Transcript November 14, 1900 * December 2, 1990

Aaron Copland
Early Years
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Aaron Copland was born in Brooklyn of Lithuanian Jewish descent,
the last of five children.
Copland's father had no musical interest at all, but his mother,
Sarah Mittenthal Copland, sang and played the piano, and
arranged for music lessons for her children.
Of his siblings, oldest brother Ralph was the most advanced
musically, proficient on the violin, while his sister Laurine had the
strongest connection with Aaron, giving him his first piano lessons,
promoting his musical education, and supporting him in his musical
career.
She attended the Metropolitan Opera School and was a frequent
opera goer. She often brought home libretti for Aaron to study.
Copland attended Boys' High School and in the summer went to
various camps.
Most of his early exposure to music was at Jewish weddings and
ceremonies, and occasional family musicales.
Early Years
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At the age of eleven, Copland devised an opera
scenario he called Zenatello.
Copland's first public music performance was at
a Wanamaker recital.
By age 15, Copland decided to become a
composer.
Copland took formal lessons in harmony, theory,
and composition from Rubin Goldmark, a noted
teacher and composer of American music (who
had given George Gershwin three lessons).
After graduating from high school, Copland
played in dance bands.
Life in Paris
From 1917 to 1921, Copland composed juvenile
works of short piano pieces and art songs.
 On arriving in France, he studied at the
Fontainebleau School of Music with noted pianist
and pedagogue Isidor Philipp and with Paul Vidal.
He did not like Vidal’s teaching style so he
switched to Nadia Boulanger.
 Upon returning to the US, Copland was determined
to make his way as a full-time composer. He rented
a studio apartment on New York City’s upper west
side which kept him close to Carnegie Hall and
other musical venues and publishers.
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Copland
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Copland's compositions in the early 1920s
reflected the prevailing "modernist" attitude
among intellectuals: that they were a small
vanguard leading the way for the masses,
who would only come to appreciate their
efforts over time. In this view, music and
the other arts need be accessible to only a
select cadre of the enlightened. Toward this
end, Copland formed the Young
Composer's Group, modeled after France's
"Six", “gathering together promising young
composers, acting as their guiding spirit.”
Later Life
From the 1960s onward, Copland's
activities turned more from composing to
conducting.
 Copland was a frequent guest conductor
of orchestras in the US and the UK. He
made a series of recordings of his
music, primarily for Columbia Records.
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Film Work
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This collaboration resulted in the notable
film Of Mice and Men (1939), from the
novel by John Steinbeck, that earned
Copland his first nomination for an
Academy Award (he actually received
two nominations, one for "best score"
and another for "original score").
Famous Works
Appalachian Spring (1996). Directed by
Graham Strong, Scottish Television
Enterprises. Princeton, New Jersey:
Films for the Humanities.
 Appalachian Spring (1944) (ballet)
 El Salón México (1936)
 Fanfare for the Common Man (1942)
 Rodeo (1942) (ballet)
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