Administrator

200058aacoverp13bjpg

AARON COPLAND

AARON COPLAND

A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

MARTA ROBERTSON AND ROBINARMSTRONG

COMPOSER RESOURCE MANUALNUMBER 53

ROUTLEDGENEW YORK AND LONDON

Published in 2001 byRoutledge

29 West 35th StreetNew York NY 10001

Published in in Great Britain byRoutledge

11 New Fetter LaneLondon EC4P 4EE

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor amp Francis Group

This edition published in the Taylor amp Francis e-Library 2005

ldquoTo purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor amp Francis orRoutledgersquos collection of thousands of eBooks please go to

wwweBookstoretandfcoukrdquo

Copyright copy 2001 by Marta Robertson and Robin Armstrong

All rights reserved No part of this book may be reprinted or reproducedor utilized in any form or by any electronic mechanical or other meansnow known or hereafter invented including photocopying and recordingor in any information storage or retrieval system without permission in

writing from the publisher

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataRobertson Marta

Aaron Copland a guide to reserachMarta Robertson andRobin Armstrong

p cmmdash(Composer resource manuals v 53) (Garlandreference library of the humanities vol 1957)

Includes bibliographical references and indexesDiscography p

ISBN 0-8153-2178-3 (alk paper)1 Copland Aaron 1900ndash1990mdashBibliography I Armstrong

Robin 1959ndash II Title III Series IV Routledge composerresource

manuals v 53ML134C66 R63 2000

01678092ndashdc21 99ndash089420

ISBN 0-203-90390-0 Master e-book ISBN

ISBN 0-203-90394-3 (Adobe eReader Format)

Composer Resource Manuals

In response to the growing need for bibliographic guidance to thevast literature on significant composers Routledge is publishing anextensive series of research guides This ongoing seriesencompasses more than 50 composers they represent Westernmusical tradition from the Renaissance to the present century

Each research guide offers a selective annotated list of writingsin all European languages about one or more composers Thereare also lists of works by the composers unless these are availableelsewhere Biographical sketches and guides to library resourcesorganizations and specialists are presented As appropriate to theindividual composer there are maps photographs or otherillustrative matter glossaries and indexes

Contents

Preface vii

I A Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland 1

II Chronology of Life and Works 7

III Primary SourcesmdashCoplandrsquos Writings 36

A Books and Essay Collections 36

B Articles and Essays 45

1 Copland as Sole Author 45

2 Copland and Coauthors 134

C Interviews 135

IV Secondary SourcesmdashGeneral Studies on CoplandrsquosLife and Milieu

152

A Biographies and Comprehensive Studies 152

B Significant References to Coplandrsquos Milieu 154

C Articles in Dictionaries Encyclopedias Work-Listsand Catalogs

159

D Web Sites 163

E Videotapes 165

V Secondary SourcesmdashWritings about CoplandrsquosCompositions

166

A Compositional Style 166

1 Compositional Technique Form Harmony andMelody

166

2 Orchestration 170

3 Americana and Folk Sources 170

B Specific CompositionsmdashInstrumental Music 171

1 Ballets 171

2 Film Scores 175

3 Orchestral Music 177

4 Chamber Music 180

5 Keyboard Music 181

C Specific CompositionsmdashVocal Music 185

1 Operas 185

2 Choral 186

3 Songs 186

VI Topical Studies 189

A Copland as Americanist 189

B Copland as Conductor 191

C Copland as CriticCommentatorAuthor 191

D Copland as MentorTeacher 193

VII Tributes and Obituaries 194

VIII Foreign Language Sources 197

IX Bibliographies and Discographies 198

Author Index 199

Title Index 202

Subject Index 204

About the Authors 209

Titles in Series 210

vi

Preface

Aaron Copland is generally considered the most popular and bestknown composer of American art music Although manyAmericans are familiar with his musicmdashwhether from concertstelevision commercials or film spin-offsmdashscholarly evaluation ofCopland and his works waned after the 1950s Until themid-1980s most overviews of Coplandrsquos oeuvre were found eitherin music history texts among the obligatory three pages percomposer or in the two classic monographs completed in the1950s prior to the conclusion of Coplandrsquos career1 Coplandrsquosexhaustive two-volume autobiography coauthored with VivianPerlis2 Howard Pollackrsquos definitive biography3 and recentdissertations and theses by a new generation of scholars suggest acurrent resurgence of interest in Copland

Ironically while Coplandrsquos compositions traditionally havereceived relatively little attention in the specialist literature theopposite problemmdashthat of perhaps too much exposuremdashexistswhen tributes to Copland announcements of his activities orreviews of his compositions are concerned Practically everymusical journal announced his momentous birthdays every fiveyears while most ensembles from high schools to professionalorchestras have at some time programmed his compositions Theprimary purpose of Aaron Copland A Guide to Research is todirect readers to significant sources for information on Coplandrsquoslife compositions musical activities and cultural context

In Aaron Copland A Guide to Research the chapterorganization reflects an ordering of bibliographic importancemoving from general information on Copland to primary and thensecondary sources Section II ldquoChronology of Life and Worksrdquo isa chronological chart simultaneously representing three concurrentspheres of Coplandrsquos career biography compositions and

writings The chart makes tangible the methodological convictionthat Coplandrsquos life can best be studied in the context of hiscompositions and writings and vice versa It is assumed that thereader will consult the article on Copland by William Austin in theNew Grove Dictionary of American Music4 or similar works citedin Section IV for prose biographies In addition the reader shouldconsult the New Grove Dictionary of American Music JoannSkowronskirsquos Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography5 or PollackrsquosAaron Copland The Life and Work of an Uncommon Man for awork-list containing information on manuscripts and premieresThe chronological compilation of Coplandrsquos writings in Section IIshould be cross-referenced with the alphabetical annotations inSection III Section I ldquoA Guide to Studies on Aaron Coplandrdquo is asurvey of trends in research with suggestions for additionalavenues of exploration

Section III ldquoPrimary SourcesmdashCoplandrsquos Writingsrdquo is acomprehensive list with annotations of Coplandrsquos published andunpublished books articles essays and interviews6 The principalresources for Section III were the Guide to the Aaron CoplandCollection at the Library of Congress (available in the MusicDivision of the Library of Congress) The Music Index AaronCopland A Bio-Bibliography and bibliographies in secondarysources At the time that Skowronskirsquos Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography was written before Coplandrsquos death many of hismanuscripts had not been transferred to the Library of CongressBecause Coplandrsquos writings often were published outside of thetraditional musical literature the comprehensive listings of thissection were previously impossible without full access to hismanuscripts and the proliferation of electronic databasesSection III also includes unpublished manuscripts of articles andessays held in the Copland Collection chronicling the full extentof Coplandrsquos literary activities7 It is hoped that future scholarsmay locate publication data for those manuscripts currentlycataloged as unpublished or undated

The selection criteria for citations in the chapters of secondarysources are necessarily different than those for the comprehensiveprimary source chapter Skowronskirsquos Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography is commendably thorough through 1984 SinceAaron Copland A Guide to Research is meant to complementrather than duplicate Skowronskirsquos effort the majority of thecitations refer to significant secondary sources written since 1983mdash

viii

writings encompassing the end of Coplandrsquos career his death in1990 and the concurrent revival of scholarly interest leading up tothe centenary of his birth in 20008 The citations since 1983 wereculled from The Music Index RILM Abstracts DissertationAbstracts International and Humanities Index The secondarysource material prior to 1983 is extremely selectivemdashworks eitherprimarily or exclusively about Coplandmdashand is culled mainly fromRILM Abstracts The reader should consult Skowronskirsquosbibliography for additional sources prior to 1983 Secondarysources are limited primarily to books articles and dissertationsor theses in English for newspaper references such as society newsand book performance or record reviews readers should consultSkowronskirsquos bibliography and newspaper indices such as TheNew York Times Index9

Section IV ldquoSecondary SourcesmdashGeneral Studies on CoplandrsquosLife and Milieurdquo is arranged by bibliographic importance fromcomprehensive studies to significant references in monographs tomajor articles in journals encyclopedias Web sites andvideotapes Section V ldquoSecondary SourcesmdashWritings aboutCoplandrsquos Compositionsrdquo is organized from larger compositionalissues to examinations of specific genres or works Section VIldquoTopical Studiesrdquo reflects Coplandrsquos multidisciplinarycontributions within the superstructure of American musicalculture an issue about which he wrote passionately We hope thatby organizing Section VI topically we prompt future scholars tobegin thorough explorations of the full range of Coplandrsquoscontributions as conductor critic commentator author mentorand teacher in addition to composer and musician

Section VII is a listing of tributes and obituaries which are notannotated because of the repetitive content of the sourcesAlthough Aaron Copland A Guide to Research was not initiallylimited to English-language secondary sources the presence of onlyone reference in Section VIII confirms that the significant researchon Copland readily available in North American libraries throughinterlibrary loan is almost exclusively published in EnglishBecause of the meteoric rate of change in the recording industryCoplandrsquos recordings are not annotated instead historicaldiscographies and Internet locations functioning as currentdiscographies are included with traditional bibliographies inSection IX An extensive subject index is included with thetraditional author and title indexes As a result future scholars can

ix

analyze topical writings by Copland in conjunction with hisconcurrent compositions and related secondary source researchmdashwhether on the development of South American music theinstitution of musical criticism in the United States or thepromotion of an identifiably American music

Finally we both would like to acknowledge the financialassistance of Gettysburg College and Western Maryland College insupport of Aaron Copland A Guide to Research In addition wewould like to thank our students especially Karen Cook whohave helped in the research process

Notes

1 Arthur Berger Aaron Copland (New York Oxford University1953) and Julia FSmith Aaron Copland His Work andContribution to American Music (New York EPDutton 1955)

2 Aaron Copland and Vivian Perlis Copland 1900 through 1942(New York St MartinrsquosMarek 1984) and Aaron Copland andVivian Perlis Copland Since 1942 (New York St Martinrsquos 1989)

3 Howard Pollack Aaron Copland The Life and Work of anUncommon Man (New York Henry Holt 1999)

4 William H Austin ldquoCoplandrdquo vol 1 The New Grove Dictionaryof American Music ed HWiley Hitchcock and Stanley Sadie(London Macmillan 1986)

5 Joann Skowronski Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography (WestportCT Greenwood 1985)

6 Throughout Aaron Copland A Guide to Research annotations arebased on examination of the items unless stated otherwise Eachbibliographic entry contains pagination information anInternational Standard Book Number (ISBN) and Library ofCongress (LC) call number when appropriate

7 Coplandrsquos unpublished lectures speeches and correspondence arenot included in Section III because they are currently available onlyat the Library of Congress While this is also true of Coplandrsquosunpublished articles or essays we include them to illustrate thecomprehensive scope of his published writings many of theseunpublished manuscripts became drafts for later publications

8 The Interviews category in Section III is similarly selective9 Such secondary source material is occasionally annotated in Aaron

Copland A Guide to Research as are selected tributes orobituaries if the article includes significant historical information

x

AARON COPLAND

IA Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland

The house inside is comfortable clean-lineduncluttered The living-dining room has paintings onthe walls abstract and realistic ldquoThey donrsquot gotogetherrdquo said Aaron ldquoBut theyrsquore all painted by myfriendsrdquohellip The studio is dominated by the piano and alarge table-desk the composer has had for thirty yearsIt was made for him by another friend and has a doubletop in the space between he files letters and worksheets1

If a living and working space could be a metaphor for someonersquosprofessional career then Aaron Coplandrsquos home paralleled hislifelong musical concerns In his workspace his piano desk scoresletters books manuscripts recordings and a set of the GroveDictionary of Music and Musicians all coexisted Throughout hispersonal and professional life Copland similarly was surroundedby a context of friends students colleagues critics teacherslisteners readers lovers family commentators and musicians Hecomposed at the piano but the desk from which he conductedother musical activities simultaneously encapsulated a professionand a friendshipCoplandrsquos compositionsmdashsometimes atonal other times diatonicbut all communicative and sensitive to the musical purpose andmaterials of the compositionmdashare analogous to the pictures on hiswalls While a casual visitor perceived tension between the realisticand abstract paintings the works were united in the context ofgifts from friends In much the same way many commentatorshave categorized Coplandrsquos compositions as either programmaticor abstract failing to recognize the Americanism and individual

compositional stylemdashan aesthetic that like his home was ldquoclean-lined unclutteredrdquo2mdashthat unified Coplandrsquos works

So often academic research decontextualizes its subject in favorof structural analyses that prove the importance of the object beinganalyzed thus simultaneously elevating the researcher in theprocess Few composers will benefit more than Copland from thecurrent move of scholarly research toward increasingcontextualization and inclusivity Copland even when composinghis most erudite works was no ivory-tower composer His lifelongconcerns of musical communication promotion of the livingcomposer and establishment of an identifiably American musicalexpression placed him in the center of musical activity in theUnited States throughout much of the twentieth century

During his lifetime Copland chafed against his typecasting assolely a composer of Americana with its implications of frontiernarratives quotations of folk music and accessibility to the generallistener Similarly he challenged the dichotomization of his worksas either ldquoseriousrdquo or ldquopopularrdquo Although quipping ldquoI have asplit personalityrdquo3 Copland concluded the emendation ofldquoComposer from Brooklyn An Autobiographical Sketchrdquo bystating

I can only say that those commentators who would like tosplit me down the middle into two opposing personalitieswill get no encouragement from me I prefer to think that Iwrite my music from a single vision when the results differ itis because I take into account with each new piece thepurpose for which it is intended and the nature of themusical materials with which I begin to workhellip It bothersme not at all to realize that my range as composer includesboth accessible and problematic works4

Despite such statements scholars and critics frequently havereinforced the polarization of Coplandrsquos compositionssuperimposing musical dichotomiesmdashpopularseriousprogrammaticabstract tonalatonal and diatonicserialmdashondivisive chronological periods5 It seems neither profitable norappropriate to continue to study Copland in relative isolation orthrough outdated categoriza tions especially when thedocumentary record left by Copland suggests otherwise

2 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

Recent research on Copland has begun to emphasize the unitiesamong his works whether through compositional style orAmericanism As Larry Starr has argued it is precisely theheterogeneity of Coplandrsquos compositions reflecting the diversityand plurality of American culture that unifies and defines hismusical Americanism6 Underlying the heterogeneity and supposeddichotomies Starr identified a pervasive Coplandesque style basedon ldquomelodic variationmdashwhere a basic cell is gradually expandedinto a longer unit (without departing too far from the content ofthe basic cell itself) through a process of repetition reordering andthe accretion or interpolation of new elementsrdquo7 A profitabledirection for future research is to apply the compositionalprinciples identified by Copland and Starr not just to individualpieces but to chronological periods consisting of diverse genres orspecific genres crossing apparent compositional or chronologicalstyles

Given Coplandrsquos notoriety as a composer his relative scholarlyneglect indicates previous academic biases against much of hismusic As Starr stated the ldquospecifically American qualitiesrdquo ofCoplandrsquos music have led ldquoAmerican critics academics andintelligentsiardquo to undervalue his compositions8 The scholarlyunderevaluation of Copland is intensified in his collaborativeworks because of their ldquofunctionalrdquo associations and in hisldquoAmericanardquo scores because of their popular appeal The scholarlybias toward decontextualized theoretical analyses of Coplandrsquosabstract works is also clear The challenge of future Coplandstudies is to bridge the gap between the now-dated dichotomiesmdashto contextualize (even humanize) the theoretical analyses appliedto abstract compositions and to develop critical methodologiesthat substantiate the collaborative and multidisciplinarycompositions With all of Coplandrsquos manuscripts and letters nowavailable at the Library of Congress in addition to his publishedcompositions and unpublished musical manuscripts it is possibleto evaluate Coplandrsquos musical contributions in the context of hisother professional and personal activities

Aaron Copland A Guide to Research has been designed toassess the areas of Coplandrsquos compositional and professionalcareer that have been neglected in scholarly study In Section II thechronological chart of Coplandrsquos biography compositions andwritings is intended to encourage the contextualization of allthree areas for future Copland studies The comprehensive

A GUIDE TO STUDIES ON AARON COPLAND 3

collection and annotation of Coplandrsquos published writings andunpublished manuscripts (Section III) allows not only access to thecontent of these writings but also the potential for future researchto address the scope of his literary efforts

A perusal of the secondary sources (Sections IVndashVI) suggestsmethodological avenues for continued exploration For example inSection IVA Howard Pollackrsquos definitive biography serves as amodel for contextualization of Coplandrsquos career within the spheresof his sexuality his artistic circles (especially dance) and hisliterary influences9 The works by Copland and Vivian Perlisprovide the commentary by Copland to support these expandeddirections In Section IVB Jennifer DeLapprsquos dissertation suggestsa profitable methodological model for balancing contextual andtheoretical analyses of specific compositions Previously articles byCarol Oja and Robert Parker have provided similar methodologicaldirections

Before a full syntheses of Coplandrsquos compositional style orevaluations of complete genres can be undertaken individualstudies of specific compositions must create the foundationSection V is structured to indicate the compositional techniquesgenres and individual works that have been most overlookedSection VB1 shows that this type of research on the individualballets has occurred Because of the interdisciplinary nature ofdance these studies tend to be relatively contextualized While thefilm scores and incidental music should present a similaropportunity studies of these genres lag behind since many of thescores remain unpublished in their entirety and because thesecompositions have not achieved repertory status as suites divorcedfrom their collaborative context Methodologies that unite themusical elements with the visual narrative and psychologicalcomponents of the film choreography or text need to be exploredfurther

Many of the studies of specific instrumental compositions reflectthe graduate degree requirements of academic institutionsInstrumental performers tend to study the repertoire of theirspecific instrument thus the solo repertorymdashthe ClarinetConcerto the Duo for flute and piano and especially the solopiano worksmdashhas received concentrated attention Singers choraldirectors and instrumental conductors have not similarly minedCoplandrsquos oeuvre For example no significant work has beenfocused specifically on Coplandrsquos orchestration one of the most

