Few names are as synonymous with American classical music as Aaron Copland. Born to Jewish immigrants from Lithuania on November 14, 1900, in Brooklyn, New York, Copland’s musical journey began with piano lessons from his elder sister. With his unequivocal passion for music, he quickly ascended to become one of the most influential composers of the 20th century.
Early Life and Education
Born into a family of Lithuanian Jewish descent, Copland was the youngest of five children. Although his father did not harbor any musical interests, his mother played the piano and arranged music lessons for her children. Copland, a sensitive and avid reader, showed his musical inclinations at an early age, writing songs by eight and a half years old.
While his early musical exposure was limited to Jewish weddings, ceremonies, and family musicales, his sister Laurine played a significant role in his musical education. A student at the Metropolitan Opera School, Laurine gave Copland his initial piano lessons and further kindled his interest in music by bringing home libretti for him to study.
At age 15, after attending a concert by the Polish composer-pianist Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Copland decided to become a composer. He began formal lessons in harmony, theory, and composition with Rubin Goldmark, a renowned teacher of American music. His foundational education under Goldmark, which he later described as a “stroke of luck,” prepared him well for his future musical endeavors.
Paris: The Formative Years
At 20, Copland left New York for Fontainebleau, France, to attend the Summer School of Music for American Students. His time in Paris proved to be transformative. He became the first American student of the brilliant music teacher Nadia Boulanger, a woman who significantly impacted an entire generation of American musicians.
Boulanger’s eclectic approach to music broadened Copland’s musical taste and inspired him to venture beyond convention. The vibrant arts scene of Paris in the 1920s, brimming with revolutionary artists, writers, and intellectuals, further influenced his creative vision. During his years in Paris, Copland began writing musical critiques, thus expanding his recognition in the music community.
The Return to America and the Evolution of His Style
Upon his return to America, Copland embarked on a journey to establish himself as a full-time composer. He rented a studio apartment in New York City’s Upper West Side, close to Carnegie Hall and other musical venues and publishers. Despite the financial challenges, he managed to sustain himself through lecture-recitals, commissions, teaching, writing, and personal loans.
His compositions in the early 1920s mirrored the prevalent intellectual modernist attitude that the arts should be accessible only to a select enlightened audience. However, the financial contradictions of this approach, particularly during the Great Depression, led him to shift towards a more accessible musical style. This shift mirrored the German idea of Gebrauchsmusik (“music for use”), where composers sought to create music that could serve a utilitarian and artistic purpose.
During the late 1940s, Copland became aware of the twelve-tone techniques used by Stravinsky and other fellow composers. He incorporated these serial techniques into his Piano Quartet (1950), Piano Fantasy (1957), Connotations for orchestra (1961), and Inscape for orchestra (1967). Unlike Schoenberg, Copland used his tone rows as sources for melodies and harmonies, rather than complete statements in their own right.
From the 1960s onward, Copland’s activities turned more from composing to conducting. He became a frequent guest conductor of orchestras in the U.S. and the U.K and made a series of recordings of his music, primarily for Columbia Records.
Pioneering Works and Major Achievements
The 1930s and 1940s were the most productive and popular years for Copland. He created distinctively American music by incorporating popular forms such as jazz and folk into his compositions. Some of his most acclaimed works from this period include the ballets Appalachian Spring, Billy the Kid, and Rodeo, his Fanfare for the Common Man, and the Third Symphony.
Appalachian Spring, commissioned by the renowned dancer Martha Graham, won him the Pulitzer Prize. The ballet, along with Copland’s other works, presented views of American country life that corresponded to the folk traditions he was interested in. Another major work, A Lincoln Portrait (1942), for speaker and orchestra, presented quotes from Lincoln’s speeches, narrated over Copland’s musical composition.
Copland’s work on films also gained him significant recognition. He composed scores for a number of films, including Of Mice and Men (1939), Our Town (1940), The Red Pony (1949), and The Heiress (1949). His work on The Heiress won him an Academy Award for the best score.
Later Years and Legacy
In his later years, Copland slowed his work as a composer and began to focus on conducting. He toured extensively, conducting live performances and creating an important collection of recorded work. After 1970, Copland virtually stopped writing original music, though he continued to lecture and conduct through the mid-1980s.
Despite his reduced composing activity, Copland’s influence on American music remained profound. His generous work as a teacher at Tanglewood, Harvard, and the New School for Social Research gained him a following of devoted musicians. As a scholar, he wrote more than sixty articles and essays on music, along with five books. He traveled the world in an attempt to elevate the status of American music abroad and to increase its popularity at home.
On December 2, 1990, Aaron Copland passed away in North Tarrytown, New York. His life and work continue to inspire many of America’s young composers, solidifying his place as one of the most important figures in twentieth-century American music.
Aaron Copland’s life and career were nothing short of extraordinary. He skillfully blended classical, folk, and jazz idioms to create a distinctive musical characterization of American themes. His works stand as a testament to his talent, creativity, and dedication to making classical music more accessible and meaningful to a broader audience. Today, his music continues to resonate, enchanting listeners and inspiring new generations of composers.
Copland’s legacy is a shining example of how a composer can transform the soundscape of a nation. His profound influence on American music endures, immortalizing him as an unparalleled maestro of American classical music.