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Author
Aaron Copland (1900-1990: American)
- born in Los Angeles, attended Pomona College
- studied in Paris
- realized that a new public for contemporary music was being created by the radio, phonograph, and film scores
- attempted to simplify music so that it would communicate to the larger public
- used many "old west" songs as inspiration for some of his works
- Wikipedia Article
About the Piece
(much of the description comes from elements that were brought out by Forney and Machlis, The Enjoyment of Music, and the accompanying DVD)
- Genre is orchestral suite (originally for ballet)
- uses tunes from numerous cultural songs: Git Along, Little Dogies is the strongest of these themes
- also includes tunes from Great Grand-Dad, The Old Chisholm Trail, The Streets of Laredo, and Goodbye, Old Paint
- several meter shifts, including a dance meter
- extensive use of percussion
- upbeat, very "old west" sounding
Purpose
- entertainment
- American nationalism
Reflections
I am not so interested in this piece. It's too "new" to be exciting and old, but not different enough to grab my attention. It probably doesn't help that the romantic ideal of the old west never really apealed to me. It may also just be the context; after the fantastic experimentation of Rite of Spring, Tromba Lontana, and Sonata No. 5, I just didn't enjoy the return to the usual quite as much.