4 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

telling aspects of his unique compositional style While his twooperas and especially the Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson havebeen studied the remainder of Coplandrsquos vocal works awaitsubstantial examination

With recent efforts to contextualize Copland within a broadeneddefinition of musical Americanism Section VIA should becomemore substantial Additionally the corpus of Coplandrsquos writings ascritic commentator andor author needs to be examinedsystematically especially in conjunction with concurrentcompositions or musical activities10 Given that the final threedecades of Coplandrsquos professional life (1956ndash1983) centered on hisconducting rather than composing it is a major oversight that thisarea of his musical activities has not been studied Through hisconducting Coplandrsquos musical philosophies literally were takenfrom the written and musical page and put into motion Forexample the programming of concerts that Copland conductedreflects his lifelong commitment to the promotion of contemporarymusic particularly that of the living American composer

Similarly as ldquoDean of American Composersrdquo Coplandrsquos role ofmentor and teacher to young composers from as early as 1926through the mid-1960s has not been explored thoroughly Just asRobert Schumann promoted the compositional career of JohannesBrahms Copland did for four generations of young Americancomposers Each decade Copland routinely assessed the youngergeneration of composers listing almost exclusively men Was it hisamazing perceptivity or a self-fulfilling prophecy that such a highpercentage of these composers rose to national prominencemdashandwomen continued to compose in relative obscuritymdashthrough the1960s

As we begin the new century of research on Copland it is nolonger necessary to carry forward outdated assumptionsmdashwhethermethodological models obstinate categorizations of ldquoseriousrdquo andldquopopularrdquo music or other academic biases As each of the specificareas to which Copland contributed is better understood a fullsynthesis of his career can be realized

Let the latest research begin

A GUIDE TO STUDIES ON AARON COPLAND 5

Notes

1 Dorle JSoria ldquoArtistrsquos Liferdquo High FidelityMusical America 20(November 1970) MA-4 Soria described Aaron Coplandrsquos homenear Peek-skill New York during an interview conducted in 1970

2 Ibid3 Aaron Copland ldquoComposer from Brooklyn An Autobiographical

Sketchrdquo in The New Music 1900ndash1960 (New York WWNorton1968) 163

4 Ibid 1685 The traditional categorizations of Coplandrsquos compositions have

been called into question by authors such as Lawrence Starr whohas proposed elements of a unified compositional style (LawrenceStarr ldquoCoplandrsquos Stylerdquo Perspectives of New Music 19 [Fall-Winter 980] 87ndash88)

6 Larry Starr ldquoIves Gershwin and Copland Reflections on theStrange History of American Art Musicrdquo American Music 12(Summer 1994) 168ndash169 In this case ldquoAmericanismrdquo implies thelarger American musical palette referred to by Copland and Starrwhile ldquoAmericanardquo implies the specific expression of Americanismassociated with the frontier musical accessibility and the quotationof folk tunes

7 Ibid 1818 Ibid 1799 Howard Pollack Aaron Copland The Life and Work of an

Uncommon Man (New York Henry Holt 1999) Pollackrsquos bookinitiated the wave of research surrounding the centenary ofCoplandrsquos birth in 2000

10 Pollackrsquos biography does cover each of these areas but there isconsiderable room for systematic application of these musicalendeavors to individual compositions by Copland

6 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

• Book Cover
• Half-Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Composer Resource Manuals
• Contents
• Preface
• I A Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland

AARON COPLAND

AARON COPLAND

A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

MARTA ROBERTSON AND ROBINARMSTRONG

COMPOSER RESOURCE MANUALNUMBER 53

ROUTLEDGENEW YORK AND LONDON

Published in 2001 byRoutledge

29 West 35th StreetNew York NY 10001

Published in in Great Britain byRoutledge

11 New Fetter LaneLondon EC4P 4EE

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor amp Francis Group

This edition published in the Taylor amp Francis e-Library 2005

ldquoTo purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor amp Francis orRoutledgersquos collection of thousands of eBooks please go to

wwweBookstoretandfcoukrdquo

Copyright copy 2001 by Marta Robertson and Robin Armstrong

All rights reserved No part of this book may be reprinted or reproducedor utilized in any form or by any electronic mechanical or other meansnow known or hereafter invented including photocopying and recordingor in any information storage or retrieval system without permission in

writing from the publisher

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataRobertson Marta

Aaron Copland a guide to reserachMarta Robertson andRobin Armstrong

p cmmdash(Composer resource manuals v 53) (Garlandreference library of the humanities vol 1957)

Includes bibliographical references and indexesDiscography p

ISBN 0-8153-2178-3 (alk paper)1 Copland Aaron 1900ndash1990mdashBibliography I Armstrong

Robin 1959ndash II Title III Series IV Routledge composerresource

manuals v 53ML134C66 R63 2000

01678092ndashdc21 99ndash089420

ISBN 0-203-90390-0 Master e-book ISBN

ISBN 0-203-90394-3 (Adobe eReader Format)

Composer Resource Manuals

In response to the growing need for bibliographic guidance to thevast literature on significant composers Routledge is publishing anextensive series of research guides This ongoing seriesencompasses more than 50 composers they represent Westernmusical tradition from the Renaissance to the present century

Each research guide offers a selective annotated list of writingsin all European languages about one or more composers Thereare also lists of works by the composers unless these are availableelsewhere Biographical sketches and guides to library resourcesorganizations and specialists are presented As appropriate to theindividual composer there are maps photographs or otherillustrative matter glossaries and indexes

Contents

Preface vii

I A Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland 1

II Chronology of Life and Works 7

III Primary SourcesmdashCoplandrsquos Writings 36

A Books and Essay Collections 36

B Articles and Essays 45

1 Copland as Sole Author 45

2 Copland and Coauthors 134

C Interviews 135

IV Secondary SourcesmdashGeneral Studies on CoplandrsquosLife and Milieu

152

A Biographies and Comprehensive Studies 152

B Significant References to Coplandrsquos Milieu 154

C Articles in Dictionaries Encyclopedias Work-Listsand Catalogs

159

D Web Sites 163

E Videotapes 165

V Secondary SourcesmdashWritings about CoplandrsquosCompositions

166

A Compositional Style 166

1 Compositional Technique Form Harmony andMelody

166

2 Orchestration 170

3 Americana and Folk Sources 170

B Specific CompositionsmdashInstrumental Music 171

1 Ballets 171

2 Film Scores 175

3 Orchestral Music 177

4 Chamber Music 180

5 Keyboard Music 181

C Specific CompositionsmdashVocal Music 185

1 Operas 185

2 Choral 186

3 Songs 186

VI Topical Studies 189

A Copland as Americanist 189

B Copland as Conductor 191

C Copland as CriticCommentatorAuthor 191

D Copland as MentorTeacher 193

VII Tributes and Obituaries 194

VIII Foreign Language Sources 197

IX Bibliographies and Discographies 198

Author Index 199

Title Index 202

Subject Index 204

About the Authors 209

Titles in Series 210

vi

Preface

Aaron Copland is generally considered the most popular and bestknown composer of American art music Although manyAmericans are familiar with his musicmdashwhether from concertstelevision commercials or film spin-offsmdashscholarly evaluation ofCopland and his works waned after the 1950s Until themid-1980s most overviews of Coplandrsquos oeuvre were found eitherin music history texts among the obligatory three pages percomposer or in the two classic monographs completed in the1950s prior to the conclusion of Coplandrsquos career1 Coplandrsquosexhaustive two-volume autobiography coauthored with VivianPerlis2 Howard Pollackrsquos definitive biography3 and recentdissertations and theses by a new generation of scholars suggest acurrent resurgence of interest in Copland

Ironically while Coplandrsquos compositions traditionally havereceived relatively little attention in the specialist literature theopposite problemmdashthat of perhaps too much exposuremdashexistswhen tributes to Copland announcements of his activities orreviews of his compositions are concerned Practically everymusical journal announced his momentous birthdays every fiveyears while most ensembles from high schools to professionalorchestras have at some time programmed his compositions Theprimary purpose of Aaron Copland A Guide to Research is todirect readers to significant sources for information on Coplandrsquoslife compositions musical activities and cultural context

In Aaron Copland A Guide to Research the chapterorganization reflects an ordering of bibliographic importancemoving from general information on Copland to primary and thensecondary sources Section II ldquoChronology of Life and Worksrdquo isa chronological chart simultaneously representing three concurrentspheres of Coplandrsquos career biography compositions and

writings The chart makes tangible the methodological convictionthat Coplandrsquos life can best be studied in the context of hiscompositions and writings and vice versa It is assumed that thereader will consult the article on Copland by William Austin in theNew Grove Dictionary of American Music4 or similar works citedin Section IV for prose biographies In addition the reader shouldconsult the New Grove Dictionary of American Music JoannSkowronskirsquos Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography5 or PollackrsquosAaron Copland The Life and Work of an Uncommon Man for awork-list containing information on manuscripts and premieresThe chronological compilation of Coplandrsquos writings in Section IIshould be cross-referenced with the alphabetical annotations inSection III Section I ldquoA Guide to Studies on Aaron Coplandrdquo is asurvey of trends in research with suggestions for additionalavenues of exploration

Section III ldquoPrimary SourcesmdashCoplandrsquos Writingsrdquo is acomprehensive list with annotations of Coplandrsquos published andunpublished books articles essays and interviews6 The principalresources for Section III were the Guide to the Aaron CoplandCollection at the Library of Congress (available in the MusicDivision of the Library of Congress) The Music Index AaronCopland A Bio-Bibliography and bibliographies in secondarysources At the time that Skowronskirsquos Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography was written before Coplandrsquos death many of hismanuscripts had not been transferred to the Library of CongressBecause Coplandrsquos writings often were published outside of thetraditional musical literature the comprehensive listings of thissection were previously impossible without full access to hismanuscripts and the proliferation of electronic databasesSection III also includes unpublished manuscripts of articles andessays held in the Copland Collection chronicling the full extentof Coplandrsquos literary activities7 It is hoped that future scholarsmay locate publication data for those manuscripts currentlycataloged as unpublished or undated

The selection criteria for citations in the chapters of secondarysources are necessarily different than those for the comprehensiveprimary source chapter Skowronskirsquos Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography is commendably thorough through 1984 SinceAaron Copland A Guide to Research is meant to complementrather than duplicate Skowronskirsquos effort the majority of thecitations refer to significant secondary sources written since 1983mdash

viii

writings encompassing the end of Coplandrsquos career his death in1990 and the concurrent revival of scholarly interest leading up tothe centenary of his birth in 20008 The citations since 1983 wereculled from The Music Index RILM Abstracts DissertationAbstracts International and Humanities Index The secondarysource material prior to 1983 is extremely selectivemdashworks eitherprimarily or exclusively about Coplandmdashand is culled mainly fromRILM Abstracts The reader should consult Skowronskirsquosbibliography for additional sources prior to 1983 Secondarysources are limited primarily to books articles and dissertationsor theses in English for newspaper references such as society newsand book performance or record reviews readers should consultSkowronskirsquos bibliography and newspaper indices such as TheNew York Times Index9

Section IV ldquoSecondary SourcesmdashGeneral Studies on CoplandrsquosLife and Milieurdquo is arranged by bibliographic importance fromcomprehensive studies to significant references in monographs tomajor articles in journals encyclopedias Web sites andvideotapes Section V ldquoSecondary SourcesmdashWritings aboutCoplandrsquos Compositionsrdquo is organized from larger compositionalissues to examinations of specific genres or works Section VIldquoTopical Studiesrdquo reflects Coplandrsquos multidisciplinarycontributions within the superstructure of American musicalculture an issue about which he wrote passionately We hope thatby organizing Section VI topically we prompt future scholars tobegin thorough explorations of the full range of Coplandrsquoscontributions as conductor critic commentator author mentorand teacher in addition to composer and musician

Section VII is a listing of tributes and obituaries which are notannotated because of the repetitive content of the sourcesAlthough Aaron Copland A Guide to Research was not initiallylimited to English-language secondary sources the presence of onlyone reference in Section VIII confirms that the significant researchon Copland readily available in North American libraries throughinterlibrary loan is almost exclusively published in EnglishBecause of the meteoric rate of change in the recording industryCoplandrsquos recordings are not annotated instead historicaldiscographies and Internet locations functioning as currentdiscographies are included with traditional bibliographies inSection IX An extensive subject index is included with thetraditional author and title indexes As a result future scholars can

ix

analyze topical writings by Copland in conjunction with hisconcurrent compositions and related secondary source researchmdashwhether on the development of South American music theinstitution of musical criticism in the United States or thepromotion of an identifiably American music

Finally we both would like to acknowledge the financialassistance of Gettysburg College and Western Maryland College insupport of Aaron Copland A Guide to Research In addition wewould like to thank our students especially Karen Cook whohave helped in the research process

Notes

1 Arthur Berger Aaron Copland (New York Oxford University1953) and Julia FSmith Aaron Copland His Work andContribution to American Music (New York EPDutton 1955)

2 Aaron Copland and Vivian Perlis Copland 1900 through 1942(New York St MartinrsquosMarek 1984) and Aaron Copland andVivian Perlis Copland Since 1942 (New York St Martinrsquos 1989)

3 Howard Pollack Aaron Copland The Life and Work of anUncommon Man (New York Henry Holt 1999)

4 William H Austin ldquoCoplandrdquo vol 1 The New Grove Dictionaryof American Music ed HWiley Hitchcock and Stanley Sadie(London Macmillan 1986)

5 Joann Skowronski Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography (WestportCT Greenwood 1985)

6 Throughout Aaron Copland A Guide to Research annotations arebased on examination of the items unless stated otherwise Eachbibliographic entry contains pagination information anInternational Standard Book Number (ISBN) and Library ofCongress (LC) call number when appropriate

7 Coplandrsquos unpublished lectures speeches and correspondence arenot included in Section III because they are currently available onlyat the Library of Congress While this is also true of Coplandrsquosunpublished articles or essays we include them to illustrate thecomprehensive scope of his published writings many of theseunpublished manuscripts became drafts for later publications

8 The Interviews category in Section III is similarly selective9 Such secondary source material is occasionally annotated in Aaron

Copland A Guide to Research as are selected tributes orobituaries if the article includes significant historical information

x

AARON COPLAND

IA Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland

The house inside is comfortable clean-lineduncluttered The living-dining room has paintings onthe walls abstract and realistic ldquoThey donrsquot gotogetherrdquo said Aaron ldquoBut theyrsquore all painted by myfriendsrdquohellip The studio is dominated by the piano and alarge table-desk the composer has had for thirty yearsIt was made for him by another friend and has a doubletop in the space between he files letters and worksheets1

If a living and working space could be a metaphor for someonersquosprofessional career then Aaron Coplandrsquos home paralleled hislifelong musical concerns In his workspace his piano desk scoresletters books manuscripts recordings and a set of the GroveDictionary of Music and Musicians all coexisted Throughout hispersonal and professional life Copland similarly was surroundedby a context of friends students colleagues critics teacherslisteners readers lovers family commentators and musicians Hecomposed at the piano but the desk from which he conductedother musical activities simultaneously encapsulated a professionand a friendshipCoplandrsquos compositionsmdashsometimes atonal other times diatonicbut all communicative and sensitive to the musical purpose andmaterials of the compositionmdashare analogous to the pictures on hiswalls While a casual visitor perceived tension between the realisticand abstract paintings the works were united in the context ofgifts from friends In much the same way many commentatorshave categorized Coplandrsquos compositions as either programmaticor abstract failing to recognize the Americanism and individual

compositional stylemdashan aesthetic that like his home was ldquoclean-lined unclutteredrdquo2mdashthat unified Coplandrsquos works

So often academic research decontextualizes its subject in favorof structural analyses that prove the importance of the object beinganalyzed thus simultaneously elevating the researcher in theprocess Few composers will benefit more than Copland from thecurrent move of scholarly research toward increasingcontextualization and inclusivity Copland even when composinghis most erudite works was no ivory-tower composer His lifelongconcerns of musical communication promotion of the livingcomposer and establishment of an identifiably American musicalexpression placed him in the center of musical activity in theUnited States throughout much of the twentieth century

During his lifetime Copland chafed against his typecasting assolely a composer of Americana with its implications of frontiernarratives quotations of folk music and accessibility to the generallistener Similarly he challenged the dichotomization of his worksas either ldquoseriousrdquo or ldquopopularrdquo Although quipping ldquoI have asplit personalityrdquo3 Copland concluded the emendation ofldquoComposer from Brooklyn An Autobiographical Sketchrdquo bystating

I can only say that those commentators who would like tosplit me down the middle into two opposing personalitieswill get no encouragement from me I prefer to think that Iwrite my music from a single vision when the results differ itis because I take into account with each new piece thepurpose for which it is intended and the nature of themusical materials with which I begin to workhellip It bothersme not at all to realize that my range as composer includesboth accessible and problematic works4

Despite such statements scholars and critics frequently havereinforced the polarization of Coplandrsquos compositionssuperimposing musical dichotomiesmdashpopularseriousprogrammaticabstract tonalatonal and diatonicserialmdashondivisive chronological periods5 It seems neither profitable norappropriate to continue to study Copland in relative isolation orthrough outdated categoriza tions especially when thedocumentary record left by Copland suggests otherwise

2 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

Recent research on Copland has begun to emphasize the unitiesamong his works whether through compositional style orAmericanism As Larry Starr has argued it is precisely theheterogeneity of Coplandrsquos compositions reflecting the diversityand plurality of American culture that unifies and defines hismusical Americanism6 Underlying the heterogeneity and supposeddichotomies Starr identified a pervasive Coplandesque style basedon ldquomelodic variationmdashwhere a basic cell is gradually expandedinto a longer unit (without departing too far from the content ofthe basic cell itself) through a process of repetition reordering andthe accretion or interpolation of new elementsrdquo7 A profitabledirection for future research is to apply the compositionalprinciples identified by Copland and Starr not just to individualpieces but to chronological periods consisting of diverse genres orspecific genres crossing apparent compositional or chronologicalstyles

