''Appalachian Spring'' is an American
ballet
Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...
created by the choreographer
Martha Graham
Martha Graham (May 11, 1894 – April 1, 1991) was an American modern dancer, teacher and choreographer, whose style, the Graham technique, reshaped the dance world and is still taught in academies worldwide.
Graham danced and taught for over s ...
and the composer
Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, critic, writer, teacher, pianist, and conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as the "Dean of American Compos ...
, later arranged as an
orchestral work. Commissioned by
Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge
Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge (October 30, 1864 – November 4, 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 wealthy wholesale ...
, Copland composed the ballet music for Graham; the original choreography was by Graham, with costumes by Edythe Gilfond and sets by
Isamu Noguchi
was an American artist, furniture designer and Landscape architecture, landscape architect whose career spanned six decades from the 1920s. Known for his sculpture and public artworks, Noguchi also designed stage sets for various Martha Grah ...
. The ballet was well received at the 1944 premiere, earning Copland the
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 i ...
during its 1945 United States tour. The orchestral
suite composed in 1945 was played that year by many symphony orchestras; the suite is among Copland's best-known works, and the ballet remains essential in the
Martha Graham Dance Company
The Martha Graham Dance Company, founded by Martha Graham in 1926, is both the oldest dance company in the United States and the oldest integrated dance company. The company is critically acclaimed in the artistic world and has been recognized as " ...
repertoire.
Graham was known for creating the "
Graham technique" of dance; in the 1930s, she began commissioning scores from various composers, often related to
American history
The history of the present-day United States began in roughly 15,000 BC with the arrival of Peopling of the Americas, the first people in the Americas. In the late 15th century, European colonization of the Americas, European colonization beg ...
and
culture
Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...
. Around the same time, Copland incorporated relatable and accessible musical characteristics of the
Americana style to increase his music's appeal to the general public; he first implemented this in earlier ballets like ''
Billy the Kid
Henry McCarty (September 17 or November 23, 1859July 14, 1881), alias William H. Bonney, better known as Billy the Kid, was an American outlaw and gunfighter of the Old West who was linked to nine murders: four for which he was solely res ...
'' and ''
Rodeo
Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...
''. The initial scenario for ''Appalachian Spring'' devised by Graham was revised many times by both her and Copland; the title characters' names were changed numerous times and other characters from the early revisions were cut in the final production. Originally orchestrated for a thirteen-piece chamber orchestra, the score was arranged into various suites by Copland for different purposes; the original ballet featured eight episodes, three of which were cut in the well-known orchestral suite.
The ballet takes place in a small
Appalachian settlement in 19th-century
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
. There are four main characters: the Bride, the Husbandman, the Pioneer Woman, and the Revivalist; the last is accompanied by four Followers. ''Appalachian Spring'' follows the Bride and the Husbandman as they get married and celebrate with the community. Themes of war are present throughout the story; it is suggested that the Husbandman leaves for war, causing worry and anxiety among the community.
Shaker themes also influenced the ballet, notably in the music, where Copland incorporated a
theme and variations on the common Shaker tune "
Simple Gifts
"Simple Gifts" is a Shaker song written and composed in 1848, generally attributed to Elder Joseph Brackett from Alfred Shaker Village. It became widely known when Aaron Copland used its melody for the score of Martha Graham's ballet ''Appal ...
".
History
Background
During the late 1920s and early 1930s,
Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, critic, writer, teacher, pianist, and conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as the "Dean of American Compos ...
spent much of his time promoting American composers and music. Copland's compositions during this time turned jazzy and dissonant, a style that interested few. During the
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
, his
left-wing political stances strengthened, motivated by addressing the concerns of ordinary people. This initiated the idea of music that was simple and accessible enough to be liked by the general public, a concept pioneered in his opera for children ''
The Second Hurricane'' (1937) and his greatly successful ballet ''
El Salón México'' (1936). This "ordinary music" idea is present in ''Appalachian Spring''; Copland remarked in a 1980 interview that the music was "plain, singing, comparatively uncomplicated and slightly folksy. Direct and approachable". The composer solidified his
populist
Populism is a contested concept used to refer to a variety of political stances that emphasize the idea of the " common people" and often position this group in opposition to a perceived elite. It is frequently associated with anti-establis ...
and
Americana style with ballets like ''
Billy the Kid
Henry McCarty (September 17 or November 23, 1859July 14, 1881), alias William H. Bonney, better known as Billy the Kid, was an American outlaw and gunfighter of the Old West who was linked to nine murders: four for which he was solely res ...
'' (1938) and ''
Rodeo
Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...
'' (1942), both of which used
cowboy songs and fit with the popular stereotypes about the
Wild West
The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that bega ...
. In addition, ''
Lincoln Portrait'' (1942) and ''
Fanfare for the Common Man
''Fanfare for the Common Man'' is a musical work by the American composer Aaron Copland. It was written in 1942 for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra under conductor Eugene Goossens and was inspired in part by a speech made earlier that yea ...
