Aaron Copland
American Modern composer who defined the sound of the American frontier
1900
1990
American
Modern
Appalachian Spring, Fanfare for the Common Man, Rodeo
Early life
Aaron Copland was born on 14 November 1900 in Brooklyn, New York, the youngest of five children in a family of Lithuanian-Jewish immigrants. His early musical education was informal — he taught himself piano from an older sister before beginning formal lessons at age thirteen. At twenty, he travelled to Paris to study at the American Conservatory at Fontainebleau, where he became the first American pupil of the legendary pedagogue Nadia Boulanger. Her rigorous training in harmony, counterpoint, and orchestration proved transformative, shaping the technical foundation upon which his entire career would rest.
Career and major works
Returning to the United States in 1924, Copland initially composed in a modernist idiom influenced by Stravinsky and jazz, producing works such as the Piano Concerto (1926) and the Short Symphony (1933). By the late 1930s, however, he consciously shifted towards a more accessible style, seeking to bridge the gap between contemporary composition and the American public. This 'populist' period yielded his most celebrated scores: the ballets Billy the Kid (1938), Rodeo (1942), and Appalachian Spring (1944), as well as Fanfare for the Common Man (1942) and the Third Symphony (1946), which incorporates the Fanfare in its finale. He also composed notable film scores, winning an Academy Award for The Heiress (1949).
Musical style and legacy
Copland's mature orchestral language is instantly recognisable: wide-spaced chords built on open fourths and fifths, lean orchestration with prominent brass, and folk-like melodies that evoke the vastness of the American landscape. His influence extended well beyond the concert hall — through his teaching at Tanglewood, his writings, and his tireless advocacy for American music, he mentored generations of composers including Leonard Bernstein. Often called the 'Dean of American Music,' Copland remains the composer who, more than any other, gave the United States its orchestral voice. He died in North Tarrytown, New York, on 2 December 1990.