Given Coplandrsquos notoriety as a composer his relative scholarlyneglect indicates previous academic biases against much of hismusic As Starr stated the ldquospecifically American qualitiesrdquo ofCoplandrsquos music have led ldquoAmerican critics academics andintelligentsiardquo to undervalue his compositions8 The scholarlyunderevaluation of Copland is intensified in his collaborativeworks because of their ldquofunctionalrdquo associations and in hisldquoAmericanardquo scores because of their popular appeal The scholarlybias toward decontextualized theoretical analyses of Coplandrsquosabstract works is also clear The challenge of future Coplandstudies is to bridge the gap between the now-dated dichotomiesmdashto contextualize (even humanize) the theoretical analyses appliedto abstract compositions and to develop critical methodologiesthat substantiate the collaborative and multidisciplinarycompositions With all of Coplandrsquos manuscripts and letters nowavailable at the Library of Congress in addition to his publishedcompositions and unpublished musical manuscripts it is possibleto evaluate Coplandrsquos musical contributions in the context of hisother professional and personal activities

Aaron Copland A Guide to Research has been designed toassess the areas of Coplandrsquos compositional and professionalcareer that have been neglected in scholarly study In Section II thechronological chart of Coplandrsquos biography compositions andwritings is intended to encourage the contextualization of allthree areas for future Copland studies The comprehensive

A GUIDE TO STUDIES ON AARON COPLAND 3

collection and annotation of Coplandrsquos published writings andunpublished manuscripts (Section III) allows not only access to thecontent of these writings but also the potential for future researchto address the scope of his literary efforts

A perusal of the secondary sources (Sections IVndashVI) suggestsmethodological avenues for continued exploration For example inSection IVA Howard Pollackrsquos definitive biography serves as amodel for contextualization of Coplandrsquos career within the spheresof his sexuality his artistic circles (especially dance) and hisliterary influences9 The works by Copland and Vivian Perlisprovide the commentary by Copland to support these expandeddirections In Section IVB Jennifer DeLapprsquos dissertation suggestsa profitable methodological model for balancing contextual andtheoretical analyses of specific compositions Previously articles byCarol Oja and Robert Parker have provided similar methodologicaldirections

Before a full syntheses of Coplandrsquos compositional style orevaluations of complete genres can be undertaken individualstudies of specific compositions must create the foundationSection V is structured to indicate the compositional techniquesgenres and individual works that have been most overlookedSection VB1 shows that this type of research on the individualballets has occurred Because of the interdisciplinary nature ofdance these studies tend to be relatively contextualized While thefilm scores and incidental music should present a similaropportunity studies of these genres lag behind since many of thescores remain unpublished in their entirety and because thesecompositions have not achieved repertory status as suites divorcedfrom their collaborative context Methodologies that unite themusical elements with the visual narrative and psychologicalcomponents of the film choreography or text need to be exploredfurther

Many of the studies of specific instrumental compositions reflectthe graduate degree requirements of academic institutionsInstrumental performers tend to study the repertoire of theirspecific instrument thus the solo repertorymdashthe ClarinetConcerto the Duo for flute and piano and especially the solopiano worksmdashhas received concentrated attention Singers choraldirectors and instrumental conductors have not similarly minedCoplandrsquos oeuvre For example no significant work has beenfocused specifically on Coplandrsquos orchestration one of the most

4 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

telling aspects of his unique compositional style While his twooperas and especially the Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson havebeen studied the remainder of Coplandrsquos vocal works awaitsubstantial examination

With recent efforts to contextualize Copland within a broadeneddefinition of musical Americanism Section VIA should becomemore substantial Additionally the corpus of Coplandrsquos writings ascritic commentator andor author needs to be examinedsystematically especially in conjunction with concurrentcompositions or musical activities10 Given that the final threedecades of Coplandrsquos professional life (1956ndash1983) centered on hisconducting rather than composing it is a major oversight that thisarea of his musical activities has not been studied Through hisconducting Coplandrsquos musical philosophies literally were takenfrom the written and musical page and put into motion Forexample the programming of concerts that Copland conductedreflects his lifelong commitment to the promotion of contemporarymusic particularly that of the living American composer

Similarly as ldquoDean of American Composersrdquo Coplandrsquos role ofmentor and teacher to young composers from as early as 1926through the mid-1960s has not been explored thoroughly Just asRobert Schumann promoted the compositional career of JohannesBrahms Copland did for four generations of young Americancomposers Each decade Copland routinely assessed the youngergeneration of composers listing almost exclusively men Was it hisamazing perceptivity or a self-fulfilling prophecy that such a highpercentage of these composers rose to national prominencemdashandwomen continued to compose in relative obscuritymdashthrough the1960s

As we begin the new century of research on Copland it is nolonger necessary to carry forward outdated assumptionsmdashwhethermethodological models obstinate categorizations of ldquoseriousrdquo andldquopopularrdquo music or other academic biases As each of the specificareas to which Copland contributed is better understood a fullsynthesis of his career can be realized

Let the latest research begin

A GUIDE TO STUDIES ON AARON COPLAND 5

Notes

1 Dorle JSoria ldquoArtistrsquos Liferdquo High FidelityMusical America 20(November 1970) MA-4 Soria described Aaron Coplandrsquos homenear Peek-skill New York during an interview conducted in 1970

2 Ibid3 Aaron Copland ldquoComposer from Brooklyn An Autobiographical

Sketchrdquo in The New Music 1900ndash1960 (New York WWNorton1968) 163

4 Ibid 1685 The traditional categorizations of Coplandrsquos compositions have

been called into question by authors such as Lawrence Starr whohas proposed elements of a unified compositional style (LawrenceStarr ldquoCoplandrsquos Stylerdquo Perspectives of New Music 19 [Fall-Winter 980] 87ndash88)

6 Larry Starr ldquoIves Gershwin and Copland Reflections on theStrange History of American Art Musicrdquo American Music 12(Summer 1994) 168ndash169 In this case ldquoAmericanismrdquo implies thelarger American musical palette referred to by Copland and Starrwhile ldquoAmericanardquo implies the specific expression of Americanismassociated with the frontier musical accessibility and the quotationof folk tunes

7 Ibid 1818 Ibid 1799 Howard Pollack Aaron Copland The Life and Work of an

Uncommon Man (New York Henry Holt 1999) Pollackrsquos bookinitiated the wave of research surrounding the centenary ofCoplandrsquos birth in 2000

10 Pollackrsquos biography does cover each of these areas but there isconsiderable room for systematic application of these musicalendeavors to individual compositions by Copland

6 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

• Book Cover
• Half-Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Composer Resource Manuals
• Contents
• Preface
• I A Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland

AARON COPLAND

A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

MARTA ROBERTSON AND ROBINARMSTRONG

COMPOSER RESOURCE MANUALNUMBER 53

ROUTLEDGENEW YORK AND LONDON

Published in 2001 byRoutledge

29 West 35th StreetNew York NY 10001

Published in in Great Britain byRoutledge

11 New Fetter LaneLondon EC4P 4EE

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor amp Francis Group

This edition published in the Taylor amp Francis e-Library 2005

ldquoTo purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor amp Francis orRoutledgersquos collection of thousands of eBooks please go to

wwweBookstoretandfcoukrdquo

Copyright copy 2001 by Marta Robertson and Robin Armstrong

All rights reserved No part of this book may be reprinted or reproducedor utilized in any form or by any electronic mechanical or other meansnow known or hereafter invented including photocopying and recordingor in any information storage or retrieval system without permission in

writing from the publisher

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataRobertson Marta

Aaron Copland a guide to reserachMarta Robertson andRobin Armstrong

p cmmdash(Composer resource manuals v 53) (Garlandreference library of the humanities vol 1957)

Includes bibliographical references and indexesDiscography p

ISBN 0-8153-2178-3 (alk paper)1 Copland Aaron 1900ndash1990mdashBibliography I Armstrong

Robin 1959ndash II Title III Series IV Routledge composerresource

manuals v 53ML134C66 R63 2000

01678092ndashdc21 99ndash089420

ISBN 0-203-90390-0 Master e-book ISBN

ISBN 0-203-90394-3 (Adobe eReader Format)

Composer Resource Manuals

In response to the growing need for bibliographic guidance to thevast literature on significant composers Routledge is publishing anextensive series of research guides This ongoing seriesencompasses more than 50 composers they represent Westernmusical tradition from the Renaissance to the present century

Each research guide offers a selective annotated list of writingsin all European languages about one or more composers Thereare also lists of works by the composers unless these are availableelsewhere Biographical sketches and guides to library resourcesorganizations and specialists are presented As appropriate to theindividual composer there are maps photographs or otherillustrative matter glossaries and indexes

Contents

Preface vii

I A Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland 1

II Chronology of Life and Works 7

III Primary SourcesmdashCoplandrsquos Writings 36

A Books and Essay Collections 36

B Articles and Essays 45

1 Copland as Sole Author 45

2 Copland and Coauthors 134

C Interviews 135

IV Secondary SourcesmdashGeneral Studies on CoplandrsquosLife and Milieu

152

A Biographies and Comprehensive Studies 152

B Significant References to Coplandrsquos Milieu 154

C Articles in Dictionaries Encyclopedias Work-Listsand Catalogs

159

D Web Sites 163

E Videotapes 165

V Secondary SourcesmdashWritings about CoplandrsquosCompositions

166

A Compositional Style 166

1 Compositional Technique Form Harmony andMelody

166

2 Orchestration 170

3 Americana and Folk Sources 170

B Specific CompositionsmdashInstrumental Music 171

1 Ballets 171

2 Film Scores 175

3 Orchestral Music 177

4 Chamber Music 180

5 Keyboard Music 181

C Specific CompositionsmdashVocal Music 185

1 Operas 185

2 Choral 186

3 Songs 186

VI Topical Studies 189

A Copland as Americanist 189

B Copland as Conductor 191

C Copland as CriticCommentatorAuthor 191

D Copland as MentorTeacher 193

VII Tributes and Obituaries 194

VIII Foreign Language Sources 197

IX Bibliographies and Discographies 198

Author Index 199

Title Index 202

Subject Index 204

About the Authors 209

Titles in Series 210

vi

Preface

Aaron Copland is generally considered the most popular and bestknown composer of American art music Although manyAmericans are familiar with his musicmdashwhether from concertstelevision commercials or film spin-offsmdashscholarly evaluation ofCopland and his works waned after the 1950s Until themid-1980s most overviews of Coplandrsquos oeuvre were found eitherin music history texts among the obligatory three pages percomposer or in the two classic monographs completed in the1950s prior to the conclusion of Coplandrsquos career1 Coplandrsquosexhaustive two-volume autobiography coauthored with VivianPerlis2 Howard Pollackrsquos definitive biography3 and recentdissertations and theses by a new generation of scholars suggest acurrent resurgence of interest in Copland

Ironically while Coplandrsquos compositions traditionally havereceived relatively little attention in the specialist literature theopposite problemmdashthat of perhaps too much exposuremdashexistswhen tributes to Copland announcements of his activities orreviews of his compositions are concerned Practically everymusical journal announced his momentous birthdays every fiveyears while most ensembles from high schools to professionalorchestras have at some time programmed his compositions Theprimary purpose of Aaron Copland A Guide to Research is todirect readers to significant sources for information on Coplandrsquoslife compositions musical activities and cultural context

In Aaron Copland A Guide to Research the chapterorganization reflects an ordering of bibliographic importancemoving from general information on Copland to primary and thensecondary sources Section II ldquoChronology of Life and Worksrdquo isa chronological chart simultaneously representing three concurrentspheres of Coplandrsquos career biography compositions and

writings The chart makes tangible the methodological convictionthat Coplandrsquos life can best be studied in the context of hiscompositions and writings and vice versa It is assumed that thereader will consult the article on Copland by William Austin in theNew Grove Dictionary of American Music4 or similar works citedin Section IV for prose biographies In addition the reader shouldconsult the New Grove Dictionary of American Music JoannSkowronskirsquos Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography5 or PollackrsquosAaron Copland The Life and Work of an Uncommon Man for awork-list containing information on manuscripts and premieresThe chronological compilation of Coplandrsquos writings in Section IIshould be cross-referenced with the alphabetical annotations inSection III Section I ldquoA Guide to Studies on Aaron Coplandrdquo is asurvey of trends in research with suggestions for additionalavenues of exploration

Section III ldquoPrimary SourcesmdashCoplandrsquos Writingsrdquo is acomprehensive list with annotations of Coplandrsquos published andunpublished books articles essays and interviews6 The principalresources for Section III were the Guide to the Aaron CoplandCollection at the Library of Congress (available in the MusicDivision of the Library of Congress) The Music Index AaronCopland A Bio-Bibliography and bibliographies in secondarysources At the time that Skowronskirsquos Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography was written before Coplandrsquos death many of hismanuscripts had not been transferred to the Library of CongressBecause Coplandrsquos writings often were published outside of thetraditional musical literature the comprehensive listings of thissection were previously impossible without full access to hismanuscripts and the proliferation of electronic databasesSection III also includes unpublished manuscripts of articles andessays held in the Copland Collection chronicling the full extentof Coplandrsquos literary activities7 It is hoped that future scholarsmay locate publication data for those manuscripts currentlycataloged as unpublished or undated

The selection criteria for citations in the chapters of secondarysources are necessarily different than those for the comprehensiveprimary source chapter Skowronskirsquos Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography is commendably thorough through 1984 SinceAaron Copland A Guide to Research is meant to complementrather than duplicate Skowronskirsquos effort the majority of thecitations refer to significant secondary sources written since 1983mdash

viii

writings encompassing the end of Coplandrsquos career his death in1990 and the concurrent revival of scholarly interest leading up tothe centenary of his birth in 20008 The citations since 1983 wereculled from The Music Index RILM Abstracts DissertationAbstracts International and Humanities Index The secondarysource material prior to 1983 is extremely selectivemdashworks eitherprimarily or exclusively about Coplandmdashand is culled mainly fromRILM Abstracts The reader should consult Skowronskirsquosbibliography for additional sources prior to 1983 Secondarysources are limited primarily to books articles and dissertationsor theses in English for newspaper references such as society newsand book performance or record reviews readers should consultSkowronskirsquos bibliography and newspaper indices such as TheNew York Times Index9

Section IV ldquoSecondary SourcesmdashGeneral Studies on CoplandrsquosLife and Milieurdquo is arranged by bibliographic importance fromcomprehensive studies to significant references in monographs tomajor articles in journals encyclopedias Web sites andvideotapes Section V ldquoSecondary SourcesmdashWritings aboutCoplandrsquos Compositionsrdquo is organized from larger compositionalissues to examinations of specific genres or works Section VIldquoTopical Studiesrdquo reflects Coplandrsquos multidisciplinarycontributions within the superstructure of American musicalculture an issue about which he wrote passionately We hope thatby organizing Section VI topically we prompt future scholars tobegin thorough explorations of the full range of Coplandrsquoscontributions as conductor critic commentator author mentorand teacher in addition to composer and musician

Section VII is a listing of tributes and obituaries which are notannotated because of the repetitive content of the sourcesAlthough Aaron Copland A Guide to Research was not initiallylimited to English-language secondary sources the presence of onlyone reference in Section VIII confirms that the significant researchon Copland readily available in North American libraries throughinterlibrary loan is almost exclusively published in EnglishBecause of the meteoric rate of change in the recording industryCoplandrsquos recordings are not annotated instead historicaldiscographies and Internet locations functioning as currentdiscographies are included with traditional bibliographies inSection IX An extensive subject index is included with thetraditional author and title indexes As a result future scholars can

ix

analyze topical writings by Copland in conjunction with hisconcurrent compositions and related secondary source researchmdashwhether on the development of South American music theinstitution of musical criticism in the United States or thepromotion of an identifiably American music

Finally we both would like to acknowledge the financialassistance of Gettysburg College and Western Maryland College insupport of Aaron Copland A Guide to Research In addition wewould like to thank our students especially Karen Cook whohave helped in the research process

Notes

1 Arthur Berger Aaron Copland (New York Oxford University1953) and Julia FSmith Aaron Copland His Work andContribution to American Music (New York EPDutton 1955)

2 Aaron Copland and Vivian Perlis Copland 1900 through 1942(New York St MartinrsquosMarek 1984) and Aaron Copland andVivian Perlis Copland Since 1942 (New York St Martinrsquos 1989)

3 Howard Pollack Aaron Copland The Life and Work of anUncommon Man (New York Henry Holt 1999)

4 William H Austin ldquoCoplandrdquo vol 1 The New Grove Dictionaryof American Music ed HWiley Hitchcock and Stanley Sadie(London Macmillan 1986)

5 Joann Skowronski Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography (WestportCT Greenwood 1985)

6 Throughout Aaron Copland A Guide to Research annotations arebased on examination of the items unless stated otherwise Eachbibliographic entry contains pagination information anInternational Standard Book Number (ISBN) and Library ofCongress (LC) call number when appropriate

7 Coplandrsquos unpublished lectures speeches and correspondence arenot included in Section III because they are currently available onlyat the Library of Congress While this is also true of Coplandrsquosunpublished articles or essays we include them to illustrate thecomprehensive scope of his published writings many of theseunpublished manuscripts became drafts for later publications

8 The Interviews category in Section III is similarly selective9 Such secondary source material is occasionally annotated in Aaron