'' (1942) received widespread acclaim for their American themes, distinguishing Copland's versatility as a composer.
Martha Graham
Martha Graham (May 11, 1894 – April 1, 1991) was an American modern dancer, teacher and choreographer, whose style, the Graham technique, reshaped the dance world and is still taught in academies worldwide.
Graham danced and taught for over s ...
was a modern dancer and choreographer best known for creating the "
Graham technique" of dance. The
Martha Graham Dance Company
The Martha Graham Dance Company, founded by Martha Graham in 1926, is both the oldest dance company in the United States and the oldest integrated dance company. The company is critically acclaimed in the artistic world and has been recognized as " ...
originally consisted of only women due to Graham's feminism; this played a key role in productions like ''
American Document'' (1938), which mixed important moments in
American history
The history of the present-day United States began in roughly 15,000 BC with the arrival of Peopling of the Americas, the first people in the Americas. In the late 15th century, European colonization of the Americas, European colonization beg ...
with
Native American themes and
American folklore
American folklore encompasses the folklore that has evolved in the present-day United States mostly since the European colonization of the Americas. It also contains folklore that dates back to the Pre-Columbian era, Pre-Columbian era.
Folklor ...
. In the 1930s, she began commissioning scores from various composers; the scenarios often involved American history and
culture
Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...
.
Commission and writing
In 1941, Graham proposed to Copland a dark ballet about the Greek mythology figure
Medea
In Greek mythology, Medea (; ; ) is the daughter of Aeëtes, King Aeëtes of Colchis. Medea is known in most stories as a sorceress, an accomplished "wiktionary:φαρμακεία, pharmakeía" (medicinal magic), and is often depicted as a high- ...
; despite being a great admirer of Graham, he declined. The following year,
Erick Hawkins
Frederick "Erick" Hawkins (April 23, 1909November 23, 1994) was an American modern-dance choreographer and dancer.
Early life
Frederick Hawkins was born in Trinidad, Colorado, on April 23, 1909. He majored in Greek civilization at Harvard Univ ...
, the chief male dancer in Graham's dance company, convinced the music patron
Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge
Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge (October 30, 1864 – November 4, 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 wealthy wholesale ...
to commission a ballet from Copland for Graham's company; Copland happily accepted the offer. Graham first proposed a scenario titled "
Daughter of Colchis", which was inspired by the story of Medea but set in 19th-century
New England
New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
. Copland found it "too severe", and the idea was given to another Coolidge commissionee,
Carlos Chávez
Carlos Antonio de Padua Chávez y Ramírez (13 June 1899 – 2 August 1978) was a Mexican composer, conducting, conductor, music theorist, educator, journalist, and founder and director of the Mexican Symphonic Orchestra. He was influence ...
. In May 1943, Graham sent Copland a scenario titled "House of Victory", about a newlywed couple in a small 19th-century
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
settlement. Copland revised the scenario before composing the music, though his occupation with the score for ''
The North Star'' caused the beginning of his work to be delayed.
Per Coolidge's commission, the orchestra was to be no bigger than twelve musicians. Copland originally planned to orchestrate it for double
string quartet
The term string quartet refers to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two Violin, violini ...
and piano, but later decided to add a double bass, flute, clarinet, and bassoon, a scoring similar to Chávez's work. During the 1940s, Copland spent much of his time on the
West Coast scoring
Hollywood films
The cinema of the United States, primarily associated with major film studios collectively referred to as Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood, has significantly influenced the global film industry since the early 20th century.
Classical Holly ...
; as a result, he composed the music for ''Appalachian Spring'' far from Graham's
East Coast-based work. Since he could not meet with Graham, he relied greatly on the various scenarios sent to him. In total, Copland was sent three scripts: the original "House of Victory", and two revisions titled "Name". In composing the music, he drew from all three scripts to devise his own scenario, which Graham planned around as she received various drafts of the score. Copland used the working title "Ballet for Martha" during the composition process.
The original scenario, "House of Victory", used characters based on common American
archetypes
The concept of an archetype ( ) appears in areas relating to behavior, historical psychology, philosophy and literary analysis.
An archetype can be any of the following:
# a statement, pattern of behavior, prototype, "first" form, or a main mo ...
and was set during the
Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
, but also drew from
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...
and
French poetry
French poetry () is a category of French literature. It may include Francophone literature, Francophone poetry composed outside France and poetry written in other languages of France.
French prosody and poetics
The modern French language does not ...
. Four main characters were present: the Mother, who represents the
preindustrial
Pre-industrial society refers to social attributes and forms of political and cultural organization that were prevalent before the advent of the Industrial Revolution, which occurred from 1750 to 1850. ''Pre-industrial'' refers to a time befor ...
