Aaron Copland

Aaron Copland (November 14 1900–December 2 1990) was an American composer of concert and film music. Instrumental in forging a uniquely American style of composition, he was widely known as "the dean of American composers." Copland's music achieved a difficult balance between modern music and American folk styles, and the open, slowly changing harmonies of many of his works recall the vast American landscape. He incorporated percussive orchestration, changing meter, polyrhythms, polychords and tone rows. Outside of composing, Copland often served as a teacher and lecturer. During his career he also wrote books and articles, and served as a conductor (most frequently for his own works).

Selected Works

• Four Motets (1921)
• Symphony for Organ and Orchestra (1924)
• Music for the Theatre (1925)
• Dance Symphony (1925)
• Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1926)
• Symphonic Ode (1927-29)
• Piano Variations (1930)
• Grohg (1925/32) (ballet)
• Statements for orchestra (1932-35)
• The Second Hurricane, play-opera for high school performance (1936)
• El Salón México (1936)
• Billy the Kid (1938) (ballet)
• Quiet City (1940)
• Piano Sonata (1941)
• Fanfare for the Common Man (1942)
• Lincoln Portrait (1942)
• Rodeo (1942) (ballet)
• Danzon Cubano (1942)
• Music for the Movies (1942)
• Sonata for violin and piano (1943)
• Appalachian Spring (1944) (ballet)
• Third Symphony (1944-46)
• In the Beginning (1947)
• The Red Pony (1948)
• Clarinet Concerto (commissioned by Benny Goodman) (1947-48)
• Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson (1950)
• Piano Quartet (1950)
• Old American Songs (1952)
• The Tender Land (1954) (opera)
• Canticle of Freedom (1955)
• Orchestral Variations (1957)
• Piano Fantasy (1957)
• Dance Panels (1959; revised 1962) (ballet)
• Connotations (1962)
• Music for a Great City (1964)
• Emblems, for wind band (1964)
• Inscape (1967)
• Duo for flute and piano (1971)
• Three Latin American Sketches (1972)