Copland A Guide to Research as are selected tributes orobituaries if the article includes significant historical information

x

AARON COPLAND

IA Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland

The house inside is comfortable clean-lineduncluttered The living-dining room has paintings onthe walls abstract and realistic ldquoThey donrsquot gotogetherrdquo said Aaron ldquoBut theyrsquore all painted by myfriendsrdquohellip The studio is dominated by the piano and alarge table-desk the composer has had for thirty yearsIt was made for him by another friend and has a doubletop in the space between he files letters and worksheets1

If a living and working space could be a metaphor for someonersquosprofessional career then Aaron Coplandrsquos home paralleled hislifelong musical concerns In his workspace his piano desk scoresletters books manuscripts recordings and a set of the GroveDictionary of Music and Musicians all coexisted Throughout hispersonal and professional life Copland similarly was surroundedby a context of friends students colleagues critics teacherslisteners readers lovers family commentators and musicians Hecomposed at the piano but the desk from which he conductedother musical activities simultaneously encapsulated a professionand a friendshipCoplandrsquos compositionsmdashsometimes atonal other times diatonicbut all communicative and sensitive to the musical purpose andmaterials of the compositionmdashare analogous to the pictures on hiswalls While a casual visitor perceived tension between the realisticand abstract paintings the works were united in the context ofgifts from friends In much the same way many commentatorshave categorized Coplandrsquos compositions as either programmaticor abstract failing to recognize the Americanism and individual

compositional stylemdashan aesthetic that like his home was ldquoclean-lined unclutteredrdquo2mdashthat unified Coplandrsquos works

So often academic research decontextualizes its subject in favorof structural analyses that prove the importance of the object beinganalyzed thus simultaneously elevating the researcher in theprocess Few composers will benefit more than Copland from thecurrent move of scholarly research toward increasingcontextualization and inclusivity Copland even when composinghis most erudite works was no ivory-tower composer His lifelongconcerns of musical communication promotion of the livingcomposer and establishment of an identifiably American musicalexpression placed him in the center of musical activity in theUnited States throughout much of the twentieth century

During his lifetime Copland chafed against his typecasting assolely a composer of Americana with its implications of frontiernarratives quotations of folk music and accessibility to the generallistener Similarly he challenged the dichotomization of his worksas either ldquoseriousrdquo or ldquopopularrdquo Although quipping ldquoI have asplit personalityrdquo3 Copland concluded the emendation ofldquoComposer from Brooklyn An Autobiographical Sketchrdquo bystating

I can only say that those commentators who would like tosplit me down the middle into two opposing personalitieswill get no encouragement from me I prefer to think that Iwrite my music from a single vision when the results differ itis because I take into account with each new piece thepurpose for which it is intended and the nature of themusical materials with which I begin to workhellip It bothersme not at all to realize that my range as composer includesboth accessible and problematic works4

Despite such statements scholars and critics frequently havereinforced the polarization of Coplandrsquos compositionssuperimposing musical dichotomiesmdashpopularseriousprogrammaticabstract tonalatonal and diatonicserialmdashondivisive chronological periods5 It seems neither profitable norappropriate to continue to study Copland in relative isolation orthrough outdated categoriza tions especially when thedocumentary record left by Copland suggests otherwise

2 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

Recent research on Copland has begun to emphasize the unitiesamong his works whether through compositional style orAmericanism As Larry Starr has argued it is precisely theheterogeneity of Coplandrsquos compositions reflecting the diversityand plurality of American culture that unifies and defines hismusical Americanism6 Underlying the heterogeneity and supposeddichotomies Starr identified a pervasive Coplandesque style basedon ldquomelodic variationmdashwhere a basic cell is gradually expandedinto a longer unit (without departing too far from the content ofthe basic cell itself) through a process of repetition reordering andthe accretion or interpolation of new elementsrdquo7 A profitabledirection for future research is to apply the compositionalprinciples identified by Copland and Starr not just to individualpieces but to chronological periods consisting of diverse genres orspecific genres crossing apparent compositional or chronologicalstyles

Given Coplandrsquos notoriety as a composer his relative scholarlyneglect indicates previous academic biases against much of hismusic As Starr stated the ldquospecifically American qualitiesrdquo ofCoplandrsquos music have led ldquoAmerican critics academics andintelligentsiardquo to undervalue his compositions8 The scholarlyunderevaluation of Copland is intensified in his collaborativeworks because of their ldquofunctionalrdquo associations and in hisldquoAmericanardquo scores because of their popular appeal The scholarlybias toward decontextualized theoretical analyses of Coplandrsquosabstract works is also clear The challenge of future Coplandstudies is to bridge the gap between the now-dated dichotomiesmdashto contextualize (even humanize) the theoretical analyses appliedto abstract compositions and to develop critical methodologiesthat substantiate the collaborative and multidisciplinarycompositions With all of Coplandrsquos manuscripts and letters nowavailable at the Library of Congress in addition to his publishedcompositions and unpublished musical manuscripts it is possibleto evaluate Coplandrsquos musical contributions in the context of hisother professional and personal activities

Aaron Copland A Guide to Research has been designed toassess the areas of Coplandrsquos compositional and professionalcareer that have been neglected in scholarly study In Section II thechronological chart of Coplandrsquos biography compositions andwritings is intended to encourage the contextualization of allthree areas for future Copland studies The comprehensive

A GUIDE TO STUDIES ON AARON COPLAND 3

collection and annotation of Coplandrsquos published writings andunpublished manuscripts (Section III) allows not only access to thecontent of these writings but also the potential for future researchto address the scope of his literary efforts

A perusal of the secondary sources (Sections IVndashVI) suggestsmethodological avenues for continued exploration For example inSection IVA Howard Pollackrsquos definitive biography serves as amodel for contextualization of Coplandrsquos career within the spheresof his sexuality his artistic circles (especially dance) and hisliterary influences9 The works by Copland and Vivian Perlisprovide the commentary by Copland to support these expandeddirections In Section IVB Jennifer DeLapprsquos dissertation suggestsa profitable methodological model for balancing contextual andtheoretical analyses of specific compositions Previously articles byCarol Oja and Robert Parker have provided similar methodologicaldirections

Before a full syntheses of Coplandrsquos compositional style orevaluations of complete genres can be undertaken individualstudies of specific compositions must create the foundationSection V is structured to indicate the compositional techniquesgenres and individual works that have been most overlookedSection VB1 shows that this type of research on the individualballets has occurred Because of the interdisciplinary nature ofdance these studies tend to be relatively contextualized While thefilm scores and incidental music should present a similaropportunity studies of these genres lag behind since many of thescores remain unpublished in their entirety and because thesecompositions have not achieved repertory status as suites divorcedfrom their collaborative context Methodologies that unite themusical elements with the visual narrative and psychologicalcomponents of the film choreography or text need to be exploredfurther

Many of the studies of specific instrumental compositions reflectthe graduate degree requirements of academic institutionsInstrumental performers tend to study the repertoire of theirspecific instrument thus the solo repertorymdashthe ClarinetConcerto the Duo for flute and piano and especially the solopiano worksmdashhas received concentrated attention Singers choraldirectors and instrumental conductors have not similarly minedCoplandrsquos oeuvre For example no significant work has beenfocused specifically on Coplandrsquos orchestration one of the most

4 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

telling aspects of his unique compositional style While his twooperas and especially the Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson havebeen studied the remainder of Coplandrsquos vocal works awaitsubstantial examination

With recent efforts to contextualize Copland within a broadeneddefinition of musical Americanism Section VIA should becomemore substantial Additionally the corpus of Coplandrsquos writings ascritic commentator andor author needs to be examinedsystematically especially in conjunction with concurrentcompositions or musical activities10 Given that the final threedecades of Coplandrsquos professional life (1956ndash1983) centered on hisconducting rather than composing it is a major oversight that thisarea of his musical activities has not been studied Through hisconducting Coplandrsquos musical philosophies literally were takenfrom the written and musical page and put into motion Forexample the programming of concerts that Copland conductedreflects his lifelong commitment to the promotion of contemporarymusic particularly that of the living American composer

Similarly as ldquoDean of American Composersrdquo Coplandrsquos role ofmentor and teacher to young composers from as early as 1926through the mid-1960s has not been explored thoroughly Just asRobert Schumann promoted the compositional career of JohannesBrahms Copland did for four generations of young Americancomposers Each decade Copland routinely assessed the youngergeneration of composers listing almost exclusively men Was it hisamazing perceptivity or a self-fulfilling prophecy that such a highpercentage of these composers rose to national prominencemdashandwomen continued to compose in relative obscuritymdashthrough the1960s

As we begin the new century of research on Copland it is nolonger necessary to carry forward outdated assumptionsmdashwhethermethodological models obstinate categorizations of ldquoseriousrdquo andldquopopularrdquo music or other academic biases As each of the specificareas to which Copland contributed is better understood a fullsynthesis of his career can be realized

Let the latest research begin

A GUIDE TO STUDIES ON AARON COPLAND 5

Notes

1 Dorle JSoria ldquoArtistrsquos Liferdquo High FidelityMusical America 20(November 1970) MA-4 Soria described Aaron Coplandrsquos homenear Peek-skill New York during an interview conducted in 1970

2 Ibid3 Aaron Copland ldquoComposer from Brooklyn An Autobiographical

Sketchrdquo in The New Music 1900ndash1960 (New York WWNorton1968) 163

4 Ibid 1685 The traditional categorizations of Coplandrsquos compositions have

been called into question by authors such as Lawrence Starr whohas proposed elements of a unified compositional style (LawrenceStarr ldquoCoplandrsquos Stylerdquo Perspectives of New Music 19 [Fall-Winter 980] 87ndash88)

6 Larry Starr ldquoIves Gershwin and Copland Reflections on theStrange History of American Art Musicrdquo American Music 12(Summer 1994) 168ndash169 In this case ldquoAmericanismrdquo implies thelarger American musical palette referred to by Copland and Starrwhile ldquoAmericanardquo implies the specific expression of Americanismassociated with the frontier musical accessibility and the quotationof folk tunes

7 Ibid 1818 Ibid 1799 Howard Pollack Aaron Copland The Life and Work of an

Uncommon Man (New York Henry Holt 1999) Pollackrsquos bookinitiated the wave of research surrounding the centenary ofCoplandrsquos birth in 2000

10 Pollackrsquos biography does cover each of these areas but there isconsiderable room for systematic application of these musicalendeavors to individual compositions by Copland

6 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

• Book Cover
• Half-Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Composer Resource Manuals
• Contents
• Preface
• I A Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland

Published in 2001 byRoutledge

29 West 35th StreetNew York NY 10001

Published in in Great Britain byRoutledge

11 New Fetter LaneLondon EC4P 4EE

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor amp Francis Group

This edition published in the Taylor amp Francis e-Library 2005

ldquoTo purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor amp Francis orRoutledgersquos collection of thousands of eBooks please go to

wwweBookstoretandfcoukrdquo

Copyright copy 2001 by Marta Robertson and Robin Armstrong

All rights reserved No part of this book may be reprinted or reproducedor utilized in any form or by any electronic mechanical or other meansnow known or hereafter invented including photocopying and recordingor in any information storage or retrieval system without permission in

writing from the publisher

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataRobertson Marta

Aaron Copland a guide to reserachMarta Robertson andRobin Armstrong

p cmmdash(Composer resource manuals v 53) (Garlandreference library of the humanities vol 1957)

Includes bibliographical references and indexesDiscography p

ISBN 0-8153-2178-3 (alk paper)1 Copland Aaron 1900ndash1990mdashBibliography I Armstrong

Robin 1959ndash II Title III Series IV Routledge composerresource

manuals v 53ML134C66 R63 2000

01678092ndashdc21 99ndash089420

ISBN 0-203-90390-0 Master e-book ISBN

ISBN 0-203-90394-3 (Adobe eReader Format)

Composer Resource Manuals

In response to the growing need for bibliographic guidance to thevast literature on significant composers Routledge is publishing anextensive series of research guides This ongoing seriesencompasses more than 50 composers they represent Westernmusical tradition from the Renaissance to the present century

Each research guide offers a selective annotated list of writingsin all European languages about one or more composers Thereare also lists of works by the composers unless these are availableelsewhere Biographical sketches and guides to library resourcesorganizations and specialists are presented As appropriate to theindividual composer there are maps photographs or otherillustrative matter glossaries and indexes

Contents

Preface vii

I A Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland 1

II Chronology of Life and Works 7

III Primary SourcesmdashCoplandrsquos Writings 36

A Books and Essay Collections 36

B Articles and Essays 45

1 Copland as Sole Author 45

2 Copland and Coauthors 134

C Interviews 135

IV Secondary SourcesmdashGeneral Studies on CoplandrsquosLife and Milieu

152

A Biographies and Comprehensive Studies 152

B Significant References to Coplandrsquos Milieu 154

C Articles in Dictionaries Encyclopedias Work-Listsand Catalogs

159

D Web Sites 163

E Videotapes 165

V Secondary SourcesmdashWritings about CoplandrsquosCompositions

166

A Compositional Style 166

1 Compositional Technique Form Harmony andMelody

166

2 Orchestration 170

3 Americana and Folk Sources 170

B Specific CompositionsmdashInstrumental Music 171

1 Ballets 171

2 Film Scores 175

3 Orchestral Music 177

4 Chamber Music 180

5 Keyboard Music 181

C Specific CompositionsmdashVocal Music 185

1 Operas 185

2 Choral 186

3 Songs 186

VI Topical Studies 189

A Copland as Americanist 189

B Copland as Conductor 191

C Copland as CriticCommentatorAuthor 191

D Copland as MentorTeacher 193

VII Tributes and Obituaries 194

VIII Foreign Language Sources 197

IX Bibliographies and Discographies 198

Author Index 199

Title Index 202

Subject Index 204

About the Authors 209

Titles in Series 210

vi

Preface

Aaron Copland is generally considered the most popular and bestknown composer of American art music Although manyAmericans are familiar with his musicmdashwhether from concertstelevision commercials or film spin-offsmdashscholarly evaluation ofCopland and his works waned after the 1950s Until themid-1980s most overviews of Coplandrsquos oeuvre were found eitherin music history texts among the obligatory three pages percomposer or in the two classic monographs completed in the1950s prior to the conclusion of Coplandrsquos career1 Coplandrsquosexhaustive two-volume autobiography coauthored with VivianPerlis2 Howard Pollackrsquos definitive biography3 and recentdissertations and theses by a new generation of scholars suggest acurrent resurgence of interest in Copland

Ironically while Coplandrsquos compositions traditionally havereceived relatively little attention in the specialist literature theopposite problemmdashthat of perhaps too much exposuremdashexistswhen tributes to Copland announcements of his activities orreviews of his compositions are concerned Practically everymusical journal announced his momentous birthdays every fiveyears while most ensembles from high schools to professionalorchestras have at some time programmed his compositions Theprimary purpose of Aaron Copland A Guide to Research is todirect readers to significant sources for information on Coplandrsquoslife compositions musical activities and cultural context

In Aaron Copland A Guide to Research the chapterorganization reflects an ordering of bibliographic importancemoving from general information on Copland to primary and thensecondary sources Section II ldquoChronology of Life and Worksrdquo isa chronological chart simultaneously representing three concurrentspheres of Coplandrsquos career biography compositions and

writings The chart makes tangible the methodological convictionthat Coplandrsquos life can best be studied in the context of hiscompositions and writings and vice versa It is assumed that thereader will consult the article on Copland by William Austin in theNew Grove Dictionary of American Music4 or similar works citedin Section IV for prose biographies In addition the reader shouldconsult the New Grove Dictionary of American Music JoannSkowronskirsquos Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography5 or PollackrsquosAaron Copland The Life and Work of an Uncommon Man for awork-list containing information on manuscripts and premieresThe chronological compilation of Coplandrsquos writings in Section IIshould be cross-referenced with the alphabetical annotations inSection III Section I ldquoA Guide to Studies on Aaron Coplandrdquo is asurvey of trends in research with suggestions for additionalavenues of exploration

Section III ldquoPrimary SourcesmdashCoplandrsquos Writingsrdquo is acomprehensive list with annotations of Coplandrsquos published andunpublished books articles essays and interviews6 The principalresources for Section III were the Guide to the Aaron CoplandCollection at the Library of Congress (available in the MusicDivision of the Library of Congress) The Music Index AaronCopland A Bio-Bibliography and bibliographies in secondarysources At the time that Skowronskirsquos Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography was written before Coplandrsquos death many of hismanuscripts had not been transferred to the Library of CongressBecause Coplandrsquos writings often were published outside of thetraditional musical literature the comprehensive listings of thissection were previously impossible without full access to hismanuscripts and the proliferation of electronic databasesSection III also includes unpublished manuscripts of articles andessays held in the Copland Collection chronicling the full extentof Coplandrsquos literary activities7 It is hoped that future scholarsmay locate publication data for those manuscripts currentlycataloged as unpublished or undated

The selection criteria for citations in the chapters of secondarysources are necessarily different than those for the comprehensiveprimary source chapter Skowronskirsquos Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography is commendably thorough through 1984 SinceAaron Copland A Guide to Research is meant to complementrather than duplicate Skowronskirsquos effort the majority of thecitations refer to significant secondary sources written since 1983mdash

viii

writings encompassing the end of Coplandrsquos career his death in1990 and the concurrent revival of scholarly interest leading up tothe centenary of his birth in 20008 The citations since 1983 wereculled from The Music Index RILM Abstracts DissertationAbstracts International and Humanities Index The secondarysource material prior to 1983 is extremely selectivemdashworks eitherprimarily or exclusively about Coplandmdashand is culled mainly fromRILM Abstracts The reader should consult Skowronskirsquosbibliography for additional sources prior to 1983 Secondarysources are limited primarily to books articles and dissertationsor theses in English for newspaper references such as society newsand book performance or record reviews readers should consultSkowronskirsquos bibliography and newspaper indices such as TheNew York Times Index9

