''Appalachian Spring'' is a musical composition by
Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later a conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as "the Dean of American Com ...
that was premiered in 1944 and has achieved widespread and enduring popularity as an orchestral
suite. The music, scored for a thirteen-member
chamber
Chamber or the chamber may refer to:
In government and organizations
* Chamber of commerce, an organization of business owners to promote commercial interests
*Legislative chamber, in politics
* Debate chamber, the space or room that houses delib ...
orchestra, was created upon commission of the choreographer and dancer
Martha Graham with funds from the
Coolidge Foundation. It was premiered on Monday, October 30,
1944
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 2 – WWII:
** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in Nor ...
, at the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...
in Washington D.C., with Martha Graham dancing the lead role. The set was designed by the American sculptor
Isamu Noguchi
was an American artist and landscape architect whose artistic career spanned six decades, from the 1920s onward. Known for his sculpture and public artworks, Noguchi also designed stage sets for various Martha Graham productions, and severa ...
. Copland was awarded the 1945
Pulitzer Prize for Music
The Pulitzer Prize for Music is one of seven Pulitzer Prizes awarded annually in Letters, Drama, and Music. It was first given in 1943. Joseph Pulitzer arranged for a music scholarship to be awarded each year, and this was eventually converted ...
for his achievement.
Music
In 1942,
Martha Graham and
Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge
Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge aka Liz Coolidge (30 October 1864 – 4 November 1953), born Elizabeth Penn Sprague, was an American pianist and patron of music, especially of chamber music.
Biography
Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge's father was a we ...
commissioned Copland to write a ballet with "an American theme". Copland did the bulk of the work in 1943–44, and the work was premiered at the Library of Congress on October 30, 1944, with Graham dancing the lead role. In 1945, Copland was commissioned by conductor
Artur Rodziński
Artur Rodziński (2 January 1892 – 27 November 1958) was a Polish-American conductor of orchestral music and opera. He began his career after World War I in Poland, where he was discovered by Leopold Stokowski, who invited him to be his ass ...
to rearrange the ballet as an orchestral suite, preserving most of the music. Copland cut about 10 minutes from the original 13-instrument score to make the suite. From the preface in the original
Boosey & Hawkes publication of the suite:
The original scoring called for a chamber ensemble of thirteen instruments. The present arrangement for symphony orchestra was made by the composer in the Spring of 1945. It is a condensed version of the ballet, retaining all essential features but omitting those sections in which the interest is primarily choreographic.
The Orchestral Suite from 1945 was first recorded by
Serge Koussevitzky with the
Boston Symphony Orchestra.
In 1954,
Eugene Ormandy
Eugene Ormandy (born Jenő Blau; November 18, 1899 – March 12, 1985) was a Hungarian-born American conductor and violinist, best known for his association with the Philadelphia Orchestra, as its music director. His 44-year association with ...
asked Copland to expand the orchestration for the full score of the ballet. In 1972,
Boosey & Hawkes published a version of the suite using the scoring of the original ballet. Thus, there are four versions of Appalachian Spring: 1944, 13-player complete; 1945, orchestral suite; 1954, orchestral complete; and 1972, 13-player suite.
The 1944 version was recorded in 1973 by Copland himself directing the Columbia Chamber Orchestra, and by
Hugh Wolff
Hugh MacPherson Wolff (born October 21, 1953, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France) is an American conductor.
Biography
Born in France while his father was serving in the U.S. Foreign Service, Wolff spent his primary-school years in London. He received his ...
and the
Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO) is a full-time professional chamber orchestra based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. In collaboration with five Artistic Partners, the orchestra's musicians present more than 130 concerts and educational programs ea ...
for
Teldec
Teldec (Telefunken-Decca Schallplatten GmbH) is a German record label in Hamburg, Germany. Today the label is a property of Warner Music Group.
History
Teldec was a producer of (first) shellac and (later) vinyl records. The Teldec manufacturing ...
in 1991. The 1954 version was recorded by
Michael Tilson Thomas
Michael Tilson Thomas (born December 21, 1944) is an American conductor, pianist and composer. He is Artistic Director Laureate of the New World Symphony, an American orchestral academy based in Miami Beach, Florida, Music Director Laureate of ...
and the
San Francisco Symphony for
RCA Victor in May 1999.
The original ballet and the orchestral suite were well received. The latter was credited as more important in popularizing the composer.
Originally, Copland did not have a title for the work, referring to it simply as "Ballet for Martha" – a title as simple and direct as the Shaker tune, ''
Simple Gifts'', quoted in the music. Shortly before the premiere, Graham suggested ''Appalachian Spring'', a phrase from a
Hart Crane poem, "The Dance", from a collection of poems in his book, ''
The Bridge''.
