th is still played, valued, esteemed by many, and is historically important. I wouldn't suggest that his symphony be dismissed as no longer relevant in a changed and modernized world. The same with Copland and he's not standing in the way of more recent composers being heard or appreciated in their own right simply by posting examples and reading worthwhile discussions of their work.


----------



## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

Interesting, isn't it? Like others in this thread, I was attracted to Copland's music in my youth, but he has gradually faded as I got to know more of his contemporaries such as Ives and Barber. There are some lovely moments in Copland (The Tender Land, Clarinet Concerto), but as a body of work, I don't see him as in the first rank.


----------



## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Of course, let's not forget that Copland was popular enough to merit a parody by PDQ Bach. That should count for something.


----------



## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

larold said:


> I don't think his Symphony No. 3 (sometimes called the greatest American symphony) fares well against Hanson's "Romantic" Symphony 2, Ives No. 3 or even Thomson's Symphony on Hymn Tunes. I also like Piston's Symphony 2 and Paul Creston's Second better.


Copland Sym #3 is certainly a reasonable candidate for "Greatest American Symphony", but I would give that prize to Wm Schuman Sym #3, a real blockbuster....also, Hanson Sym #3, and Sym #1 are better works than the more well-known #2, Romantic...Mennin #7 is a possible choice as well...


----------



## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

Larkenfield said:


> Then, his music is an important part of the history of this country, isn't it? One could discount and be dismissive of Charles Ives or Elliott Carter for the same shortsighted reasons. Copland's 3rd Symphony is not about the pioneer spirit or rural America, but it's brilliantly and masterfully done, inspiring, uplifting, essentially positive and healthy in outlook


World War II produced some magnificent symphonies indeed - on the American scene - Copland #3, Schuman#3, Antheil #4 for starters...all really fine works that hold up very well under the test of time....
Schuman #3 takes the prize for me - great piece, and a real test for an orchestra....tough stuff....


----------



## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

I like Copland, don't listen to him that often, but when I do I find him enjoyable. I agree that much of his music is beautiful and moving.

I think all of Charles Ives symphonies are my favorite American symphonies. I would probably vote for number 4 as the greatest.

Copland 3 is one of the best American symphonies too, it is excellent. Bernard Hermann symphony No. 1 deserves a mention here too, an outstanding work.


----------



## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

I read these Copland posts with interest. It's good to see the composer getting such mention. Apparently, he's made an impression on a lot of us, one way or another, and that's a good thing for an artist to accomplish.

I admire Copland's music. I could make an argument for his Third Symphony as "the great American Symphony" -- it certainly is a splendid work that captures much of the essence of this land's music and soul. But I never seriously want to make such argument, for the country has produced many fine composers and many fine symphonies, and I prefer to listen to them rather than parse them for categorical inclusion.

In my work as a theatre sound designer I often tapped Copland's music for the "American sound" it could offer. _Appalachian Spring_ seems his strongest offering in terms of performance popularity, aside from the _Fanfare_. If I don't listen to the piece much in my private listening sessions, it may well be because I hear to often enough on the classical FM radio stations I tune in to when me and the ol' Jeep are crossing the country. My disc library sports several versions of the work.

I also love the Clarinet Concerto, especially the second movement, one of the most beautiful works in the literature. I find this concerto comparable to Ravel's great Piano Concerto in G. I could probably live serenely on a desert island with those two work as my musical companions.

Of course, the "western" ballets prove powerful, too. I hear them often on radio play and on TV commercials. And their particular "American sound" is ubiquitous, sure, for having been stolen (borrowed) by so many other composers that it's sometimes hard to tell if the work is a genuine Copland or someone imitating him. Aaron has influenced many, to the good, I must suggest.

I'm sometimes amazed to learn that solid, conservative "heartland Americans" who really don't cater much to "classical music" outside of that which is available on the Country Music stations actually find things like _Rodeo_ and _Billy the Kid_ and the _Fanfare_ to be worthy of humming aloud. I often wonder if any of them realize such music springs from the imagination of a French trained, New York urban gay Jewish fellow. It goes to show just how powerful an imagination Aaron Copland possessed.

I'm glad we have him. Our musical world (and our American culture) would be much the poorer without his varied contributions.


----------



## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

SONNET CLV said:


> I read these Copland posts with interest. It's good to see the composer getting such mention. ….


Since posting that comment I had opportunity to take a look at my Copland disc collection and to re-listen to a couple of the works, including the Clarinet Concerto with Stoltzman (RCA Victor Red Seal 7762-2-RC with the London Symphony conducted by Lawrence Leighton Smith) and the rarer _Grohg_-Ballet in one act (Argo 443 203-2 with the London Sinfonietta conducted by Oliver Knussen).

I also found, in my perusing, an unopened New World Records disc (80631-2) with the American Symphony Orchestra led by Leon Botstein, featuring four modern (serial-like) American works, one of which is Copland's _Inscape _(1967). A note on the back sleeve says: "The Vision of Francis Goelet. This recording is a tribute to the vision of Francis Goetlet (1926-1998), perhaps America's single most important supporter of composers as well as musical institutions and organizations. The works on this CD represent a part of the extraordinary legacy of his commissions." Also included are Roger Sessions's Symphony No.8 (1968), George Perle's _Transcendental Modulations_ (1993), and Bernard Rands's _… where the murmurs die …_ (1995).















I don't know how long I've had this 2005 release unopened on my shelf (I have quite a number of such discs, ready for that special occasion play or that "rainy day"), but it was a welcome surprise to pop it into the disc player and hear these works (I played the disc through, twice!) reveal themselves. I believe all but the Copland were new to me (but this _Inscape_ interpretation proved stunning!), and one of the great joys of this listening hobby we share is that of hearing new works, especially when they are of such quality as all four of the pieces on this disc.

Another benefit of belonging to this Classical Music Forum! (Had I not encounted this Copland posting, that New World disc may have sat on my shelf for another … who knows how many years. Now, it is a treasured possession. One which shall see a lot of spins on my CD deck.)


----------



## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

SONNET CLV said:


> I'm sometimes amazed to learn that solid, conservative "heartland Americans" who really don't cater much to "classical music" outside of that which is available on the Country Music stations actually find things like _Rodeo_ and _Billy the Kid_ and the _Fanfare_ to be worthy of humming aloud. I often wonder if any of them realize such music springs from the imagination of a French trained, New York urban gay Jewish fellow. It goes to show just how powerful an imagination Aaron Copland possessed.


I used to know a guy who knew almost nothing about classical music and listened mainly to soft rock and rhythm and blues, but said he liked Copland because he sounded so "American." I'm not sure why he felt that, but from what you're saying he's not the only one. Testimonials like this (and others) have convinced me that music can be more specific in its expressive content than we sometimes give it credit for. Copland isn't the only music that "sounds American," but he has undoubtedly captured certain aspects of the American experience and sensibility. In any case he sure doesn't sound French or Russian!


----------



## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

Woodduck said:


> ….Copland isn't the only music that "sounds American," but he has undoubtedly captured certain aspects of the American experience and sensibility. In any case he sure doesn't sound French or Russian!


Heck! The Beef Council, with some help from none other than Robert Mitchum, adopted Copland's music for its theme song. Isn't _that_ enough credence to assign that music "the American soul!"






And, if that's _not_ enough, Sam Elliot should sure seal the deal!


----------



## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

Another American composer with a uniquely free perspective on dissonance.


----------