Section IV ldquoSecondary SourcesmdashGeneral Studies on CoplandrsquosLife and Milieurdquo is arranged by bibliographic importance fromcomprehensive studies to significant references in monographs tomajor articles in journals encyclopedias Web sites andvideotapes Section V ldquoSecondary SourcesmdashWritings aboutCoplandrsquos Compositionsrdquo is organized from larger compositionalissues to examinations of specific genres or works Section VIldquoTopical Studiesrdquo reflects Coplandrsquos multidisciplinarycontributions within the superstructure of American musicalculture an issue about which he wrote passionately We hope thatby organizing Section VI topically we prompt future scholars tobegin thorough explorations of the full range of Coplandrsquoscontributions as conductor critic commentator author mentorand teacher in addition to composer and musician

Section VII is a listing of tributes and obituaries which are notannotated because of the repetitive content of the sourcesAlthough Aaron Copland A Guide to Research was not initiallylimited to English-language secondary sources the presence of onlyone reference in Section VIII confirms that the significant researchon Copland readily available in North American libraries throughinterlibrary loan is almost exclusively published in EnglishBecause of the meteoric rate of change in the recording industryCoplandrsquos recordings are not annotated instead historicaldiscographies and Internet locations functioning as currentdiscographies are included with traditional bibliographies inSection IX An extensive subject index is included with thetraditional author and title indexes As a result future scholars can

ix

analyze topical writings by Copland in conjunction with hisconcurrent compositions and related secondary source researchmdashwhether on the development of South American music theinstitution of musical criticism in the United States or thepromotion of an identifiably American music

Finally we both would like to acknowledge the financialassistance of Gettysburg College and Western Maryland College insupport of Aaron Copland A Guide to Research In addition wewould like to thank our students especially Karen Cook whohave helped in the research process

Notes

1 Arthur Berger Aaron Copland (New York Oxford University1953) and Julia FSmith Aaron Copland His Work andContribution to American Music (New York EPDutton 1955)

2 Aaron Copland and Vivian Perlis Copland 1900 through 1942(New York St MartinrsquosMarek 1984) and Aaron Copland andVivian Perlis Copland Since 1942 (New York St Martinrsquos 1989)

3 Howard Pollack Aaron Copland The Life and Work of anUncommon Man (New York Henry Holt 1999)

4 William H Austin ldquoCoplandrdquo vol 1 The New Grove Dictionaryof American Music ed HWiley Hitchcock and Stanley Sadie(London Macmillan 1986)

5 Joann Skowronski Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography (WestportCT Greenwood 1985)

6 Throughout Aaron Copland A Guide to Research annotations arebased on examination of the items unless stated otherwise Eachbibliographic entry contains pagination information anInternational Standard Book Number (ISBN) and Library ofCongress (LC) call number when appropriate

7 Coplandrsquos unpublished lectures speeches and correspondence arenot included in Section III because they are currently available onlyat the Library of Congress While this is also true of Coplandrsquosunpublished articles or essays we include them to illustrate thecomprehensive scope of his published writings many of theseunpublished manuscripts became drafts for later publications

8 The Interviews category in Section III is similarly selective9 Such secondary source material is occasionally annotated in Aaron

Copland A Guide to Research as are selected tributes orobituaries if the article includes significant historical information

x

AARON COPLAND

IA Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland

The house inside is comfortable clean-lineduncluttered The living-dining room has paintings onthe walls abstract and realistic ldquoThey donrsquot gotogetherrdquo said Aaron ldquoBut theyrsquore all painted by myfriendsrdquohellip The studio is dominated by the piano and alarge table-desk the composer has had for thirty yearsIt was made for him by another friend and has a doubletop in the space between he files letters and worksheets1

If a living and working space could be a metaphor for someonersquosprofessional career then Aaron Coplandrsquos home paralleled hislifelong musical concerns In his workspace his piano desk scoresletters books manuscripts recordings and a set of the GroveDictionary of Music and Musicians all coexisted Throughout hispersonal and professional life Copland similarly was surroundedby a context of friends students colleagues critics teacherslisteners readers lovers family commentators and musicians Hecomposed at the piano but the desk from which he conductedother musical activities simultaneously encapsulated a professionand a friendshipCoplandrsquos compositionsmdashsometimes atonal other times diatonicbut all communicative and sensitive to the musical purpose andmaterials of the compositionmdashare analogous to the pictures on hiswalls While a casual visitor perceived tension between the realisticand abstract paintings the works were united in the context ofgifts from friends In much the same way many commentatorshave categorized Coplandrsquos compositions as either programmaticor abstract failing to recognize the Americanism and individual

compositional stylemdashan aesthetic that like his home was ldquoclean-lined unclutteredrdquo2mdashthat unified Coplandrsquos works

So often academic research decontextualizes its subject in favorof structural analyses that prove the importance of the object beinganalyzed thus simultaneously elevating the researcher in theprocess Few composers will benefit more than Copland from thecurrent move of scholarly research toward increasingcontextualization and inclusivity Copland even when composinghis most erudite works was no ivory-tower composer His lifelongconcerns of musical communication promotion of the livingcomposer and establishment of an identifiably American musicalexpression placed him in the center of musical activity in theUnited States throughout much of the twentieth century

During his lifetime Copland chafed against his typecasting assolely a composer of Americana with its implications of frontiernarratives quotations of folk music and accessibility to the generallistener Similarly he challenged the dichotomization of his worksas either ldquoseriousrdquo or ldquopopularrdquo Although quipping ldquoI have asplit personalityrdquo3 Copland concluded the emendation ofldquoComposer from Brooklyn An Autobiographical Sketchrdquo bystating

I can only say that those commentators who would like tosplit me down the middle into two opposing personalitieswill get no encouragement from me I prefer to think that Iwrite my music from a single vision when the results differ itis because I take into account with each new piece thepurpose for which it is intended and the nature of themusical materials with which I begin to workhellip It bothersme not at all to realize that my range as composer includesboth accessible and problematic works4

Despite such statements scholars and critics frequently havereinforced the polarization of Coplandrsquos compositionssuperimposing musical dichotomiesmdashpopularseriousprogrammaticabstract tonalatonal and diatonicserialmdashondivisive chronological periods5 It seems neither profitable norappropriate to continue to study Copland in relative isolation orthrough outdated categoriza tions especially when thedocumentary record left by Copland suggests otherwise

2 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

Recent research on Copland has begun to emphasize the unitiesamong his works whether through compositional style orAmericanism As Larry Starr has argued it is precisely theheterogeneity of Coplandrsquos compositions reflecting the diversityand plurality of American culture that unifies and defines hismusical Americanism6 Underlying the heterogeneity and supposeddichotomies Starr identified a pervasive Coplandesque style basedon ldquomelodic variationmdashwhere a basic cell is gradually expandedinto a longer unit (without departing too far from the content ofthe basic cell itself) through a process of repetition reordering andthe accretion or interpolation of new elementsrdquo7 A profitabledirection for future research is to apply the compositionalprinciples identified by Copland and Starr not just to individualpieces but to chronological periods consisting of diverse genres orspecific genres crossing apparent compositional or chronologicalstyles

Given Coplandrsquos notoriety as a composer his relative scholarlyneglect indicates previous academic biases against much of hismusic As Starr stated the ldquospecifically American qualitiesrdquo ofCoplandrsquos music have led ldquoAmerican critics academics andintelligentsiardquo to undervalue his compositions8 The scholarlyunderevaluation of Copland is intensified in his collaborativeworks because of their ldquofunctionalrdquo associations and in hisldquoAmericanardquo scores because of their popular appeal The scholarlybias toward decontextualized theoretical analyses of Coplandrsquosabstract works is also clear The challenge of future Coplandstudies is to bridge the gap between the now-dated dichotomiesmdashto contextualize (even humanize) the theoretical analyses appliedto abstract compositions and to develop critical methodologiesthat substantiate the collaborative and multidisciplinarycompositions With all of Coplandrsquos manuscripts and letters nowavailable at the Library of Congress in addition to his publishedcompositions and unpublished musical manuscripts it is possibleto evaluate Coplandrsquos musical contributions in the context of hisother professional and personal activities

Aaron Copland A Guide to Research has been designed toassess the areas of Coplandrsquos compositional and professionalcareer that have been neglected in scholarly study In Section II thechronological chart of Coplandrsquos biography compositions andwritings is intended to encourage the contextualization of allthree areas for future Copland studies The comprehensive

A GUIDE TO STUDIES ON AARON COPLAND 3

collection and annotation of Coplandrsquos published writings andunpublished manuscripts (Section III) allows not only access to thecontent of these writings but also the potential for future researchto address the scope of his literary efforts

A perusal of the secondary sources (Sections IVndashVI) suggestsmethodological avenues for continued exploration For example inSection IVA Howard Pollackrsquos definitive biography serves as amodel for contextualization of Coplandrsquos career within the spheresof his sexuality his artistic circles (especially dance) and hisliterary influences9 The works by Copland and Vivian Perlisprovide the commentary by Copland to support these expandeddirections In Section IVB Jennifer DeLapprsquos dissertation suggestsa profitable methodological model for balancing contextual andtheoretical analyses of specific compositions Previously articles byCarol Oja and Robert Parker have provided similar methodologicaldirections

Before a full syntheses of Coplandrsquos compositional style orevaluations of complete genres can be undertaken individualstudies of specific compositions must create the foundationSection V is structured to indicate the compositional techniquesgenres and individual works that have been most overlookedSection VB1 shows that this type of research on the individualballets has occurred Because of the interdisciplinary nature ofdance these studies tend to be relatively contextualized While thefilm scores and incidental music should present a similaropportunity studies of these genres lag behind since many of thescores remain unpublished in their entirety and because thesecompositions have not achieved repertory status as suites divorcedfrom their collaborative context Methodologies that unite themusical elements with the visual narrative and psychologicalcomponents of the film choreography or text need to be exploredfurther

Many of the studies of specific instrumental compositions reflectthe graduate degree requirements of academic institutionsInstrumental performers tend to study the repertoire of theirspecific instrument thus the solo repertorymdashthe ClarinetConcerto the Duo for flute and piano and especially the solopiano worksmdashhas received concentrated attention Singers choraldirectors and instrumental conductors have not similarly minedCoplandrsquos oeuvre For example no significant work has beenfocused specifically on Coplandrsquos orchestration one of the most

4 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

telling aspects of his unique compositional style While his twooperas and especially the Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson havebeen studied the remainder of Coplandrsquos vocal works awaitsubstantial examination

With recent efforts to contextualize Copland within a broadeneddefinition of musical Americanism Section VIA should becomemore substantial Additionally the corpus of Coplandrsquos writings ascritic commentator andor author needs to be examinedsystematically especially in conjunction with concurrentcompositions or musical activities10 Given that the final threedecades of Coplandrsquos professional life (1956ndash1983) centered on hisconducting rather than composing it is a major oversight that thisarea of his musical activities has not been studied Through hisconducting Coplandrsquos musical philosophies literally were takenfrom the written and musical page and put into motion Forexample the programming of concerts that Copland conductedreflects his lifelong commitment to the promotion of contemporarymusic particularly that of the living American composer

Similarly as ldquoDean of American Composersrdquo Coplandrsquos role ofmentor and teacher to young composers from as early as 1926through the mid-1960s has not been explored thoroughly Just asRobert Schumann promoted the compositional career of JohannesBrahms Copland did for four generations of young Americancomposers Each decade Copland routinely assessed the youngergeneration of composers listing almost exclusively men Was it hisamazing perceptivity or a self-fulfilling prophecy that such a highpercentage of these composers rose to national prominencemdashandwomen continued to compose in relative obscuritymdashthrough the1960s

As we begin the new century of research on Copland it is nolonger necessary to carry forward outdated assumptionsmdashwhethermethodological models obstinate categorizations of ldquoseriousrdquo andldquopopularrdquo music or other academic biases As each of the specificareas to which Copland contributed is better understood a fullsynthesis of his career can be realized

Let the latest research begin

A GUIDE TO STUDIES ON AARON COPLAND 5

Notes

1 Dorle JSoria ldquoArtistrsquos Liferdquo High FidelityMusical America 20(November 1970) MA-4 Soria described Aaron Coplandrsquos homenear Peek-skill New York during an interview conducted in 1970

2 Ibid3 Aaron Copland ldquoComposer from Brooklyn An Autobiographical

Sketchrdquo in The New Music 1900ndash1960 (New York WWNorton1968) 163

4 Ibid 1685 The traditional categorizations of Coplandrsquos compositions have

been called into question by authors such as Lawrence Starr whohas proposed elements of a unified compositional style (LawrenceStarr ldquoCoplandrsquos Stylerdquo Perspectives of New Music 19 [Fall-Winter 980] 87ndash88)

6 Larry Starr ldquoIves Gershwin and Copland Reflections on theStrange History of American Art Musicrdquo American Music 12(Summer 1994) 168ndash169 In this case ldquoAmericanismrdquo implies thelarger American musical palette referred to by Copland and Starrwhile ldquoAmericanardquo implies the specific expression of Americanismassociated with the frontier musical accessibility and the quotationof folk tunes

7 Ibid 1818 Ibid 1799 Howard Pollack Aaron Copland The Life and Work of an

Uncommon Man (New York Henry Holt 1999) Pollackrsquos bookinitiated the wave of research surrounding the centenary ofCoplandrsquos birth in 2000

10 Pollackrsquos biography does cover each of these areas but there isconsiderable room for systematic application of these musicalendeavors to individual compositions by Copland

6 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

• Book Cover
• Half-Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Composer Resource Manuals
• Contents
• Preface
• I A Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland

Composer Resource Manuals

In response to the growing need for bibliographic guidance to thevast literature on significant composers Routledge is publishing anextensive series of research guides This ongoing seriesencompasses more than 50 composers they represent Westernmusical tradition from the Renaissance to the present century

Each research guide offers a selective annotated list of writingsin all European languages about one or more composers Thereare also lists of works by the composers unless these are availableelsewhere Biographical sketches and guides to library resourcesorganizations and specialists are presented As appropriate to theindividual composer there are maps photographs or otherillustrative matter glossaries and indexes

Contents

Preface vii

I A Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland 1

II Chronology of Life and Works 7

III Primary SourcesmdashCoplandrsquos Writings 36

A Books and Essay Collections 36

B Articles and Essays 45

1 Copland as Sole Author 45

2 Copland and Coauthors 134

C Interviews 135

IV Secondary SourcesmdashGeneral Studies on CoplandrsquosLife and Milieu

152

A Biographies and Comprehensive Studies 152

B Significant References to Coplandrsquos Milieu 154

C Articles in Dictionaries Encyclopedias Work-Listsand Catalogs

159

D Web Sites 163

E Videotapes 165

V Secondary SourcesmdashWritings about CoplandrsquosCompositions

166

A Compositional Style 166

1 Compositional Technique Form Harmony andMelody

166

2 Orchestration 170

3 Americana and Folk Sources 170

B Specific CompositionsmdashInstrumental Music 171

1 Ballets 171

2 Film Scores 175

3 Orchestral Music 177

4 Chamber Music 180

5 Keyboard Music 181

C Specific CompositionsmdashVocal Music 185

1 Operas 185

2 Choral 186

3 Songs 186

VI Topical Studies 189

A Copland as Americanist 189

B Copland as Conductor 191

C Copland as CriticCommentatorAuthor 191

D Copland as MentorTeacher 193

VII Tributes and Obituaries 194

VIII Foreign Language Sources 197

IX Bibliographies and Discographies 198

Author Index 199

Title Index 202

Subject Index 204

About the Authors 209

Titles in Series 210

vi

Preface

Aaron Copland is generally considered the most popular and bestknown composer of American art music Although manyAmericans are familiar with his musicmdashwhether from concertstelevision commercials or film spin-offsmdashscholarly evaluation ofCopland and his works waned after the 1950s Until themid-1980s most overviews of Coplandrsquos oeuvre were found eitherin music history texts among the obligatory three pages percomposer or in the two classic monographs completed in the1950s prior to the conclusion of Coplandrsquos career1 Coplandrsquosexhaustive two-volume autobiography coauthored with VivianPerlis2 Howard Pollackrsquos definitive biography3 and recentdissertations and theses by a new generation of scholars suggest acurrent resurgence of interest in Copland

Ironically while Coplandrsquos compositions traditionally havereceived relatively little attention in the specialist literature theopposite problemmdashthat of perhaps too much exposuremdashexistswhen tributes to Copland announcements of his activities orreviews of his compositions are concerned Practically everymusical journal announced his momentous birthdays every fiveyears while most ensembles from high schools to professionalorchestras have at some time programmed his compositions Theprimary purpose of Aaron Copland A Guide to Research is todirect readers to significant sources for information on Coplandrsquoslife compositions musical activities and cultural context

In Aaron Copland A Guide to Research the chapterorganization reflects an ordering of bibliographic importancemoving from general information on Copland to primary and thensecondary sources Section II ldquoChronology of Life and Worksrdquo isa chronological chart simultaneously representing three concurrentspheres of Coplandrsquos career biography compositions and

writings The chart makes tangible the methodological convictionthat Coplandrsquos life can best be studied in the context of hiscompositions and writings and vice versa It is assumed that thereader will consult the article on Copland by William Austin in theNew Grove Dictionary of American Music4 or similar works citedin Section IV for prose biographies In addition the reader shouldconsult the New Grove Dictionary of American Music JoannSkowronskirsquos Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography5 or PollackrsquosAaron Copland The Life and Work of an Uncommon Man for awork-list containing information on manuscripts and premieresThe chronological compilation of Coplandrsquos writings in Section IIshould be cross-referenced with the alphabetical annotations inSection III Section I ldquoA Guide to Studies on Aaron Coplandrdquo is asurvey of trends in research with suggestions for additionalavenues of exploration

