Copland "Appalachian Spring"

Since I was on the subject of American composers with the Lou Harrison post, I thought it would be a good time for me to gush about "Appalachian Spring." This is one of my favorite pieces of all time. Top three, easy. I've never listened to Copland as a composer before now, but I'm quickly becoming a great fan. I heard this piece on the radio at my grandfather's house when I was a little girl, and thought it was beautiful (I had good taste even then). The piece has stuck with me all these years. I feel obliged to say that I have attached very fond childhood memories to this piece, which may be a biased reason for why I love it so much.

The piece was originally commissioned by the famous choreographer Martha Graham. It was composed as a ballet, and Copland later rearranged the piece as an orchestral suite. Most of the original music remained.

The ballet is a story about-- are you ready?-- American pioneers! BEST. BALLET. EVER. What I'm guessing would have to be the most adorable little pioneer couple in the world gets married and builds a farmhouse in Pennsylvania. I've never actually seen the ballet, but apparently a revivalist preacher also shows up. A revivalist preacher WHO DANCES BALLET! I just get really excited about this. I think it's a great concept. In the same vein as Philip Glass writing an opera about Gandhi.

Anyway, the orchestral suite is magnificent, in the truest sense of the word. These are Copland's notes on each of the eight sections of the suite.

1. Very slowly. Introduction of the characters, one by one, in a suffused light.

2. Fast. Sudden burst of unison strings in A Major arpeggios starts the action. A sentiment both elated and religious gives the keynote to this scene.

3. Moderate. Duo for the Bride and her Intended-- scene of tenderness and passion.

4. Quite fast. The Revivalist and his flock. Folksy feeling--suggestions of square dances and country fiddlers.

5. Still faster. Solo dance of the Bride-- presentiment of motherhood. Extremes of joy and fear and wonder.

6. Very slowly (as at first). Transition scene to music reminiscent of the introduction.

7. Calm and flowing. Scenes of daily activity for the Bride and her Farmer husband. There are five variations on a Shaker theme. The theme, sung by a solo clarinet, was taken from a collection of Shaker melodies compiled by Edward D. Andrews, and published under the title "A Gift to Be Simple." The melody most borrowed and used almost literally is "Simple Gifts."

8. Moderate. Coda. The Bride takes her place among her neighbors. At the end, the couple are left "quiet and strong in their new house." Muted strings intone a hushed, prayer-like choral passage. The close is reminiscent of the opening music.

The opening in particular is beautiful to me. When people tell me that they can't stand dissonant music, I direct them to the opening of this piece. What Copland does is so ingenious. He builds chords and sonorities which would ordinarily sound unpleasant to the ear, but spreads said sonorities throughout the orchestra. So what we hear is this expansive resonance, not rooted in any tonality, reminiscent of the vast American West. There's also a lovely set of variations on a Shaker theme, as mentioned in the notes. The last variation is virtually nothing more than the entire orchestra playing a simple folk tune. I love you, Aaron Copland.

This piece screams "LOVE ME!", and that's exactly what Copland was trying to do. He was able to create classical music which is distinctly American, and accessible to a wide range of audience. I have never met a person who doesn't like this piece (I was going to write about Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" today, but decided that I wanted to be a bit more likable. I'll save it for a day when I'm feeling less accommodating.). At this point I could also go into a torturously long spiel about neoclassicism, but I will refrain. All you need to know is that Copland wanted people to love this piece. So you should. Make Copland proud.

Also, I couldn't find a good recording of this piece on Youtube, so you'll have to look it up yourself. But please do, it's worth it.