4/21/20

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Aaron Copland (1900-1990)

After three days in a row of piano music, it seemed that today would be a good chance to step away from that particular instrument and talk about a piece that most people will recognize. Fanfare for the Common Man is perhaps one of Aaron Copland’s most recognizable pieces, and its completion in 1942 was a response to the United State’s entry into World War II as well as the famous speech by United States vice president Henry Wallace given in the same year. This piece was composed during Copland’s self-labeled “vernacular” period, in which he was composing music that was meant to be accessible to the public and representative of the American spirit and ideals. Other famous works which Copland composed in this style include the ballets Billy the Kid (1938), Rodeo (1942), and Appalachian Spring (1944). Additionally, pieces like Lincoln Portrait (1942) and his Third Symphony (1946) would become iconic pieces of American “nationalist” music (something worth noting about Copland’s Third Symphony is that he uses the material from Fanfare for the Common Man as the foundation for movement IV). Though this period of his musical output was incredibly successful and promoting of fame, Copland would move into composing serialist music starting around the 1950’s, drawing a much different crowd to his music.

Fanfare for the Common Man is scored for an orchestral brass section (4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, and tuba) with timpani, bass drum, and tam-tam. The piece is only about 3 minutes long, although in that short time Aaron Copland is able to develop a theme, develop it, and land on one final glorious summation. Opening with just the percussion, the four trumpets enter in unison for a brilliantly pure statement of the melody. Percussion repeat the rhythmic theme after the statement, just before the horns enter with the trumpets to add one layer of harmony to the melody. The next statement comes from the trombones, but are then answered by the horns and trumpets again, finally revealing the third voice in the harmony. With the brass all entering together, the theme develops and the instruments within the trumpet and horn sections break away from unison and into harmony. From there, the brass remains together for the remainder of the fanfare, building up to the final chord. While the end of the piece is incredibly satisfying, much of the difficulty lies in the first entrances of the brass, where Copland calls for all the trumpets (or all the horns, for that matter) to play from the bottom of their range to the top all in unison. If even a single trumpet player is slightly out of tune, you can bet that everyone listening will notice. Additionally, playing sustained notes in the high range is quite taxing for a brass player, which adds to the incredible sound of the piece just as much as it adds to the difficulty. The piece also warrants merit in terms of harmony, because although the piece operates almost entirely in Bb major, the harmony is developed over time with one brief moment away from the home key immediately before the final cadence.

In truth, there is very little not to like about the piece - it is just as long as it needs to be, and every time you listen to it you can’t help but think two things: “Isn’t it great being American?” and “I am so glad that I’m not a trumpet player.” Aaron Copland is a crucial figure in American music of the 20th century, proving repeatedly how well he can merge folk motives with original material to create music that satisfies listeners of all kinds. Back when it was written, the piece reflected the triumph of a nation during wartime, and now, even half a century later, the piece still captures that emotion in its brilliance. Below is a video of the score accompanied by a recording done by the Minnesota Orchestra brass section. So whether you’ve heard the piece before or not, take a moment to bask (once more) in the glorious brass writing that is Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man.