Section III ldquoPrimary SourcesmdashCoplandrsquos Writingsrdquo is acomprehensive list with annotations of Coplandrsquos published andunpublished books articles essays and interviews6 The principalresources for Section III were the Guide to the Aaron CoplandCollection at the Library of Congress (available in the MusicDivision of the Library of Congress) The Music Index AaronCopland A Bio-Bibliography and bibliographies in secondarysources At the time that Skowronskirsquos Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography was written before Coplandrsquos death many of hismanuscripts had not been transferred to the Library of CongressBecause Coplandrsquos writings often were published outside of thetraditional musical literature the comprehensive listings of thissection were previously impossible without full access to hismanuscripts and the proliferation of electronic databasesSection III also includes unpublished manuscripts of articles andessays held in the Copland Collection chronicling the full extentof Coplandrsquos literary activities7 It is hoped that future scholarsmay locate publication data for those manuscripts currentlycataloged as unpublished or undated

The selection criteria for citations in the chapters of secondarysources are necessarily different than those for the comprehensiveprimary source chapter Skowronskirsquos Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography is commendably thorough through 1984 SinceAaron Copland A Guide to Research is meant to complementrather than duplicate Skowronskirsquos effort the majority of thecitations refer to significant secondary sources written since 1983mdash

viii

writings encompassing the end of Coplandrsquos career his death in1990 and the concurrent revival of scholarly interest leading up tothe centenary of his birth in 20008 The citations since 1983 wereculled from The Music Index RILM Abstracts DissertationAbstracts International and Humanities Index The secondarysource material prior to 1983 is extremely selectivemdashworks eitherprimarily or exclusively about Coplandmdashand is culled mainly fromRILM Abstracts The reader should consult Skowronskirsquosbibliography for additional sources prior to 1983 Secondarysources are limited primarily to books articles and dissertationsor theses in English for newspaper references such as society newsand book performance or record reviews readers should consultSkowronskirsquos bibliography and newspaper indices such as TheNew York Times Index9

Section IV ldquoSecondary SourcesmdashGeneral Studies on CoplandrsquosLife and Milieurdquo is arranged by bibliographic importance fromcomprehensive studies to significant references in monographs tomajor articles in journals encyclopedias Web sites andvideotapes Section V ldquoSecondary SourcesmdashWritings aboutCoplandrsquos Compositionsrdquo is organized from larger compositionalissues to examinations of specific genres or works Section VIldquoTopical Studiesrdquo reflects Coplandrsquos multidisciplinarycontributions within the superstructure of American musicalculture an issue about which he wrote passionately We hope thatby organizing Section VI topically we prompt future scholars tobegin thorough explorations of the full range of Coplandrsquoscontributions as conductor critic commentator author mentorand teacher in addition to composer and musician

Section VII is a listing of tributes and obituaries which are notannotated because of the repetitive content of the sourcesAlthough Aaron Copland A Guide to Research was not initiallylimited to English-language secondary sources the presence of onlyone reference in Section VIII confirms that the significant researchon Copland readily available in North American libraries throughinterlibrary loan is almost exclusively published in EnglishBecause of the meteoric rate of change in the recording industryCoplandrsquos recordings are not annotated instead historicaldiscographies and Internet locations functioning as currentdiscographies are included with traditional bibliographies inSection IX An extensive subject index is included with thetraditional author and title indexes As a result future scholars can

ix

analyze topical writings by Copland in conjunction with hisconcurrent compositions and related secondary source researchmdashwhether on the development of South American music theinstitution of musical criticism in the United States or thepromotion of an identifiably American music

Finally we both would like to acknowledge the financialassistance of Gettysburg College and Western Maryland College insupport of Aaron Copland A Guide to Research In addition wewould like to thank our students especially Karen Cook whohave helped in the research process

Notes

1 Arthur Berger Aaron Copland (New York Oxford University1953) and Julia FSmith Aaron Copland His Work andContribution to American Music (New York EPDutton 1955)

2 Aaron Copland and Vivian Perlis Copland 1900 through 1942(New York St MartinrsquosMarek 1984) and Aaron Copland andVivian Perlis Copland Since 1942 (New York St Martinrsquos 1989)

3 Howard Pollack Aaron Copland The Life and Work of anUncommon Man (New York Henry Holt 1999)

4 William H Austin ldquoCoplandrdquo vol 1 The New Grove Dictionaryof American Music ed HWiley Hitchcock and Stanley Sadie(London Macmillan 1986)

5 Joann Skowronski Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography (WestportCT Greenwood 1985)

6 Throughout Aaron Copland A Guide to Research annotations arebased on examination of the items unless stated otherwise Eachbibliographic entry contains pagination information anInternational Standard Book Number (ISBN) and Library ofCongress (LC) call number when appropriate

7 Coplandrsquos unpublished lectures speeches and correspondence arenot included in Section III because they are currently available onlyat the Library of Congress While this is also true of Coplandrsquosunpublished articles or essays we include them to illustrate thecomprehensive scope of his published writings many of theseunpublished manuscripts became drafts for later publications

8 The Interviews category in Section III is similarly selective9 Such secondary source material is occasionally annotated in Aaron

Copland A Guide to Research as are selected tributes orobituaries if the article includes significant historical information

x

AARON COPLAND

IA Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland

The house inside is comfortable clean-lineduncluttered The living-dining room has paintings onthe walls abstract and realistic ldquoThey donrsquot gotogetherrdquo said Aaron ldquoBut theyrsquore all painted by myfriendsrdquohellip The studio is dominated by the piano and alarge table-desk the composer has had for thirty yearsIt was made for him by another friend and has a doubletop in the space between he files letters and worksheets1

If a living and working space could be a metaphor for someonersquosprofessional career then Aaron Coplandrsquos home paralleled hislifelong musical concerns In his workspace his piano desk scoresletters books manuscripts recordings and a set of the GroveDictionary of Music and Musicians all coexisted Throughout hispersonal and professional life Copland similarly was surroundedby a context of friends students colleagues critics teacherslisteners readers lovers family commentators and musicians Hecomposed at the piano but the desk from which he conductedother musical activities simultaneously encapsulated a professionand a friendshipCoplandrsquos compositionsmdashsometimes atonal other times diatonicbut all communicative and sensitive to the musical purpose andmaterials of the compositionmdashare analogous to the pictures on hiswalls While a casual visitor perceived tension between the realisticand abstract paintings the works were united in the context ofgifts from friends In much the same way many commentatorshave categorized Coplandrsquos compositions as either programmaticor abstract failing to recognize the Americanism and individual

compositional stylemdashan aesthetic that like his home was ldquoclean-lined unclutteredrdquo2mdashthat unified Coplandrsquos works

So often academic research decontextualizes its subject in favorof structural analyses that prove the importance of the object beinganalyzed thus simultaneously elevating the researcher in theprocess Few composers will benefit more than Copland from thecurrent move of scholarly research toward increasingcontextualization and inclusivity Copland even when composinghis most erudite works was no ivory-tower composer His lifelongconcerns of musical communication promotion of the livingcomposer and establishment of an identifiably American musicalexpression placed him in the center of musical activity in theUnited States throughout much of the twentieth century

During his lifetime Copland chafed against his typecasting assolely a composer of Americana with its implications of frontiernarratives quotations of folk music and accessibility to the generallistener Similarly he challenged the dichotomization of his worksas either ldquoseriousrdquo or ldquopopularrdquo Although quipping ldquoI have asplit personalityrdquo3 Copland concluded the emendation ofldquoComposer from Brooklyn An Autobiographical Sketchrdquo bystating

I can only say that those commentators who would like tosplit me down the middle into two opposing personalitieswill get no encouragement from me I prefer to think that Iwrite my music from a single vision when the results differ itis because I take into account with each new piece thepurpose for which it is intended and the nature of themusical materials with which I begin to workhellip It bothersme not at all to realize that my range as composer includesboth accessible and problematic works4

Despite such statements scholars and critics frequently havereinforced the polarization of Coplandrsquos compositionssuperimposing musical dichotomiesmdashpopularseriousprogrammaticabstract tonalatonal and diatonicserialmdashondivisive chronological periods5 It seems neither profitable norappropriate to continue to study Copland in relative isolation orthrough outdated categoriza tions especially when thedocumentary record left by Copland suggests otherwise

2 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

Recent research on Copland has begun to emphasize the unitiesamong his works whether through compositional style orAmericanism As Larry Starr has argued it is precisely theheterogeneity of Coplandrsquos compositions reflecting the diversityand plurality of American culture that unifies and defines hismusical Americanism6 Underlying the heterogeneity and supposeddichotomies Starr identified a pervasive Coplandesque style basedon ldquomelodic variationmdashwhere a basic cell is gradually expandedinto a longer unit (without departing too far from the content ofthe basic cell itself) through a process of repetition reordering andthe accretion or interpolation of new elementsrdquo7 A profitabledirection for future research is to apply the compositionalprinciples identified by Copland and Starr not just to individualpieces but to chronological periods consisting of diverse genres orspecific genres crossing apparent compositional or chronologicalstyles

Given Coplandrsquos notoriety as a composer his relative scholarlyneglect indicates previous academic biases against much of hismusic As Starr stated the ldquospecifically American qualitiesrdquo ofCoplandrsquos music have led ldquoAmerican critics academics andintelligentsiardquo to undervalue his compositions8 The scholarlyunderevaluation of Copland is intensified in his collaborativeworks because of their ldquofunctionalrdquo associations and in hisldquoAmericanardquo scores because of their popular appeal The scholarlybias toward decontextualized theoretical analyses of Coplandrsquosabstract works is also clear The challenge of future Coplandstudies is to bridge the gap between the now-dated dichotomiesmdashto contextualize (even humanize) the theoretical analyses appliedto abstract compositions and to develop critical methodologiesthat substantiate the collaborative and multidisciplinarycompositions With all of Coplandrsquos manuscripts and letters nowavailable at the Library of Congress in addition to his publishedcompositions and unpublished musical manuscripts it is possibleto evaluate Coplandrsquos musical contributions in the context of hisother professional and personal activities

Aaron Copland A Guide to Research has been designed toassess the areas of Coplandrsquos compositional and professionalcareer that have been neglected in scholarly study In Section II thechronological chart of Coplandrsquos biography compositions andwritings is intended to encourage the contextualization of allthree areas for future Copland studies The comprehensive

A GUIDE TO STUDIES ON AARON COPLAND 3

collection and annotation of Coplandrsquos published writings andunpublished manuscripts (Section III) allows not only access to thecontent of these writings but also the potential for future researchto address the scope of his literary efforts

A perusal of the secondary sources (Sections IVndashVI) suggestsmethodological avenues for continued exploration For example inSection IVA Howard Pollackrsquos definitive biography serves as amodel for contextualization of Coplandrsquos career within the spheresof his sexuality his artistic circles (especially dance) and hisliterary influences9 The works by Copland and Vivian Perlisprovide the commentary by Copland to support these expandeddirections In Section IVB Jennifer DeLapprsquos dissertation suggestsa profitable methodological model for balancing contextual andtheoretical analyses of specific compositions Previously articles byCarol Oja and Robert Parker have provided similar methodologicaldirections

Before a full syntheses of Coplandrsquos compositional style orevaluations of complete genres can be undertaken individualstudies of specific compositions must create the foundationSection V is structured to indicate the compositional techniquesgenres and individual works that have been most overlookedSection VB1 shows that this type of research on the individualballets has occurred Because of the interdisciplinary nature ofdance these studies tend to be relatively contextualized While thefilm scores and incidental music should present a similaropportunity studies of these genres lag behind since many of thescores remain unpublished in their entirety and because thesecompositions have not achieved repertory status as suites divorcedfrom their collaborative context Methodologies that unite themusical elements with the visual narrative and psychologicalcomponents of the film choreography or text need to be exploredfurther

Many of the studies of specific instrumental compositions reflectthe graduate degree requirements of academic institutionsInstrumental performers tend to study the repertoire of theirspecific instrument thus the solo repertorymdashthe ClarinetConcerto the Duo for flute and piano and especially the solopiano worksmdashhas received concentrated attention Singers choraldirectors and instrumental conductors have not similarly minedCoplandrsquos oeuvre For example no significant work has beenfocused specifically on Coplandrsquos orchestration one of the most

4 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

telling aspects of his unique compositional style While his twooperas and especially the Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson havebeen studied the remainder of Coplandrsquos vocal works awaitsubstantial examination

With recent efforts to contextualize Copland within a broadeneddefinition of musical Americanism Section VIA should becomemore substantial Additionally the corpus of Coplandrsquos writings ascritic commentator andor author needs to be examinedsystematically especially in conjunction with concurrentcompositions or musical activities10 Given that the final threedecades of Coplandrsquos professional life (1956ndash1983) centered on hisconducting rather than composing it is a major oversight that thisarea of his musical activities has not been studied Through hisconducting Coplandrsquos musical philosophies literally were takenfrom the written and musical page and put into motion Forexample the programming of concerts that Copland conductedreflects his lifelong commitment to the promotion of contemporarymusic particularly that of the living American composer

Similarly as ldquoDean of American Composersrdquo Coplandrsquos role ofmentor and teacher to young composers from as early as 1926through the mid-1960s has not been explored thoroughly Just asRobert Schumann promoted the compositional career of JohannesBrahms Copland did for four generations of young Americancomposers Each decade Copland routinely assessed the youngergeneration of composers listing almost exclusively men Was it hisamazing perceptivity or a self-fulfilling prophecy that such a highpercentage of these composers rose to national prominencemdashandwomen continued to compose in relative obscuritymdashthrough the1960s

As we begin the new century of research on Copland it is nolonger necessary to carry forward outdated assumptionsmdashwhethermethodological models obstinate categorizations of ldquoseriousrdquo andldquopopularrdquo music or other academic biases As each of the specificareas to which Copland contributed is better understood a fullsynthesis of his career can be realized

Let the latest research begin

A GUIDE TO STUDIES ON AARON COPLAND 5

Notes

1 Dorle JSoria ldquoArtistrsquos Liferdquo High FidelityMusical America 20(November 1970) MA-4 Soria described Aaron Coplandrsquos homenear Peek-skill New York during an interview conducted in 1970

2 Ibid3 Aaron Copland ldquoComposer from Brooklyn An Autobiographical

Sketchrdquo in The New Music 1900ndash1960 (New York WWNorton1968) 163

4 Ibid 1685 The traditional categorizations of Coplandrsquos compositions have

been called into question by authors such as Lawrence Starr whohas proposed elements of a unified compositional style (LawrenceStarr ldquoCoplandrsquos Stylerdquo Perspectives of New Music 19 [Fall-Winter 980] 87ndash88)

6 Larry Starr ldquoIves Gershwin and Copland Reflections on theStrange History of American Art Musicrdquo American Music 12(Summer 1994) 168ndash169 In this case ldquoAmericanismrdquo implies thelarger American musical palette referred to by Copland and Starrwhile ldquoAmericanardquo implies the specific expression of Americanismassociated with the frontier musical accessibility and the quotationof folk tunes

7 Ibid 1818 Ibid 1799 Howard Pollack Aaron Copland The Life and Work of an

Uncommon Man (New York Henry Holt 1999) Pollackrsquos bookinitiated the wave of research surrounding the centenary ofCoplandrsquos birth in 2000

10 Pollackrsquos biography does cover each of these areas but there isconsiderable room for systematic application of these musicalendeavors to individual compositions by Copland

6 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

• Book Cover
• Half-Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Composer Resource Manuals
• Contents
• Preface
• I A Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland

Contents

Preface vii

I A Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland 1

II Chronology of Life and Works 7

III Primary SourcesmdashCoplandrsquos Writings 36

A Books and Essay Collections 36

B Articles and Essays 45

1 Copland as Sole Author 45

2 Copland and Coauthors 134

C Interviews 135

IV Secondary SourcesmdashGeneral Studies on CoplandrsquosLife and Milieu

152

A Biographies and Comprehensive Studies 152

B Significant References to Coplandrsquos Milieu 154

C Articles in Dictionaries Encyclopedias Work-Listsand Catalogs

159

D Web Sites 163

E Videotapes 165

V Secondary SourcesmdashWritings about CoplandrsquosCompositions

166

A Compositional Style 166

1 Compositional Technique Form Harmony andMelody

166

2 Orchestration 170

3 Americana and Folk Sources 170

B Specific CompositionsmdashInstrumental Music 171

1 Ballets 171

2 Film Scores 175

3 Orchestral Music 177

4 Chamber Music 180

5 Keyboard Music 181

C Specific CompositionsmdashVocal Music 185

1 Operas 185

2 Choral 186

3 Songs 186

VI Topical Studies 189

A Copland as Americanist 189

B Copland as Conductor 191

C Copland as CriticCommentatorAuthor 191

D Copland as MentorTeacher 193

VII Tributes and Obituaries 194

VIII Foreign Language Sources 197

IX Bibliographies and Discographies 198

Author Index 199

Title Index 202

Subject Index 204

About the Authors 209

Titles in Series 210

vi

Preface

Aaron Copland is generally considered the most popular and bestknown composer of American art music Although manyAmericans are familiar with his musicmdashwhether from concertstelevision commercials or film spin-offsmdashscholarly evaluation ofCopland and his works waned after the 1950s Until themid-1980s most overviews of Coplandrsquos oeuvre were found eitherin music history texts among the obligatory three pages percomposer or in the two classic monographs completed in the1950s prior to the conclusion of Coplandrsquos career1 Coplandrsquosexhaustive two-volume autobiography coauthored with VivianPerlis2 Howard Pollackrsquos definitive biography3 and recentdissertations and theses by a new generation of scholars suggest acurrent resurgence of interest in Copland