O Appalachian Spring! I gained the ledge;
Steep, inaccessible smile that eastward bends
And northward reaches in that violet wedge
Of Adirondacks!
The word ''spring'' denotes a source of water in the Crane poem; however, the ballet is a journey to meet springtime.
Because he composed the music without the benefit of knowing what the title was going to be, Copland was often amused when people told him he captured the beauty of the
Appalachians
The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...
in his music, a fact he alluded to in an interview with
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
's Fred Calland.
Instrumentation
The original 1944 version was scored for:
1
flute, 1
clarinet in B, 1
bassoon,
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...
, 2
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...
I, 2 violin II, 2
viola
; german: Bratsche
, alt=Viola shown from the front and the side
, image=Bratsche.jpg
, caption=
, background=string
, hornbostel_sachs=321.322-71
, hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded by a bow
, range=
, related=
*Violin family ...
s, 2
cello
The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G ...
s, and 1
double bass
The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox additions such as the octobass). Similar i ...
The 1945 Orchestral Suite is scored for:
2
flutes, 2
oboe
The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range.
...
s, 2
clarinets in A and B♭, 2
bassoons, 2
horns Horns or The Horns may refer to:
* Plural of Horn (instrument), a group of musical instruments all with a horn-shaped bells
* The Horns (Colorado), a summit on Cheyenne Mountain
* ''Horns'' (novel), a dark fantasy novel written in 2010 by Joe Hill ...
in F, 2
trumpet
The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...
s in B♭, 2
trombone
The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...
s,
timpani
Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally ...
,
xylophone
The xylophone (; ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. Like the glockenspiel (which uses metal bars), the xylophone essentially consists of a set of tuned wooden keys arranged in ...
,
snare drum,
bass drum,
cymbals,
tabor
Tabor may refer to:
Places
Czech Republic
* Tábor, a town in the South Bohemian Region
** Tábor District, the surrounding district
* Tábor, a village and part of Velké Heraltice in the Moravian-Silesian Region
Israel
* Mount Tabor, Galilee ...
,
wood block,
claves
Claves (; ) are a percussion instrument consisting of a pair of short, wooden sticks about 20–25 centimeters (8–10 inches) long and about 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) in diameter. Although traditionally made of wood (typically rosewood, ebony o ...
,
glockenspiel,
triangle
A triangle is a polygon with three edges and three vertices. It is one of the basic shapes in geometry. A triangle with vertices ''A'', ''B'', and ''C'' is denoted \triangle ABC.
In Euclidean geometry, any three points, when non- colline ...
,
harp,
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...
, and
strings
String or strings may refer to:
*String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...
.
Ballet storyline
The story tells of a spring celebration of the
American pioneers of the 19th century, after building a new
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
farmhouse. Among the central characters are a bride, a groom, a pioneer woman, a preacher, and his congregation. The ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'' provides a concise summary of the storyline in its transitions between the choreographed sequences stating:
Created in 1944, the ballet tells a simple story. A young farm couple ruminate on their lives before getting married and setting up house in the wilderness. An itinerant preacher delivers a sermon. An older pioneer woman oversees the events with sympathy and wisdom. The newlyweds muse on their future as night falls. In the course of the dance, Graham reveals the inner lives of the four principal characters – Wife, Husbandman, Pioneer Woman and Preacher. She shows that the couple will face a future that will not be all sweetness and light, but she also draws out the private and shared emotional resources they will be able to bring to the challenges. Such is the power of Graham's images, however, that this very particular story broadens out to become a parable about Americans conquering a new land.
Form of the piece
The orchestral suite is divided into eight sections. Copland describes each scene thus:
# Very slowly. Introduction of the characters, one by one, in a suffused light. (
A major)
# Fast/Allegro. Sudden burst of unison strings in A major arpeggios starts the action. A sentiment both elated and religious gives the keynote to this scene. (
A major)
# Moderate/Moderato. Duo for the Bride and her Intended – scene of tenderness and passion. (
B-flat major
B-flat major is a major scale based on B, with pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has two flats. Its relative minor is G minor and its parallel minor is B-flat minor.
The B-flat major scale is:
:
Many transposing ins ...
)
# Quite fast. The Revivalist and his flock. Folksy feeling – suggestions of square dances and country fiddlers. (
B major)
# Still faster/Subito Allegro. Solo dance of the Bride – presentiment of motherhood. Extremes of joy and fear and wonder. (
E-flat major
E-flat major (or the key of E-flat) is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has three flats. Its relative minor is C minor, and its parallel minor is E minor, (or enharmonically ...