American; the Daughter, a brave pioneer; the Citizen, a smart civil rights advocate who marries the Daughter; and the Fugitive, who embodies the
slave in the Civil War. Graham based some of the ballet on her own experiences. She grew up in small-town Pennsylvania, and later wrote that the Mother was based on her own grandmother. Other characters include the Younger Sister, Two Children, and Neighbors. In the later revisions, a new character was added: a
Native American girl to represent the land, associated with the story of
Pocahontas
Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, also known as Matoaka and Rebecca Rolfe; 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. S ...
. The Native American girl was meant to act as a theatrical device, interacting with everyone in the ballet without being acknowledged, but the idea was scrapped in Copland's final composition. Additionally, Graham planned for the Mother to speak excerpts from the
Book of Genesis
The Book of Genesis (from Greek language, Greek ; ; ) is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its Hebrew name is the same as its incipit, first word, (In the beginning (phrase), 'In the beginning'). Genesis purpor ...
throughout, "not in a religious sense so much as in a poetic sense"; this too was cut by the premiere.
The final scenario featured eight episodes:
# Prologue: Graham did not want this opening episode to be long; she wanted it to have "a sense of simple celebration". As the lights went up, the Mother observed her land.
# Eden Valley: The Daughter and the Citizen dance together in a "duet of courtship".
# Wedding Day: Graham divided this episode into two parts. The first opens with a dance between the Younger Sister and the Two Children. The Citizen exhibits his strength before carrying the Daughter into the couple's new home. In the second part, the Daughter and the Citizen dance a love scene in the home, while those outside celebrate in an "
old fashion charivari".
# Interlude: This episode depicts daily life in the town during spring planting.
# Fear in the Night: The central conflict of the ballet begins in this episode. The Fugitive enters with an "awkward" and "tragic" solo, bringing forth the fear and suffering of the Civil War.
# Day of Wrath: This episode was intended to represent the tragedies of war, accompanied by music reminiscent of the Civil War. The Citizen dances a violent solo "reminiscent of
Harper's Ferry and John Brown" while the Two Children play a war game.
# Moment of Crisis: The women of the town gather, their behavior suggesting "a barely suppressed hysteria".
# The Lord's Day: The final scene was intended to depict "
Sabbath
In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, Ten Commandments, commanded by God to be kept as a Holid ...
in a small town". The Daughter and the Citizen perform a love duet outside the home, and the rest of the community attends a
revival meeting
A revival meeting is a series of Christian religious services held to inspire active members of a church body to gain new converts and to call sinners to repent. Those who lead revival services are known as revivalists (or evangelists). Nineteent ...
.
The "House of Victory" script included an extra episode after the "Interlude" presenting scenes from ''
Uncle Tom's Cabin
''Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly'' is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in two Volume (bibliography), volumes in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans ...
'', strengthening the ballet's connection to the Civil War; but, upon Copland's persuasion, Graham cut the episode from the revisions. In addition, the original script used a different final scene, where the Daughter and the Citizen reunite in the home. The second script ended with "the town settling down for the night" and the Daughter standing at the fence just before the curtain falls. The third script put forth "The Lord's Day" as it would stand in the final scenario.
Graham received half of the score in January 1944 and began work on the choreography. Copland completed the
condensed score in June 1944, and the orchestration was finished in August. The premiere was originally set to take place at the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
on October 30, 1943, which was Coolidge's birthday. By May 1943, Copland had not begun composing the ballet, and given the further problems introduced by World War II, the premiere was postponed to early 1944. Despite a new December 1943 deadline for the music, a completed score was still not in view, and the premiere was pushed to late 1944.
Production
Shortly before the premiere, Graham decided upon the title "Appalachian Spring". It was taken from the cycle of poems ''
The Bridge'' by
Hart Crane
Harold Hart Crane (July 21, 1899 – April 27, 1932) was an American poet. Inspired by the Romantics and his fellow Modernists, Crane wrote highly stylized poetry, often noted for its complexity. His collection '' White Buildings'' (1926), feat ...
, an American poet also seeking to create unique American art; one of the poems, titled ''Powhatan's Daughter'', contained the line "O Appalachian Spring!" Crane's work was a great inspiration to Graham while she wrote the various scripts.
To construct the set, Graham hired
Isamu Noguchi
was an American artist, furniture designer and Landscape architecture, landscape architect whose career spanned six decades from the 1920s. Known for his sculpture and public artworks, Noguchi also designed stage sets for various Martha Grah ...
, a sculptor and common collaborator with the company. While planning, she took Noguchi to the
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...
and showed him
Alberto Giacometti
Alberto Giacometti (, , ; 10 October 1901 – 11 January 1966) was a Swiss sculptor, painter, Drafter, draftsman and Printmaking, printmaker, who was one of the most important sculptors of the 20th century. His work was particularly influenced ...
's sculpture ''The Palace at 4 a.m.'' as a reference for what she wanted: something depicting the inside and outside of a house without actually dividing it, a sort of blurred mix. Noguchi's use of an outline of a house served as a metaphor for the general idea of the work being about "the bone structure of a people's living". The set featured the outline of a house, part of a porch with a ledge, a rocking chair, a small fence, and a tree stump (serving as the Revivalist's
pulpit
A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...
