Aaron Copland (USA, 1900-1990)

Born to Lithuanian-Jewish immigrant Brooklyn storekeepers, Aaron Copland (b. Brooklyn, 14 November 1900; d. Tarrytown, 2 December 1990) would seem an unlikely candidate to become the composer to forge, single-handedly, a distinctly American 20th-century style. Over a creative career of five decades, he experimented with everything from a variety of indigenous styles and rhythms like cowboy songs, revival hymns, and Mexican dances to serialism, polytonality, polymetrics, and unusual orchestrations. Moreover, he wrote ballets like Appalachian Spring, Billy the Kid, and Rodeo that to this day are “all-American” icons; the “Hoe-Down” from his Rodeo, heard frequently on radio and television and in film, is one of the best-known compositions by any American. His symphonic works such as the... read more