Of all American musicians, no one can touch the American heartstrings like Copeland.
Allen, a famous American composer? Aaron Copland wrote at the beginning of his autobiography Copland: 19-1942: "Music is a language for a composer. Behind the music, even behind the various sounds played, is the emotion telling. " Copland endowed the United States with a unique musical language with his own music. It is the language of American land and people, the language of American history and mythology, and it contains feelings and understanding for ordinary Americans.
on November 14th, 19, Copeland was born in Brooklyn, new york, to a family of Russian Jewish immigrants, and his father was the owner of a department store. Copland showed his musical talent very early. He wrote his first song when he was 8 years old, but he didn't start formal music training until he was 13. Although Copeland started late, his understanding and diligence in music made him come from behind.
at the age of p>15, he was determined to compose music, so he started working at Rubin before graduating from high school. Gerdemark studied harmony, melody coordination and composition. Four years later, Goldmark's traditional conservative style could not meet the young Copeland's pursuit of music. In 1921, Copeland went to the American Conservatory of Music in Fontainebleau, France, and became a famous composer Nadia? Students in boulanger.
At this time, a new trend is brewing in Paris, the capital of art.. Eliot and Pound, writers who emigrated to Europe, Braque and Ernst, surrealist painters, and Planck and Mi Yue, composers of the French "six-person group", abandoned tradition and boldly made innovations in their respective artistic fields. Under the infiltration of this pure modernist atmosphere, Copland wrote his first orchestral work Graf.
in p>1924, Copeland returned to China. Before leaving Paris, Copeland wrote an ensemble for orchestral and organ for boulanger at her invitation, in which boulanger was the organ soloist. After the first performance of this modern style work in new york, critics gave mixed reviews, while the audience felt both novel and shocked. Copland is clearly aware of the traces of European style in his works and is determined to create in the unique musical language of the United States.
years later, he recalled in an interview with The New York Times: "I am fully aware of the difference between French composers and German composers, Iger? How Russian Stravinsky sounds. I am very eager to write serious music with a unique American style. " In 1925 and 1926, Copland composed Dramatic Music and Piano Concerto successively, and jazz was integrated into them. But critics think that his efforts are too artificial, and the jazz elements in his works sound more like symbols with American characteristics than expressions of personal feelings.
In addition to writing, Copland also vigorously introduces and promotes the works of other young American composers to the public. In 1928, he and the composer rougier? Saisen co-hosted the Copland-Saisen Concert Series, which provided new york audience with opportunities to appreciate and understand contemporary American music for several years. Since 1932, he has organized and hosted the American Contemporary Music Festival in new york. At the same time, Copland's musical style changed again.
Ode to the Symphony, Variations on the Piano and Symphony Short Stories in this period give people an abstract, thin and empty feeling. They are not only difficult to play, but also the abrupt rhythm and discordant tone often make the audience feel puzzled and rejected.
In the process of exploration, Pollan gradually realized that music should be aimed at a wider audience, not just peers in the music industry, and creating simple and popular works is just the most challenging for him. In 1936, a trip to Mexico, Copland, opened up a new creative way. He wrote the Mexican Ballroom based on Mexican folk music, which aroused enthusiastic response from the audience. In the next ten years, Copland continued to get inspiration from regional music.
He integrated 19th-century American folk music, such as hymns in New England and cowboy music in the west, into his own creation, and conveyed a simple and natural American style and "human nature" with simple and expressive music language. Their humanity, shyness, dignity and unique charm "(Copeland: 19-1942). Copland's new work won him unprecedented honor and a wider audience, but it also attracted criticism and ridicule from some music colleagues, accusing him of betraying the music art.
Copland defended himself: "Winning the audience is only part of the reason why I created these works. Just like my hasty jazz works in my early years, these works gave me a chance to try a more local musical tradition. I feel that I have touched the natural essence of the music that we desperately need. "
The late 193s and the whole 194s were the heyday of Copland's creation, and his works included symphonies, ballets, operas, movies, songs, plays and other forms. Copland used to compose music for five feature films, including of mice and men, Town, Polaris, Chiju and Heir. His music adds color to the film without hiding the light of the performance itself, which became a model for the film soundtrack later.
The Times Literary Supplement claims that the music in of mice and men and Small Town is the best film soundtrack ever, while Heir won the Oscar for best film soundtrack. Copland's achievements in ballet music are even better than those in movies. His biographer Julia? Smith wrote: "In the form of ballet, Allen? Copland shows the strength, power and belief of American tradition in a contemporary music language that no American composer has ever reached.
He laid the foundation for American national art and established a recognized American music tradition. " Copland's most famous ballet music includes Billy the Boy, Horse Racing Show and Appalachian Spring, among which Appalachian Spring won Pulitzer Prize for Music and new york Prize for Music Critics.
Despite his brilliant achievements in the field of popular music, Copland has never given up his exploration of serious music, and always hopes to win the appreciation and respect of listeners with high musical literacy with exquisite and elegant music. In the early 194s, he composed Piano Sonata, Violin Sonata and Third Symphony for concerts, and the latter was rated as the best orchestral work from 1946 to 1947 by new york Music Critics Association.
In addition, the symphonic poem "Portrait of Lincoln" and the orchestral "Cheer for Ordinary People" in memory of American President Lincoln were also well received. From 195s to 196s, Copeland returned to the abstract and avant-garde style he tried in his early years. Piano Quartet, Piano Dream and Connotation are the representative works. It is worth mentioning that Copland wrote Emily in the 195s. Dickinson's Twelve Poems and the opera "Hot Land" combine different styles, such as seriousness and popularity, and are included in his best works.
An important part of Copland's music career is the education and popularization of music. From the mid-192s to the late 193s, Copeland taught modern music at the Institute for New Society. During the 25 years from 194 to 1965, he served as the head of the composition department of the Berkshire Music Center hosted by Boston Symphony Orchestra and directed several generations of American composers. In the early 195s, his music lecture at Harvard University was published in 1952 with the title of Music and Imagination. In addition, he introduced and publicized American modern music to audiences all over the country and published works such as How to Listen to Music and Our New Music.
in p>197, Copland suddenly stopped composing and became the conductor of the orchestra. Ten years later, he said in an interview: "I am surprised that I have no sense of loss. I must have fully expressed myself." I don't feel bad or resentful at all, but I feel very lucky to have spent such a long time creating, and I can accept it when it's all over. "
Washington post explained this as follows: "Copland's status is equivalent to a national monument. It is enough for him to exist and be visible." In 1964, Copland became the first American composer to receive a medal. In 1979, he was awarded the Kennedy Center Honorary Award for his contribution to American culture. In 1986, President Reagan awarded him the National Medal of Arts.
On December 2, 199, Copland, who had suffered several strokes, died of pneumonia at the age of 9. His musical career spanned almost the whole 2th century. The New York Times pointed out in his eulogy: "Of all the classical musicians in the United States, no one touched the American heartstrings like Copeland."