). Edythe Gilfond created the costumes and
Jean Rosenthal
Jean Rosenthal (born Eugenia Rosenthal; March 16, 1912May 1, 1969) is considered a pioneer in the field of Lighting Design, theatrical lighting design. She was born in New York City to Romanian-Jewish people, Jewish immigrants. northern.edu, ret ...
designed the lighting.
Many changes were made to the scenario after the score was finished. The Younger Sister, the Two Children, and the Neighbors were all cut, and the rest of the cast was renamed: the Daughter to the Bride; the Citizen to the Husbandman; the Mother to the Pioneer Woman; and the Fugitive to the
Revivalist. Four Followers of the Revivalist were added to the cast for a total of nine dancers in the ballet. The choreography often deviated from both the final scenario and Copland's annotations in the score; for example, the closing love duet between the Bride and the Husbandman became a dance between the Revivalist and his four Followers. Regardless, Copland was not irritated by this, later commenting, "That kind of decision is the choreographer's, and it doesn't bother me a bit, especially when it works." The cast at the premiere starred Graham as the Bride, Hawkins as the Husbandman,
May O'Donnell as the Pioneer Woman, and
Merce Cunningham
Mercier Philip "Merce" Cunningham (April 16, 1919 – July 26, 2009) was an American dancer and choreographer who was at the forefront of American modern dance for more than 50 years. He frequently collaborated with artists of other discipl ...
as the Revivalist.
Yuriko,
Pearl Lang, Nina Fonaroff, and
Marjorie Mazia danced the Revivalist's followers.
Graham's performance was young and lively, which critics praised.
On the contrary, Hawkins was stiffer and exhibited the masculinity of the role, but later performers were more supple with movements. Cunningham, who choreographed his own solo during "Fear of the Night", was instructed to display great anger; Graham later described the role to a new dancer as being "ninety-nine percent sex and one percent religion: a real popular spellbinder, a magnetic man who had power over women." Graham's vision for the four Followers was spontaneity; they would remain perfectly still until their time came, and when they did dance, it would be with energy and focus.
Agnes de Mille, fellow choreographer and close friend of Graham's, pointed out that many subsequent productions featured cute and perky Followers, but that this was not Graham's original intention. Much of the contrast between female and male characters was intentional. While the female characters remained bouncy and light, the male characters were stiff and took up much space.
The press described the choreography as simple and precise.
Despite being set during such a scenario, the choreography does not explicitly depict a wedding; rather, the dance expresses the emotions of individual characters.
This non-literal plot allowed for free emotional interpretation by the audience. The Bride's movements featured quick patterns that stayed within an imaginary box around her. This contrasted with the Revivalist's strict posture and the flowing movements of the Pioneer Woman. One reviewer pointed out the solitude of the characters and its manifestation in their movements, writing, "The separateness of still figures... which their poses emphasize, suggests that people who live in these hills are accustomed to spending much of their time alone."
Initial run and reception
''Appalachian Spring'' premiered on October 30, 1944, at the
Coolidge Auditorium, conducted by
Louis Horst, the music director of the company. The premiere was the closing concert of a four-day chamber music festival honoring Coolidge's 80th birthday. Copland had not attended any of the rehearsals at Graham's request, first seeing the full performance a day before the premiere.
The ballet was well-received by critics and the public.
''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' critic
John Martin wrote of the music, "Aaron Copland has written a score of fresh and singing beauty. It is, on its surface, a piece of early Americana, but in reality it is a celebration of the human spirit."
The ''Dance Observer'' critic Robert Sabin wrote of the story, "''Appalachian Spring'' works outward into the basic experiences of people living together, love, religious belief, marriage, children, work and human society."
The dance was also praised; Martin continued, "There is throughout the work a very moving sense of the future, of the fine and simple idealism which animates the highest human motives."
The dance critic Walter Terry praised Graham in particular, writing in 1953, "Miss Graham brought to the role a wonderful radiance which dominated the entire ballet." The group of dancers was commended for being well-trained and enthusiastic.
Copland's idea for ordinary music continued to be popular; one reviewer commented that it was "comprehensible even to the bored businessman". Copland himself had a modest opinion of the premiere; a week later, he wrote in a letter: "People seemed to like it so I guess it was all right."
The great demand for tickets caused a repeat of the October 30 program to occur the following evening. Shortly after the premiere, the Graham Company took ''Appalachian Spring'' on tour across the United States with the same cast. The debut show of the tour took place in
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, on January 23, 1945. The New York premiere of the ballet occurred days after
Victory in Europe Day
Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945; it marked the official surrender of all German military operations ...
; the ballet's American populist themes, combined with Copland winning the
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 i ...
in the same week, caused this show to be even more successful. After every performance sold out, the New York run was extended by one night.