)
# Very slowly (as at first). Transition scene to music reminiscent of the introduction. (
A-flat major)
# Calm and flowing/Doppio Movimento. Scenes of daily activity for the Bride and her Farmer husband. There are five
variations
Variation or Variations may refer to:
Science and mathematics
* Variation (astronomy), any perturbation of the mean motion or orbit of a planet or satellite, particularly of the moon
* Genetic variation, the difference in DNA among individua ...
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 "The Gift to Be Simple." The melody borrowed and used almost literally is called "
Simple Gifts." (
A-flat major)
# Moderate. Coda/Moderato – 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 prayerlike
chorale
Chorale is the name of several related musical forms originating in the music genre of the Lutheran chorale:
* Hymn tune of a Lutheran hymn (e.g. the melody of "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme"), or a tune in a similar format (e.g. one of the th ...
passage. The close is reminiscent of the opening music. (
C major)
Themes
1.
\relative c''
2.
\relative c
3.
\relative c''
4.
\relative c''
5.
\relative c
6.
7.
\relative c'
8.
Variations
The original ballet version is divided into 14 movements. The movements that do not appear in the orchestral suite occur mostly between the 7th and last movement as variations on the
Shaker melody ''Simple Gifts'' (1848). The second variation provides a lyrical treatment in the low register while the third contrasts starkly in a fast staccato. The last two variations of this section use only a part of the folk tune, first an extraction treated as a pastoral variation and then as a majestic closing. In the ballet, but not the suite, there is an intermediary section that moves away from the folk tune preceding the final two variations.
Shaker melody
Copland used a
Shaker song, "
Simple Gifts", composed in 1848 and usually attributed to Elder
Joseph Brackett. The song is often called, in the context of discussions of ''Appalachian Spring'', "Shaker Melody", "Shaker Song", and the "Shaker Hymn". Copland published independent arrangements of this section for
band
Band or BAND may refer to:
Places
*Bánd, a village in Hungary
*Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran
* Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania
*Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...
(1958) and orchestra (1967) titled ''Variations on a Shaker Melody''. This same Shaker tune was used by Sydney Carter in a widely recognized hymn entitled "
Lord of the Dance".
In popular culture
For many years, part of the seventh movement of the orchestral suite was used as the opening music to ''
CBS Reports
''CBS Reports'' is the umbrella title used for documentaries by CBS News which aired starting in 1959 through the 1990s. The series sometimes aired as a wheel series rotating with '' 60 Minutes'' (or other similar CBS News series), as a series of ...
''.
References
Further reading
*
Kamien, Roger. ''Music: An Appreciation''. Mcgraw-Hill College; 3rd edition (August 1, 1997)
Aaron Copland Collection: Works List Retrieved May 16, 2005.
*DeLapp, Jennifer
Retrieved May 16, 2005.
*Hall, Roger Lee
Retrieved June 5, 2010.
Dance Pages. Retrieved May 17, 2005.
*Ledbetter, Steven
Pro Arte, 1996. Retrieved May 17, 2005.
*Mack, Linda
May 31, 1992. Retrieved May 18, 2005.
*Scher, Valerie
''
The San Diego Union-Tribune
''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868.
Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...
'', March 6, 2005. Retrieved May 17, 2005.
External links
Aaron Copland Meets the Shakers*
ttp://www.keepingscore.org/sites/default/files/swf/copland/full Keeping Score: Copland and the American SoundMultimedia website produced by the
San Francisco SymphonyNPR's Performance Today Milestones of the Millennium: Appalachian Springwith
Rob Kapilow and
John Adams
John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before his presidency, he was a leader of t ...
Press Release of Air & Simple Gifts featured on Yo-Yo Ma's website.Program notesfrom
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) is an American chamber orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. LACO presents its Orchestral Series concerts at two venues, the Alex Theatre in Glendale and UCLA's Royce Hall.
History
James Arkatov, a ...
Tales from the Stave: Appalachian Spring – BBC Radio 4 explores the manuscript score.*
2 of 4 (09:04)3 of 4 (07:33)4 of 4 (07:10)
{{Authority control
Ballets by Martha Graham
Ballets by Aaron Copland
Compositions by Aaron Copland
Music commissioned by Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge
Pulitzer Prize for Music-winning works
1944 ballet premieres
Ballets with sets by Isamu Noguchi
1944 compositions
Orchestral suites
Compositions for chamber orchestra
Works based on Simple Gifts
United States National Recording Registry recordings