Description
The 1940s output of Aaron Copland is some of the most “American-sounding” work in the entirety of the classical oeuvre. Is this because Copland, the son of Jewish immigrants, was able to capture the inexorable energy of the American republic in his work, or was it just that the popularity and accessibility of his work allowed it to fill a void in the public imagination? In either case, the works Copland produced during this decade, from Appalachian Spring to Fanfare for the Common Man to Rodeo, have become touchstones for American classical music, earning him the sobriquet of “Dean of American Composers.” These compositions, and more, will be examined and discussed in this two-part course, with recordings, video excerpts, and maybe even a bit of live performance from the instructor himself.