Later performances
''Appalachian Spring'' remains an essential production in the
Martha Graham Dance Company
The Martha Graham Dance Company, founded by Martha Graham in 1926, is both the oldest dance company in the United States and the oldest integrated dance company. The company is critically acclaimed in the artistic world and has been recognized as " ...
repertoire.
Due to the high cost of licensing, the ballet was not performed by another company until 1998, when the
Colorado Ballet staged it led by artistic director Martin Fredmann. In 2013, the
Baltimore School for the Arts put on a production for the "Appalachian Spring Festival" in association with the Graham Company, which featured a complete performance of the ballet and various art exhibits. It marked the first time a non-professional company was granted permission from the
Martha Graham Center to perform the ballet. ''Appalachian Spring'' has been performed by numerous dance companies since, including the Onium Ballet Project in Hawaii, the
Nashville Ballet in Tennessee, Dance Kaleidoscope in Indiana, and the
Sarasota Ballet
The Sarasota Ballet is an American ballet company based in Sarasota, Florida. It was founded in 1987 by former ballet dancer Jean Weidner Goldstein and is now acclaimed for its performances of Sir Frederick Ashton's ballets under its director Iai ...
in Florida.
Many consider ''Appalachian Spring'' one of Copland's best works;
it holds equal notability in the Graham company's repertoire. The critic
Terry Teachout
Terrance Alan Teachout (February 6, 1956 – January 13, 2022) was an American author, critic, biographer, playwright, stage director, and librettist.
He was the drama critic of ''The Wall Street Journal'', the critic-at-large of '' Commentary' ...
wrote, "It is probably the greatest piece of classical music composed by an American. Certainly the greatest dance score composed by an American, completely comparable in quality to the great ballets of
Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular ...
or
Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of ...
. All that is best about mid-century American music is in this piece."
In addition, the ballet was essential to the development of modern American ballet; it and Copland's other Americana works represent the leftist national ideals important to the postwar era, but use traditional themes, steering away from the outwardly political works of many New York artists at the time. Lynn Garafola compared Copland and Graham's collaboration to that of Stravinsky and
Diaghilev; whereas Stravinsky composed purely Russian scores for Diaghilev's
Ballets Russes
The Ballets Russes () was an itinerant ballet company begun in Paris that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and on tours to North and South America. The company never performed in Russia, where the Russian Revolution, Revolution ...
, Copland composed American music for Graham's company, helping define American dance.
Themes
Themes of war are present throughout the conflict of ''Appalachian Spring''. The central conflict begins in the "Fear in the Night" episode, where the Revivalist delivers a haunting
sermon
A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present context ...
.
Howard Pollack argued that this scene represented the spirit of
John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry
John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry was an effort by abolitionist John Brown, from October 16th to 18th, 1859, to initiate a slave revolt in Southern states by taking over the United States arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (since 1863, We ...
, something that could cause the Husbandman to be drafted in the Civil War. Furthermore, the subsequent "Day of Wrath" episode can be seen as the Husbandman leaving for war, depicted with waves of goodbye. "Moment of Crisis" is an expression of anxiety and concern for the Husbandman, and "The Lord's Day" is a prayer for peace and safety. When the Husbandman rejoins the Bride at the end, Pollack suggests this is actually in her imagination, further supported by her final gesture of reaching out to the horizon. Mark Franko says that the Civil War themes are possibly a reference to the
civil rights movement and ongoing
racial inequality in the United States
Overview
In the United States, racial inequality refers to the social inequality and advantages and disparities that affect different races. These can also be seen as a result of historic oppression, inequality of inheritance, or racism an ...
.
The opening of the music uses delicately placed
dissonances to create a dreamy landscape. In the scripts Copland worked from, this scene was to feature the Pioneer Woman sitting "terrifyingly still" and looking over her land. Elizabeth Crist speculates that the entire ballet is the Pioneer Woman's memory; Crist suggests that the dissonances in the music depict the Pioneer Woman reflecting on the hardships she faced, and that the following episodes are entirely her own experiences. Crist continues that when the opening themes are recalled at the end of the ballet, the Bride disconnects from the Pioneer Woman's memory, becoming her own individual memory; the Bride sits where the Pioneer Woman sat at the beginning, the context having shifted to a new time. Crist describes this as an embodiment of the link between wars among generations: as the youth during World War II saw similar circumstances to the generation of the Civil War, the Bride represents the common experiences of people living on the homefront during the 19th and 20th centuries. Graham's explanation for this was the fluidity of time, where younger generations feel the ramifications of things the older generations experienced.
Shaker themes are also heavily present in ''Appalachian Spring''. This idea is found in the original "House of Victory" script, where the Pioneer Woman is said to sit in a "Shaker rocking chair". Copland's interest in Shakers was not new, as they became a common subject of American art during the Great Depression. After Copland included the Shaker tune "
Simple Gifts
"Simple Gifts" is a Shaker song written and composed in 1848, generally attributed to Elder Joseph Brackett from Alfred Shaker Village. It became widely known when Aaron Copland used its melody for the score of Martha Graham's ballet ''Appal ...