Ironically while Coplandrsquos compositions traditionally havereceived relatively little attention in the specialist literature theopposite problemmdashthat of perhaps too much exposuremdashexistswhen tributes to Copland announcements of his activities orreviews of his compositions are concerned Practically everymusical journal announced his momentous birthdays every fiveyears while most ensembles from high schools to professionalorchestras have at some time programmed his compositions Theprimary purpose of Aaron Copland A Guide to Research is todirect readers to significant sources for information on Coplandrsquoslife compositions musical activities and cultural context

In Aaron Copland A Guide to Research the chapterorganization reflects an ordering of bibliographic importancemoving from general information on Copland to primary and thensecondary sources Section II ldquoChronology of Life and Worksrdquo isa chronological chart simultaneously representing three concurrentspheres of Coplandrsquos career biography compositions and

writings The chart makes tangible the methodological convictionthat Coplandrsquos life can best be studied in the context of hiscompositions and writings and vice versa It is assumed that thereader will consult the article on Copland by William Austin in theNew Grove Dictionary of American Music4 or similar works citedin Section IV for prose biographies In addition the reader shouldconsult the New Grove Dictionary of American Music JoannSkowronskirsquos Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography5 or PollackrsquosAaron Copland The Life and Work of an Uncommon Man for awork-list containing information on manuscripts and premieresThe chronological compilation of Coplandrsquos writings in Section IIshould be cross-referenced with the alphabetical annotations inSection III Section I ldquoA Guide to Studies on Aaron Coplandrdquo is asurvey of trends in research with suggestions for additionalavenues of exploration

Section III ldquoPrimary SourcesmdashCoplandrsquos Writingsrdquo is acomprehensive list with annotations of Coplandrsquos published andunpublished books articles essays and interviews6 The principalresources for Section III were the Guide to the Aaron CoplandCollection at the Library of Congress (available in the MusicDivision of the Library of Congress) The Music Index AaronCopland A Bio-Bibliography and bibliographies in secondarysources At the time that Skowronskirsquos Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography was written before Coplandrsquos death many of hismanuscripts had not been transferred to the Library of CongressBecause Coplandrsquos writings often were published outside of thetraditional musical literature the comprehensive listings of thissection were previously impossible without full access to hismanuscripts and the proliferation of electronic databasesSection III also includes unpublished manuscripts of articles andessays held in the Copland Collection chronicling the full extentof Coplandrsquos literary activities7 It is hoped that future scholarsmay locate publication data for those manuscripts currentlycataloged as unpublished or undated

The selection criteria for citations in the chapters of secondarysources are necessarily different than those for the comprehensiveprimary source chapter Skowronskirsquos Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography is commendably thorough through 1984 SinceAaron Copland A Guide to Research is meant to complementrather than duplicate Skowronskirsquos effort the majority of thecitations refer to significant secondary sources written since 1983mdash

viii

writings encompassing the end of Coplandrsquos career his death in1990 and the concurrent revival of scholarly interest leading up tothe centenary of his birth in 20008 The citations since 1983 wereculled from The Music Index RILM Abstracts DissertationAbstracts International and Humanities Index The secondarysource material prior to 1983 is extremely selectivemdashworks eitherprimarily or exclusively about Coplandmdashand is culled mainly fromRILM Abstracts The reader should consult Skowronskirsquosbibliography for additional sources prior to 1983 Secondarysources are limited primarily to books articles and dissertationsor theses in English for newspaper references such as society newsand book performance or record reviews readers should consultSkowronskirsquos bibliography and newspaper indices such as TheNew York Times Index9

Section IV ldquoSecondary SourcesmdashGeneral Studies on CoplandrsquosLife and Milieurdquo is arranged by bibliographic importance fromcomprehensive studies to significant references in monographs tomajor articles in journals encyclopedias Web sites andvideotapes Section V ldquoSecondary SourcesmdashWritings aboutCoplandrsquos Compositionsrdquo is organized from larger compositionalissues to examinations of specific genres or works Section VIldquoTopical Studiesrdquo reflects Coplandrsquos multidisciplinarycontributions within the superstructure of American musicalculture an issue about which he wrote passionately We hope thatby organizing Section VI topically we prompt future scholars tobegin thorough explorations of the full range of Coplandrsquoscontributions as conductor critic commentator author mentorand teacher in addition to composer and musician

Section VII is a listing of tributes and obituaries which are notannotated because of the repetitive content of the sourcesAlthough Aaron Copland A Guide to Research was not initiallylimited to English-language secondary sources the presence of onlyone reference in Section VIII confirms that the significant researchon Copland readily available in North American libraries throughinterlibrary loan is almost exclusively published in EnglishBecause of the meteoric rate of change in the recording industryCoplandrsquos recordings are not annotated instead historicaldiscographies and Internet locations functioning as currentdiscographies are included with traditional bibliographies inSection IX An extensive subject index is included with thetraditional author and title indexes As a result future scholars can

ix

analyze topical writings by Copland in conjunction with hisconcurrent compositions and related secondary source researchmdashwhether on the development of South American music theinstitution of musical criticism in the United States or thepromotion of an identifiably American music

Finally we both would like to acknowledge the financialassistance of Gettysburg College and Western Maryland College insupport of Aaron Copland A Guide to Research In addition wewould like to thank our students especially Karen Cook whohave helped in the research process

Notes

1 Arthur Berger Aaron Copland (New York Oxford University1953) and Julia FSmith Aaron Copland His Work andContribution to American Music (New York EPDutton 1955)

2 Aaron Copland and Vivian Perlis Copland 1900 through 1942(New York St MartinrsquosMarek 1984) and Aaron Copland andVivian Perlis Copland Since 1942 (New York St Martinrsquos 1989)

3 Howard Pollack Aaron Copland The Life and Work of anUncommon Man (New York Henry Holt 1999)

4 William H Austin ldquoCoplandrdquo vol 1 The New Grove Dictionaryof American Music ed HWiley Hitchcock and Stanley Sadie(London Macmillan 1986)

5 Joann Skowronski Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography (WestportCT Greenwood 1985)

6 Throughout Aaron Copland A Guide to Research annotations arebased on examination of the items unless stated otherwise Eachbibliographic entry contains pagination information anInternational Standard Book Number (ISBN) and Library ofCongress (LC) call number when appropriate

7 Coplandrsquos unpublished lectures speeches and correspondence arenot included in Section III because they are currently available onlyat the Library of Congress While this is also true of Coplandrsquosunpublished articles or essays we include them to illustrate thecomprehensive scope of his published writings many of theseunpublished manuscripts became drafts for later publications

8 The Interviews category in Section III is similarly selective9 Such secondary source material is occasionally annotated in Aaron

Copland A Guide to Research as are selected tributes orobituaries if the article includes significant historical information

x

AARON COPLAND

IA Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland

The house inside is comfortable clean-lineduncluttered The living-dining room has paintings onthe walls abstract and realistic ldquoThey donrsquot gotogetherrdquo said Aaron ldquoBut theyrsquore all painted by myfriendsrdquohellip The studio is dominated by the piano and alarge table-desk the composer has had for thirty yearsIt was made for him by another friend and has a doubletop in the space between he files letters and worksheets1

If a living and working space could be a metaphor for someonersquosprofessional career then Aaron Coplandrsquos home paralleled hislifelong musical concerns In his workspace his piano desk scoresletters books manuscripts recordings and a set of the GroveDictionary of Music and Musicians all coexisted Throughout hispersonal and professional life Copland similarly was surroundedby a context of friends students colleagues critics teacherslisteners readers lovers family commentators and musicians Hecomposed at the piano but the desk from which he conductedother musical activities simultaneously encapsulated a professionand a friendshipCoplandrsquos compositionsmdashsometimes atonal other times diatonicbut all communicative and sensitive to the musical purpose andmaterials of the compositionmdashare analogous to the pictures on hiswalls While a casual visitor perceived tension between the realisticand abstract paintings the works were united in the context ofgifts from friends In much the same way many commentatorshave categorized Coplandrsquos compositions as either programmaticor abstract failing to recognize the Americanism and individual

compositional stylemdashan aesthetic that like his home was ldquoclean-lined unclutteredrdquo2mdashthat unified Coplandrsquos works

So often academic research decontextualizes its subject in favorof structural analyses that prove the importance of the object beinganalyzed thus simultaneously elevating the researcher in theprocess Few composers will benefit more than Copland from thecurrent move of scholarly research toward increasingcontextualization and inclusivity Copland even when composinghis most erudite works was no ivory-tower composer His lifelongconcerns of musical communication promotion of the livingcomposer and establishment of an identifiably American musicalexpression placed him in the center of musical activity in theUnited States throughout much of the twentieth century

During his lifetime Copland chafed against his typecasting assolely a composer of Americana with its implications of frontiernarratives quotations of folk music and accessibility to the generallistener Similarly he challenged the dichotomization of his worksas either ldquoseriousrdquo or ldquopopularrdquo Although quipping ldquoI have asplit personalityrdquo3 Copland concluded the emendation ofldquoComposer from Brooklyn An Autobiographical Sketchrdquo bystating

I can only say that those commentators who would like tosplit me down the middle into two opposing personalitieswill get no encouragement from me I prefer to think that Iwrite my music from a single vision when the results differ itis because I take into account with each new piece thepurpose for which it is intended and the nature of themusical materials with which I begin to workhellip It bothersme not at all to realize that my range as composer includesboth accessible and problematic works4

Despite such statements scholars and critics frequently havereinforced the polarization of Coplandrsquos compositionssuperimposing musical dichotomiesmdashpopularseriousprogrammaticabstract tonalatonal and diatonicserialmdashondivisive chronological periods5 It seems neither profitable norappropriate to continue to study Copland in relative isolation orthrough outdated categoriza tions especially when thedocumentary record left by Copland suggests otherwise

2 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

Recent research on Copland has begun to emphasize the unitiesamong his works whether through compositional style orAmericanism As Larry Starr has argued it is precisely theheterogeneity of Coplandrsquos compositions reflecting the diversityand plurality of American culture that unifies and defines hismusical Americanism6 Underlying the heterogeneity and supposeddichotomies Starr identified a pervasive Coplandesque style basedon ldquomelodic variationmdashwhere a basic cell is gradually expandedinto a longer unit (without departing too far from the content ofthe basic cell itself) through a process of repetition reordering andthe accretion or interpolation of new elementsrdquo7 A profitabledirection for future research is to apply the compositionalprinciples identified by Copland and Starr not just to individualpieces but to chronological periods consisting of diverse genres orspecific genres crossing apparent compositional or chronologicalstyles

Given Coplandrsquos notoriety as a composer his relative scholarlyneglect indicates previous academic biases against much of hismusic As Starr stated the ldquospecifically American qualitiesrdquo ofCoplandrsquos music have led ldquoAmerican critics academics andintelligentsiardquo to undervalue his compositions8 The scholarlyunderevaluation of Copland is intensified in his collaborativeworks because of their ldquofunctionalrdquo associations and in hisldquoAmericanardquo scores because of their popular appeal The scholarlybias toward decontextualized theoretical analyses of Coplandrsquosabstract works is also clear The challenge of future Coplandstudies is to bridge the gap between the now-dated dichotomiesmdashto contextualize (even humanize) the theoretical analyses appliedto abstract compositions and to develop critical methodologiesthat substantiate the collaborative and multidisciplinarycompositions With all of Coplandrsquos manuscripts and letters nowavailable at the Library of Congress in addition to his publishedcompositions and unpublished musical manuscripts it is possibleto evaluate Coplandrsquos musical contributions in the context of hisother professional and personal activities

Aaron Copland A Guide to Research has been designed toassess the areas of Coplandrsquos compositional and professionalcareer that have been neglected in scholarly study In Section II thechronological chart of Coplandrsquos biography compositions andwritings is intended to encourage the contextualization of allthree areas for future Copland studies The comprehensive

A GUIDE TO STUDIES ON AARON COPLAND 3

collection and annotation of Coplandrsquos published writings andunpublished manuscripts (Section III) allows not only access to thecontent of these writings but also the potential for future researchto address the scope of his literary efforts

A perusal of the secondary sources (Sections IVndashVI) suggestsmethodological avenues for continued exploration For example inSection IVA Howard Pollackrsquos definitive biography serves as amodel for contextualization of Coplandrsquos career within the spheresof his sexuality his artistic circles (especially dance) and hisliterary influences9 The works by Copland and Vivian Perlisprovide the commentary by Copland to support these expandeddirections In Section IVB Jennifer DeLapprsquos dissertation suggestsa profitable methodological model for balancing contextual andtheoretical analyses of specific compositions Previously articles byCarol Oja and Robert Parker have provided similar methodologicaldirections

Before a full syntheses of Coplandrsquos compositional style orevaluations of complete genres can be undertaken individualstudies of specific compositions must create the foundationSection V is structured to indicate the compositional techniquesgenres and individual works that have been most overlookedSection VB1 shows that this type of research on the individualballets has occurred Because of the interdisciplinary nature ofdance these studies tend to be relatively contextualized While thefilm scores and incidental music should present a similaropportunity studies of these genres lag behind since many of thescores remain unpublished in their entirety and because thesecompositions have not achieved repertory status as suites divorcedfrom their collaborative context Methodologies that unite themusical elements with the visual narrative and psychologicalcomponents of the film choreography or text need to be exploredfurther

Many of the studies of specific instrumental compositions reflectthe graduate degree requirements of academic institutionsInstrumental performers tend to study the repertoire of theirspecific instrument thus the solo repertorymdashthe ClarinetConcerto the Duo for flute and piano and especially the solopiano worksmdashhas received concentrated attention Singers choraldirectors and instrumental conductors have not similarly minedCoplandrsquos oeuvre For example no significant work has beenfocused specifically on Coplandrsquos orchestration one of the most

4 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

telling aspects of his unique compositional style While his twooperas and especially the Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson havebeen studied the remainder of Coplandrsquos vocal works awaitsubstantial examination

With recent efforts to contextualize Copland within a broadeneddefinition of musical Americanism Section VIA should becomemore substantial Additionally the corpus of Coplandrsquos writings ascritic commentator andor author needs to be examinedsystematically especially in conjunction with concurrentcompositions or musical activities10 Given that the final threedecades of Coplandrsquos professional life (1956ndash1983) centered on hisconducting rather than composing it is a major oversight that thisarea of his musical activities has not been studied Through hisconducting Coplandrsquos musical philosophies literally were takenfrom the written and musical page and put into motion Forexample the programming of concerts that Copland conductedreflects his lifelong commitment to the promotion of contemporarymusic particularly that of the living American composer

Similarly as ldquoDean of American Composersrdquo Coplandrsquos role ofmentor and teacher to young composers from as early as 1926through the mid-1960s has not been explored thoroughly Just asRobert Schumann promoted the compositional career of JohannesBrahms Copland did for four generations of young Americancomposers Each decade Copland routinely assessed the youngergeneration of composers listing almost exclusively men Was it hisamazing perceptivity or a self-fulfilling prophecy that such a highpercentage of these composers rose to national prominencemdashandwomen continued to compose in relative obscuritymdashthrough the1960s

As we begin the new century of research on Copland it is nolonger necessary to carry forward outdated assumptionsmdashwhethermethodological models obstinate categorizations of ldquoseriousrdquo andldquopopularrdquo music or other academic biases As each of the specificareas to which Copland contributed is better understood a fullsynthesis of his career can be realized

Let the latest research begin

A GUIDE TO STUDIES ON AARON COPLAND 5

Notes

1 Dorle JSoria ldquoArtistrsquos Liferdquo High FidelityMusical America 20(November 1970) MA-4 Soria described Aaron Coplandrsquos homenear Peek-skill New York during an interview conducted in 1970

2 Ibid3 Aaron Copland ldquoComposer from Brooklyn An Autobiographical

Sketchrdquo in The New Music 1900ndash1960 (New York WWNorton1968) 163

4 Ibid 1685 The traditional categorizations of Coplandrsquos compositions have

been called into question by authors such as Lawrence Starr whohas proposed elements of a unified compositional style (LawrenceStarr ldquoCoplandrsquos Stylerdquo Perspectives of New Music 19 [Fall-Winter 980] 87ndash88)

6 Larry Starr ldquoIves Gershwin and Copland Reflections on theStrange History of American Art Musicrdquo American Music 12(Summer 1994) 168ndash169 In this case ldquoAmericanismrdquo implies thelarger American musical palette referred to by Copland and Starrwhile ldquoAmericanardquo implies the specific expression of Americanismassociated with the frontier musical accessibility and the quotationof folk tunes

7 Ibid 1818 Ibid 1799 Howard Pollack Aaron Copland The Life and Work of an

Uncommon Man (New York Henry Holt 1999) Pollackrsquos bookinitiated the wave of research surrounding the centenary ofCoplandrsquos birth in 2000

10 Pollackrsquos biography does cover each of these areas but there isconsiderable room for systematic application of these musicalendeavors to individual compositions by Copland

6 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

• Book Cover
• Half-Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Composer Resource Manuals
• Contents
• Preface
• I A Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland

2 Orchestration 170

3 Americana and Folk Sources 170

B Specific CompositionsmdashInstrumental Music 171

1 Ballets 171

2 Film Scores 175

3 Orchestral Music 177

4 Chamber Music 180

5 Keyboard Music 181

C Specific CompositionsmdashVocal Music 185

1 Operas 185

2 Choral 186

3 Songs 186

VI Topical Studies 189

A Copland as Americanist 189

B Copland as Conductor 191

C Copland as CriticCommentatorAuthor 191

D Copland as MentorTeacher 193

VII Tributes and Obituaries 194

VIII Foreign Language Sources 197

IX Bibliographies and Discographies 198

Author Index 199

Title Index 202

Subject Index 204

About the Authors 209

Titles in Series 210

vi

Preface

Aaron Copland is generally considered the most popular and bestknown composer of American art music Although manyAmericans are familiar with his musicmdashwhether from concertstelevision commercials or film spin-offsmdashscholarly evaluation ofCopland and his works waned after the 1950s Until themid-1980s most overviews of Coplandrsquos oeuvre were found eitherin music history texts among the obligatory three pages percomposer or in the two classic monographs completed in the1950s prior to the conclusion of Coplandrsquos career1 Coplandrsquosexhaustive two-volume autobiography coauthored with VivianPerlis2 Howard Pollackrsquos definitive biography3 and recentdissertations and theses by a new generation of scholars suggest acurrent resurgence of interest in Copland

