Copland: Appalachian Spring
by Dr. Joella Utley
Aaron Copland is considered by many to be America’s greatest composer. Born in New York, he did not attend a university but developed his musical talent through private study. He moved to Paris in the early 1920s to study with the eminent teacher. Nadia Boulanger.
Copland is remembered today, not only as an accomplished composer, but also as an author, conductor and spokesman for American music. His works are appreciated for the way they speak – directly and simply – to the average individual. His is a musical language we can understand.
In 1942 choreographer Martha Graham approached Copland wanting him to write music for a ballet she was producing. The ballet concerned an early 19th century pioneer celebration of the arrival of spring. A newly built farmhouse was to be raised in the Pennsylvania hills. The story was intended to portray typical American life and the pioneer spirit.
Copland was influenced by the music of early Shaker tunes including the song “Simple Gifts”. With this one exception, however, he did not use preexisting tunes in Appalachian Spring. Rather he distilled American folk music and created his own melodies characterizing the American spirit and the spaciousness of the land. The suite contains seven sections, which take us through tender music for the bride and groom, music of the revivalist and his flock, the emotions of motherhood and the activities of daily life on the farm.
The ballet premiered at the Library of Congress October 30, 1944, as the climax of a festival honoring philanthropist Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge. For this work Copland received the Pulitzer Prize and the Music Critics Circle Award. He then arranged Appalachian Spring as an orchestral suite. Today the music is heard more often in concert form than as a ballet.