" into the "Interlude", Graham added "The Lord's Prayer" as a possible "Shaker meeting". Copland had decided to use "Simple Gifts" early on; by extracting a basic melodic motif from the tune, he created
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 individual ...
on it throughout the composition, first referring to it in the opening measures.
The lyrics of "Simple Gifts" are connected to the ballet's themes of peace and remembrance during wartime: "'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free".
Instrumentation
The original ballet and subsequent suite for chamber orchestra are scored for:
Woodwind
Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments.
Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and Ree ...
s
:1
flute
The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...
:1
clarinet
The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell.
Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...
in B
:1
bassoon
The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity ...
Percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...
:
piano
A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...
Strings
:2 first and 2 second
violin
The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...
s
:2
viola
The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...
s
:2
cello
The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...
s
:1
double bass
The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...
The suite for orchestra and ballet arrangement for orchestra are scored for:
Woodwind
Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments.
Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and Ree ...
s
:2 flutes (second doubling
piccolo
The piccolo ( ; ) is a smaller version of the western concert flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" or piccolo flute, the modern piccolo has the same type of fingerings as the ...
)
: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 type of oboe, the soprano oboe pitched in C, ...
s
:2 clarinets in B
:2 bassoons
Brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...
:2
horns in F
:2
trumpet
The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...
s in B
:2
trombone
The trombone (, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's lips vibrate inside a mouthpiece, causing the Standing wave, air c ...
s
Percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...
:
timpani
Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion instrument, percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a Membranophone, membrane called a drumhead, ...
:
glockenspiel
The glockenspiel ( ; or , : bells and : play) or bells is a percussion instrument consisting of pitched aluminum or steel bars arranged in a Musical keyboard, keyboard layout. This makes the glockenspiel a type of metallophone, similar to the v ...
:
xylophone
The xylophone (; ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. Each bar is an idiophone tuned to a pitch of a musical scale, whether pentatonic or heptatonic in the case of many African ...
:
cymbal
A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sou ...
s
:
triangle
A triangle is a polygon with three corners and three sides, one of the basic shapes in geometry. The corners, also called ''vertices'', are zero-dimensional points while the sides connecting them, also called ''edges'', are one-dimension ...
:
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 ...
:
woodblock
:
bass drum
The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter usually greater than its depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. The head ...
:
snare drum
The snare drum (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often u ...
:
tambourine
The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, thoug ...
:piano
Strings
:violins I, II
:violas
:cellos
:double bass
:
harp
The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orchestras or ...
Music and plot
Prologue
The ballet opens with a soft, quiet A major triad in the clarinet. The cello sustains the A
tonic while the flute, violin, and viola stack build the A major triad again, this time with the
dominant chord (E major) stacked in top. This creates a luminous scenescape, but the dissonances foreshadow danger. Copland conjures images of a pastoral scene by ending the chords with a deep tonic in the piano and following it with a shepherd flute-like reiteration of the triad. This opening polychord, consisting of the tonic A major and dominant E major, is found throughout the score as a foundation for many of the melodies and tonalities. The Revivalist enters first, in darkness, followed by the Pioneer Woman, who takes a seat in her rocking chair. Then the Husbandman and Bride enter; as the Husbandman pauses to observe the home, daylight illuminates the stage. The four Followers join the Revivalist, who has observed the land with the Pioneer Woman. The two-minute opening has set up the themes present throughout the ballet, and Copland employed the upwards building of chords to depict a "nonmilitant fanfare", as Graham described in the early scripts.
Eden Valley
An ''allegro'' melody bursts forth as the Daughter bounds from inside the home. The melodies of "Eden Valley", meant to express the Bride's joy, use elements of an "old-fashioned
swing" described in the early scripts. The new melody is followed by a bouncy restatement of the polychord from the "Prologue". A
chorale
A 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 o ...
-like second theme is introduced alongside the first. This chorale features odd rhythms between the different voices; while the upper line emphasizes the second beat, the bass line accents the first and third beats. The music calms down to a ''moderato''; as the Husbandman enters, jagged rhythms show his awkward movement, but it is twice interrupted by the gentle chorale.
As the two back out of the home, the couple dances a duet, this time accompanied by a new, more forceful theme in the strings. A descending melodic line is contrasted with the chorale theme; this connection of themes is seen throughout the episode and was used by Graham to easily shift the characters. The two receive the blessings of the Pioneer Woman and the Revivalist. This section is reminiscent of the Cowgirl's music from ''Rodeo'', or the soft parts of ''Lincoln Portrait'' for the love theme; near the end, the clarinet brings back the chorale, and the flute answers, a
call and response
Call and response is a form of interaction between a speaker and an audience in which the speaker's statements ("calls") are punctuated by responses from the listeners. This form is also used in music, where it falls under the general category of ...
between the Bride and the Husbandman. Throughout the episode, the Followers participate in various group solos; the group often features a "spiraling" motion, moving into a kneeling position. "Eden Valley" closes with the Followers returning to the bench, each taking a seat one by one. Illustrating the choreography's close connection to the music, the moment each Follower sits is cued by a short motif in the woodwinds.
