Aaron Copland :: essays research papers

Aaron Copland     Aaron Copland was the embodiment of what a composer can hope to become.Copland was very much in touch not only with himself and his feelings, but withthe audience he think to reach. Very few composers have a concrete idea ofwhat "types" of plenty they wish their music to reach. Copland was one of thesefew. The "Common Man" was the central discontinue of much of his volumes of musicstrived to reach. Copland felt that, ". .everyone should have a chance to experiencethings through this music. Limiting who can understand it only limits yourusefulness" passim his 75+ years as a composer and conductor, he touchedthe lives and black Maria of as many people as he could.     Copland was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1900 to fairly affluentparents. Because of his familys financial status, he started formally trainingas a teen, and moved to Paris where he became the introductory American student ofNadia Bo ulanger. It was here that Copland developed much of his neo-classicalstyle. Although he enjoyed the distinct structure that Boulanger had taught him,Coplands heart was truly in creating music that people other(a) than musicianscould appreciate. It was upon his return to America in 1924 that he decided thathe would spare ". . .truly American music." He traveled throughout America,getting a test of what the "common man" was listening to. During these travelshe strayed into Mexico, and wrote the highly successful El Salon Mexico. A quotefrom the fall of 1932 sums up his intentions in paper this piece "Anycomposer who goes outside his native land wants to return gallery musicalsouvenirs." This is exactly what he did. The piece is a lively adaption ofFrances Toors Cancionero Mexicano, with a very loose tempo, and heavy use ofthe horn section.     It was afterward the success of El Salon Mexico that Copland proceeded toproduce what is now considered the epitome of "American" music. He combined hisneo-classical schooling with jazz-like syncopation and a new, more " undetermined" use ofold chordal progressions. He created Billy The Kid in 1938, producing thefirst "Western" musical. The score achieved a remarkable balance betwixtoutright humor and pathos, and oftentimes bordered on tragic. It was this base agreement of humanity that made Coplands music what it is. Many texts alsorefer to a certain built in sympathy that Copland may have had for the principal(prenominal)character, citing his homosexuality as a cause for his deep understanding ofwhat it is to be looked down upon by society.