Suite from Appalachian Spring
Aaron Copland
(b. November 14, 1900 in Brooklyn; d. December 2, 1990 in Sleepy Hollow, NY)
Appalachian Spring was the third and final installment in a series of Americana in dance, following Billy the Kid (1938), and Rodeo (1942). It was choreographed by Martha Graham and was first performed on October 30th, 1944. The name Appalachian Spring was Martha Graham's suggestion after the music was written and refers to a source of water, not the season.
The story enacts the joys and tribulations of a 19th Century couple taking up residence in a new farmhouse. The suite proceeds without pause, Aaron Copland summarizing its eight sections as follows:
- VERY SLOWLY. Introduction of the characters, one by one, in a suffused light.
- 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.
- MODERATE. Duo for the Bride and her Intended – scene of tenderness and passion.
- QUITE FAST. The Revivalist and his flock. Folksy feeling – suggestions of square dances and country fiddlers.
- STILL FASTER. Solo dance of the Bride – presentiment of motherhood. Extremes of joy and fear and wonder.
- VERY SLOWLY (as at first). Transition scene to music reminiscent of the introduction.
- 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 "The Gift to Be Simple." The melody most borrowed and used almost literally is called "Simple Gifts."
- 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 prayerlike chorale passage. The close is reminiscent of the opening music.
The ballet was a popular and critical success, being awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1945. The concert suite version, prepared soon after the ballet's premiere, proved even more popular. The New York Philharmonic gave the first performance on October 4th, 1945, Artur Rodzinski conducting.
Because his mother was musical and arranged for music lessons for all her children, Copland had all the support he needed early on. By age 15 he had decided to become a composer. In his own words, he was lucky that early instruction from composer Rubin Goldmark spared him “the floundering that so many musicians have suffered through incompetent teaching.”
Copland's first works were not those that eventually won him the appellation of “dean of American composers.” Many were decidedly avant garde and even today, comparatively little known, but the hard reality of making a living as a composer, especially as the Great Depression caught up everyone, made him embrace a more practical view and he began to write music that would have wider appeal and, often, an obvious use—for teaching, accompanying films, plays, or ballet.