Wedding Day
A playful, childlike melody springs from the clarinet, opening the first part of "Wedding Day" and signifying the start of festivities. Graham wanted the first part to have "a little sense of a
County Fair
An agricultural show is a public event exhibiting the equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. The largest comprise a livestock show (a judged event or display in which breeding stock is exhib ...
, a little of a revival meeting, a party, a picnic"; Copland achieves this by relating the music to
square dancing
A square dance is a dance for four couples, or eight dancers in total, arranged in a square, with one couple on each side, facing the middle of the square. Square dances are part of a broad spectrum of dances known by various names: country dan ...
and
fiddling. The music becomes heavier and the jagged rhythms return for the Husbandman's
Davy Crockett
Colonel (United States), Colonel David Crockett (August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836) was an American politician, militia officer and frontiersman. Often referred to in popular culture as the "King of the Wild Frontier", he represented Tennesse ...
-esque solo; the love theme returns in the calmer music as the Husbandman carries the Bride into the home. The second part of "Wedding Day" depicts the "old fashion charivari" mentioned in the scripts. The joyous and bouncy music uses
scales
Scale or scales may refer to:
Mathematics
* Scale (descriptive set theory), an object defined on a set of points
* Scale (ratio), the ratio of a linear dimension of a model to the corresponding dimension of the original
* Scale factor, a number ...
and rhythmic jolts to conjure the image of party and celebration. The Bride dances a rhythmically complex solo, similar to the Husbandman's dance in the first part. Instrument sections are clearly divided by quick jumps through changing
metres
The metre (or meter in US spelling; symbol: m) is the base unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). Since 2019, the metre has been defined as the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of of ...
. The uneven rhythms are replaced by consistent eighth notes, starting a light ''presto''; here, Stravinsky's influence on Copland is evident in the ''
Petrushka''-like ascending and descending scales. As the music calms down with a restatement of the chorale, the Revivalist dances with his Followers before the full cast proceeds onstage. A reprise of the calm opening (marked ''as at first'') follows the characters as they exit for a walk; the light focuses on the Pioneer Woman's face, then fades into darkness as "Simple Gifts" begins.
Interlude
Copland used the Shaker song "
Simple Gifts
"Simple Gifts" is a Shaker song written and composed in 1848, generally attributed to Elder Joseph Brackett from Alfred Shaker Village. It became widely known when Aaron Copland used its melody for the score of Martha Graham's ballet ''Appal ...
" throughout much of ''Appalachian Spring'', first playing it in its entirety at the start of the "Interlude".
In the "Interlude", four variations on "Simple Gifts" are introduced, some fitting the atmosphere of the action on stage (like one variation reminiscent of the clip-clop of a horse's hooves). Most of the variations leave the melody essentially the same, changing other elements of the music, such as the harmony and instrumentation. This technique was meant to depict the lives of various townspeople doing their daily rounds, while the Husbandman and the Bride dance joyfully. The two are strongly connected throughout the duet, signified by eye contact, ease of physical touch, and openness of the body. Partway through, the Revivalist and his Followers join in. The Revivalist solos in close alignment with the bassoon, accompanied by the Followers. During the half-speed fourth variation played as a
canon
Canon or Canons may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author
* Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture
** Western canon, th ...
in the woodwinds, the Revivalist dominantly watches the couple's high-spirited duet, and follows them as they walk into the home.
Fear in the Night, Day of Wrath, Moment of Crisis
The music of "Fear of the Night" nervously jolts and twitches, like the "Gun Battle" in ''Billy the Kid''. Fragmented "stingers", as Fauser called them, make the fast section the most "filmic" part of Copland's score. The Revivalist takes off his hat and approaches the bowing Husbandman and Bride. His Followers surround him as he warns the couple of their eventual separation due to the war. His agonized, frenzied dance was informed by the "dark" experiences of
Peter Sparling, a dancer in the company who danced the role in later productions; his emotional interpretation influenced future dancers of the role. The Revivalist's solo uses violent shaking to relate the dance to traditional Shaker festivities; the shaking travels throughout the body, like a spirit trying to escape the body. The demonstration scares the Bride and sends her into turmoil, but she quickly rejoins the Husbandman and accepts the risks of her love.
In "Day of Wrath", Copland was "riffing rather aimeously of the arpeggiated polychord of the opening... strengthened by an elusive displacement of the beat", Fauser wrote. The Pioneer Woman enters with deep anger, and after prayer, she enters the home. The Husbandman leaves the home and performs a leaping solo, where the music uses a distorted version of the A major "Wedding Day" music stacked atop B minor harmonies to evoke anguish as he waves goodbye and exits.
The Bride opens "Moment of Crisis" by frantically running across the stage, and the other women join in an anxious frenzy. The music becomes rushed and agitated into perpetual motion; consistent sixteenth-note patterns jump around the orchestra, with no sense of musical direction. The tonality is unstable and different from the common tonal language used in the rest of the score. The music begins to calm and the chorale returns as the Husbandman briefly comes back to dance with the Bride. Another variation of "Simple Gifts" underlines the Husbandman's slow drift away, and a grand, final restatement of the Shaker tune signals the end of the fear as the Pioneer Woman dances with the Followers.
The Lord's Day
A gentle hymnlike melody, marked "like a prayer", is heard in the strings as the community gathers for prayer. The chorale is stated a final time, followed by the return of the opening theme. Graham wrote that this episode "could have the feeling of a Shaker meeting where the movement is strange and ordered and possessed or it could have the feeling of a negro church with the lyric ecstasy of the spiritual about it". The Bride dances her final solo and finishes by putting her hand to her lips and then reaching out to the sky. The Husbandman returns and holds her briefly, but the Revivalist comes and touches his shoulder. As the music from the "Prologue" returns, the Bride sits in the rocking chair that the Pioneer Woman sat in and she looks over the empty stage. The Husbandman rests his hand on her shoulder and the Bride reaches out at the clarinet's last note. The music slowly fades to silence on the opening polychord and the curtain falls.
Suites
In May 1945, Copland arranged the ballet into a suite for a
symphony orchestra
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...
, and many conductors programmed the work in the following seasons. The suite for orchestra premiered in October of that year with the
New York Philharmonic Orchestra
The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...
conducted by
Artur Rodzinski, and was well-received.
Other American orchestras expressed interest in the suite, with the
San Francisco Symphony Orchestra
The San Francisco Symphony, founded in 1911, is an American orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980 the orchestra has been resident at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in the city's Hayes Valley neighborhood. The San Franci ...
,
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra is resident at Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District. Since 2008, the orchestra's music director is Manfred Ho ...
, Kansas City Philharmonic Orchestra, and the
Cleveland Orchestra
The Cleveland Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Cleveland, Ohio. Founded in 1918 by the pianist and impresario Adella Prentiss Hughes, the orchestra is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the " Big Five". T ...
scheduling it that season. Its great success made the (then on-tour) ballet even more popular, establishing Copland and Graham as highly regarded artists. The Vienna premiere of the orchestral suite took place in November and the Australian premiere soon after. In January 1946, the Martha Graham Dance Company presented a new run of shows in New York, including ''Appalachian Spring'' on the program. By May 1946, the orchestral suite had received performances across the world.
The orchestral suite is divided into eight sections, named by their tempo markings instead of episode titles in the ballet: "Prologue", "Eden Valley", "Wedding Day", "Interlude", and "The Lord's Day". In the suites, Copland omitted the conflict of the story ("Fear in the Night", "Day of Wrath", and "Moment of Crisis"), making these episodes unfamiliar to the public and seldom recorded. The popularity of the orchestral suite led to a number of other arrangements, including an arrangement of the full ballet for orchestra in 1954 and an arrangement of the "Simple Gifts" variations for band and later orchestra (1956 and 1967, respectively). In total, five versions of ''Appalachian Spring'' exist as created by Copland; listed in chronological order: the original ballet for 13 instruments, the suite for orchestra, a revised version of the ballet for 13 instruments, the revised ballet for orchestra, and the suite for 13 instruments. The orchestral suite remains the most well-known.
Recordings
The first recording of ''Appalachian Spring'' was of the orchestral suite: the 1945 premiere of the suite by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra was recorded and reissued in 1999. The ballet for full orchestra was first recorded by the
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription concerts, n ...
in 1954, and
released it four years later. The first recording of the original ballet was made in 1990 by Andrew Schenck and Hugh Wolff.
In 1958, a film of the ballet was made with Graham in the lead role and
Stuart Hodes dancing the Husbandman. The film was financed by
WQED, who had already produced one successful Graham film. Nathan Kroll, a musician who had a good understanding of the score, directed the film and consulted Louis Horst (the conductor of the premiere) to ensure the music was just as Copland wanted.
Another version was made in 1976 for
WNET
WNET (channel 13), branded on-air as Thirteen (stylized as THIRTEEN), is a primary PBS member television station licensed to Newark, New Jersey, United States, serving the New York City area. Owned by The WNET Group (formerly known as the Educ ...
's ''Dance in America'' film series, with Yuriko in the leading role.
The choreography of both versions remained close to the original. there are over 150 available commercial recordings of ''Appalachian Spring''.
Notes and references
Notes
Citations
Sources
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External links
Aaron Copland Collectionat the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
Martha Graham Collectionat the Library of Congress
Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Foundation Collectionat the Library of Congress
Tales from the Stave: Appalachian Springat
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
{{Authority control
Ballets by Martha Graham
Ballets by Aaron Copland
Music commissioned by Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge
Pulitzer Prize for Music–winning works
1944 ballets
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
Ballets set in Pennsylvania