Ironically while Coplandrsquos compositions traditionally havereceived relatively little attention in the specialist literature theopposite problemmdashthat of perhaps too much exposuremdashexistswhen tributes to Copland announcements of his activities orreviews of his compositions are concerned Practically everymusical journal announced his momentous birthdays every fiveyears while most ensembles from high schools to professionalorchestras have at some time programmed his compositions Theprimary purpose of Aaron Copland A Guide to Research is todirect readers to significant sources for information on Coplandrsquoslife compositions musical activities and cultural context

In Aaron Copland A Guide to Research the chapterorganization reflects an ordering of bibliographic importancemoving from general information on Copland to primary and thensecondary sources Section II ldquoChronology of Life and Worksrdquo isa chronological chart simultaneously representing three concurrentspheres of Coplandrsquos career biography compositions and

writings The chart makes tangible the methodological convictionthat Coplandrsquos life can best be studied in the context of hiscompositions and writings and vice versa It is assumed that thereader will consult the article on Copland by William Austin in theNew Grove Dictionary of American Music4 or similar works citedin Section IV for prose biographies In addition the reader shouldconsult the New Grove Dictionary of American Music JoannSkowronskirsquos Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography5 or PollackrsquosAaron Copland The Life and Work of an Uncommon Man for awork-list containing information on manuscripts and premieresThe chronological compilation of Coplandrsquos writings in Section IIshould be cross-referenced with the alphabetical annotations inSection III Section I ldquoA Guide to Studies on Aaron Coplandrdquo is asurvey of trends in research with suggestions for additionalavenues of exploration

Section III ldquoPrimary SourcesmdashCoplandrsquos Writingsrdquo is acomprehensive list with annotations of Coplandrsquos published andunpublished books articles essays and interviews6 The principalresources for Section III were the Guide to the Aaron CoplandCollection at the Library of Congress (available in the MusicDivision of the Library of Congress) The Music Index AaronCopland A Bio-Bibliography and bibliographies in secondarysources At the time that Skowronskirsquos Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography was written before Coplandrsquos death many of hismanuscripts had not been transferred to the Library of CongressBecause Coplandrsquos writings often were published outside of thetraditional musical literature the comprehensive listings of thissection were previously impossible without full access to hismanuscripts and the proliferation of electronic databasesSection III also includes unpublished manuscripts of articles andessays held in the Copland Collection chronicling the full extentof Coplandrsquos literary activities7 It is hoped that future scholarsmay locate publication data for those manuscripts currentlycataloged as unpublished or undated

The selection criteria for citations in the chapters of secondarysources are necessarily different than those for the comprehensiveprimary source chapter Skowronskirsquos Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography is commendably thorough through 1984 SinceAaron Copland A Guide to Research is meant to complementrather than duplicate Skowronskirsquos effort the majority of thecitations refer to significant secondary sources written since 1983mdash

viii

writings encompassing the end of Coplandrsquos career his death in1990 and the concurrent revival of scholarly interest leading up tothe centenary of his birth in 20008 The citations since 1983 wereculled from The Music Index RILM Abstracts DissertationAbstracts International and Humanities Index The secondarysource material prior to 1983 is extremely selectivemdashworks eitherprimarily or exclusively about Coplandmdashand is culled mainly fromRILM Abstracts The reader should consult Skowronskirsquosbibliography for additional sources prior to 1983 Secondarysources are limited primarily to books articles and dissertationsor theses in English for newspaper references such as society newsand book performance or record reviews readers should consultSkowronskirsquos bibliography and newspaper indices such as TheNew York Times Index9

Section IV ldquoSecondary SourcesmdashGeneral Studies on CoplandrsquosLife and Milieurdquo is arranged by bibliographic importance fromcomprehensive studies to significant references in monographs tomajor articles in journals encyclopedias Web sites andvideotapes Section V ldquoSecondary SourcesmdashWritings aboutCoplandrsquos Compositionsrdquo is organized from larger compositionalissues to examinations of specific genres or works Section VIldquoTopical Studiesrdquo reflects Coplandrsquos multidisciplinarycontributions within the superstructure of American musicalculture an issue about which he wrote passionately We hope thatby organizing Section VI topically we prompt future scholars tobegin thorough explorations of the full range of Coplandrsquoscontributions as conductor critic commentator author mentorand teacher in addition to composer and musician

Section VII is a listing of tributes and obituaries which are notannotated because of the repetitive content of the sourcesAlthough Aaron Copland A Guide to Research was not initiallylimited to English-language secondary sources the presence of onlyone reference in Section VIII confirms that the significant researchon Copland readily available in North American libraries throughinterlibrary loan is almost exclusively published in EnglishBecause of the meteoric rate of change in the recording industryCoplandrsquos recordings are not annotated instead historicaldiscographies and Internet locations functioning as currentdiscographies are included with traditional bibliographies inSection IX An extensive subject index is included with thetraditional author and title indexes As a result future scholars can

ix

analyze topical writings by Copland in conjunction with hisconcurrent compositions and related secondary source researchmdashwhether on the development of South American music theinstitution of musical criticism in the United States or thepromotion of an identifiably American music

Finally we both would like to acknowledge the financialassistance of Gettysburg College and Western Maryland College insupport of Aaron Copland A Guide to Research In addition wewould like to thank our students especially Karen Cook whohave helped in the research process

Notes

1 Arthur Berger Aaron Copland (New York Oxford University1953) and Julia FSmith Aaron Copland His Work andContribution to American Music (New York EPDutton 1955)

2 Aaron Copland and Vivian Perlis Copland 1900 through 1942(New York St MartinrsquosMarek 1984) and Aaron Copland andVivian Perlis Copland Since 1942 (New York St Martinrsquos 1989)

3 Howard Pollack Aaron Copland The Life and Work of anUncommon Man (New York Henry Holt 1999)

4 William H Austin ldquoCoplandrdquo vol 1 The New Grove Dictionaryof American Music ed HWiley Hitchcock and Stanley Sadie(London Macmillan 1986)

5 Joann Skowronski Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography (WestportCT Greenwood 1985)

6 Throughout Aaron Copland A Guide to Research annotations arebased on examination of the items unless stated otherwise Eachbibliographic entry contains pagination information anInternational Standard Book Number (ISBN) and Library ofCongress (LC) call number when appropriate

7 Coplandrsquos unpublished lectures speeches and correspondence arenot included in Section III because they are currently available onlyat the Library of Congress While this is also true of Coplandrsquosunpublished articles or essays we include them to illustrate thecomprehensive scope of his published writings many of theseunpublished manuscripts became drafts for later publications

8 The Interviews category in Section III is similarly selective9 Such secondary source material is occasionally annotated in Aaron

Copland A Guide to Research as are selected tributes orobituaries if the article includes significant historical information

x

AARON COPLAND

IA Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland

The house inside is comfortable clean-lineduncluttered The living-dining room has paintings onthe walls abstract and realistic ldquoThey donrsquot gotogetherrdquo said Aaron ldquoBut theyrsquore all painted by myfriendsrdquohellip The studio is dominated by the piano and alarge table-desk the composer has had for thirty yearsIt was made for him by another friend and has a doubletop in the space between he files letters and worksheets1

If a living and working space could be a metaphor for someonersquosprofessional career then Aaron Coplandrsquos home paralleled hislifelong musical concerns In his workspace his piano desk scoresletters books manuscripts recordings and a set of the GroveDictionary of Music and Musicians all coexisted Throughout hispersonal and professional life Copland similarly was surroundedby a context of friends students colleagues critics teacherslisteners readers lovers family commentators and musicians Hecomposed at the piano but the desk from which he conductedother musical activities simultaneously encapsulated a professionand a friendshipCoplandrsquos compositionsmdashsometimes atonal other times diatonicbut all communicative and sensitive to the musical purpose andmaterials of the compositionmdashare analogous to the pictures on hiswalls While a casual visitor perceived tension between the realisticand abstract paintings the works were united in the context ofgifts from friends In much the same way many commentatorshave categorized Coplandrsquos compositions as either programmaticor abstract failing to recognize the Americanism and individual

compositional stylemdashan aesthetic that like his home was ldquoclean-lined unclutteredrdquo2mdashthat unified Coplandrsquos works

So often academic research decontextualizes its subject in favorof structural analyses that prove the importance of the object beinganalyzed thus simultaneously elevating the researcher in theprocess Few composers will benefit more than Copland from thecurrent move of scholarly research toward increasingcontextualization and inclusivity Copland even when composinghis most erudite works was no ivory-tower composer His lifelongconcerns of musical communication promotion of the livingcomposer and establishment of an identifiably American musicalexpression placed him in the center of musical activity in theUnited States throughout much of the twentieth century

During his lifetime Copland chafed against his typecasting assolely a composer of Americana with its implications of frontiernarratives quotations of folk music and accessibility to the generallistener Similarly he challenged the dichotomization of his worksas either ldquoseriousrdquo or ldquopopularrdquo Although quipping ldquoI have asplit personalityrdquo3 Copland concluded the emendation ofldquoComposer from Brooklyn An Autobiographical Sketchrdquo bystating

I can only say that those commentators who would like tosplit me down the middle into two opposing personalitieswill get no encouragement from me I prefer to think that Iwrite my music from a single vision when the results differ itis because I take into account with each new piece thepurpose for which it is intended and the nature of themusical materials with which I begin to workhellip It bothersme not at all to realize that my range as composer includesboth accessible and problematic works4

Despite such statements scholars and critics frequently havereinforced the polarization of Coplandrsquos compositionssuperimposing musical dichotomiesmdashpopularseriousprogrammaticabstract tonalatonal and diatonicserialmdashondivisive chronological periods5 It seems neither profitable norappropriate to continue to study Copland in relative isolation orthrough outdated categoriza tions especially when thedocumentary record left by Copland suggests otherwise

2 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

Recent research on Copland has begun to emphasize the unitiesamong his works whether through compositional style orAmericanism As Larry Starr has argued it is precisely theheterogeneity of Coplandrsquos compositions reflecting the diversityand plurality of American culture that unifies and defines hismusical Americanism6 Underlying the heterogeneity and supposeddichotomies Starr identified a pervasive Coplandesque style basedon ldquomelodic variationmdashwhere a basic cell is gradually expandedinto a longer unit (without departing too far from the content ofthe basic cell itself) through a process of repetition reordering andthe accretion or interpolation of new elementsrdquo7 A profitabledirection for future research is to apply the compositionalprinciples identified by Copland and Starr not just to individualpieces but to chronological periods consisting of diverse genres orspecific genres crossing apparent compositional or chronologicalstyles

Given Coplandrsquos notoriety as a composer his relative scholarlyneglect indicates previous academic biases against much of hismusic As Starr stated the ldquospecifically American qualitiesrdquo ofCoplandrsquos music have led ldquoAmerican critics academics andintelligentsiardquo to undervalue his compositions8 The scholarlyunderevaluation of Copland is intensified in his collaborativeworks because of their ldquofunctionalrdquo associations and in hisldquoAmericanardquo scores because of their popular appeal The scholarlybias toward decontextualized theoretical analyses of Coplandrsquosabstract works is also clear The challenge of future Coplandstudies is to bridge the gap between the now-dated dichotomiesmdashto contextualize (even humanize) the theoretical analyses appliedto abstract compositions and to develop critical methodologiesthat substantiate the collaborative and multidisciplinarycompositions With all of Coplandrsquos manuscripts and letters nowavailable at the Library of Congress in addition to his publishedcompositions and unpublished musical manuscripts it is possibleto evaluate Coplandrsquos musical contributions in the context of hisother professional and personal activities

Aaron Copland A Guide to Research has been designed toassess the areas of Coplandrsquos compositional and professionalcareer that have been neglected in scholarly study In Section II thechronological chart of Coplandrsquos biography compositions andwritings is intended to encourage the contextualization of allthree areas for future Copland studies The comprehensive

A GUIDE TO STUDIES ON AARON COPLAND 3

collection and annotation of Coplandrsquos published writings andunpublished manuscripts (Section III) allows not only access to thecontent of these writings but also the potential for future researchto address the scope of his literary efforts

A perusal of the secondary sources (Sections IVndashVI) suggestsmethodological avenues for continued exploration For example inSection IVA Howard Pollackrsquos definitive biography serves as amodel for contextualization of Coplandrsquos career within the spheresof his sexuality his artistic circles (especially dance) and hisliterary influences9 The works by Copland and Vivian Perlisprovide the commentary by Copland to support these expandeddirections In Section IVB Jennifer DeLapprsquos dissertation suggestsa profitable methodological model for balancing contextual andtheoretical analyses of specific compositions Previously articles byCarol Oja and Robert Parker have provided similar methodologicaldirections

Before a full syntheses of Coplandrsquos compositional style orevaluations of complete genres can be undertaken individualstudies of specific compositions must create the foundationSection V is structured to indicate the compositional techniquesgenres and individual works that have been most overlookedSection VB1 shows that this type of research on the individualballets has occurred Because of the interdisciplinary nature ofdance these studies tend to be relatively contextualized While thefilm scores and incidental music should present a similaropportunity studies of these genres lag behind since many of thescores remain unpublished in their entirety and because thesecompositions have not achieved repertory status as suites divorcedfrom their collaborative context Methodologies that unite themusical elements with the visual narrative and psychologicalcomponents of the film choreography or text need to be exploredfurther

Many of the studies of specific instrumental compositions reflectthe graduate degree requirements of academic institutionsInstrumental performers tend to study the repertoire of theirspecific instrument thus the solo repertorymdashthe ClarinetConcerto the Duo for flute and piano and especially the solopiano worksmdashhas received concentrated attention Singers choraldirectors and instrumental conductors have not similarly minedCoplandrsquos oeuvre For example no significant work has beenfocused specifically on Coplandrsquos orchestration one of the most

4 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

telling aspects of his unique compositional style While his twooperas and especially the Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson havebeen studied the remainder of Coplandrsquos vocal works awaitsubstantial examination

With recent efforts to contextualize Copland within a broadeneddefinition of musical Americanism Section VIA should becomemore substantial Additionally the corpus of Coplandrsquos writings ascritic commentator andor author needs to be examinedsystematically especially in conjunction with concurrentcompositions or musical activities10 Given that the final threedecades of Coplandrsquos professional life (1956ndash1983) centered on hisconducting rather than composing it is a major oversight that thisarea of his musical activities has not been studied Through hisconducting Coplandrsquos musical philosophies literally were takenfrom the written and musical page and put into motion Forexample the programming of concerts that Copland conductedreflects his lifelong commitment to the promotion of contemporarymusic particularly that of the living American composer

Similarly as ldquoDean of American Composersrdquo Coplandrsquos role ofmentor and teacher to young composers from as early as 1926through the mid-1960s has not been explored thoroughly Just asRobert Schumann promoted the compositional career of JohannesBrahms Copland did for four generations of young Americancomposers Each decade Copland routinely assessed the youngergeneration of composers listing almost exclusively men Was it hisamazing perceptivity or a self-fulfilling prophecy that such a highpercentage of these composers rose to national prominencemdashandwomen continued to compose in relative obscuritymdashthrough the1960s

As we begin the new century of research on Copland it is nolonger necessary to carry forward outdated assumptionsmdashwhethermethodological models obstinate categorizations of ldquoseriousrdquo andldquopopularrdquo music or other academic biases As each of the specificareas to which Copland contributed is better understood a fullsynthesis of his career can be realized

Let the latest research begin

A GUIDE TO STUDIES ON AARON COPLAND 5

Notes

1 Dorle JSoria ldquoArtistrsquos Liferdquo High FidelityMusical America 20(November 1970) MA-4 Soria described Aaron Coplandrsquos homenear Peek-skill New York during an interview conducted in 1970

2 Ibid3 Aaron Copland ldquoComposer from Brooklyn An Autobiographical

Sketchrdquo in The New Music 1900ndash1960 (New York WWNorton1968) 163

4 Ibid 1685 The traditional categorizations of Coplandrsquos compositions have

been called into question by authors such as Lawrence Starr whohas proposed elements of a unified compositional style (LawrenceStarr ldquoCoplandrsquos Stylerdquo Perspectives of New Music 19 [Fall-Winter 980] 87ndash88)

6 Larry Starr ldquoIves Gershwin and Copland Reflections on theStrange History of American Art Musicrdquo American Music 12(Summer 1994) 168ndash169 In this case ldquoAmericanismrdquo implies thelarger American musical palette referred to by Copland and Starrwhile ldquoAmericanardquo implies the specific expression of Americanismassociated with the frontier musical accessibility and the quotationof folk tunes

7 Ibid 1818 Ibid 1799 Howard Pollack Aaron Copland The Life and Work of an

Uncommon Man (New York Henry Holt 1999) Pollackrsquos bookinitiated the wave of research surrounding the centenary ofCoplandrsquos birth in 2000

10 Pollackrsquos biography does cover each of these areas but there isconsiderable room for systematic application of these musicalendeavors to individual compositions by Copland

6 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

• Book Cover
• Half-Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Composer Resource Manuals
• Contents
• Preface
• I A Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland

Preface

Aaron Copland is generally considered the most popular and bestknown composer of American art music Although manyAmericans are familiar with his musicmdashwhether from concertstelevision commercials or film spin-offsmdashscholarly evaluation ofCopland and his works waned after the 1950s Until themid-1980s most overviews of Coplandrsquos oeuvre were found eitherin music history texts among the obligatory three pages percomposer or in the two classic monographs completed in the1950s prior to the conclusion of Coplandrsquos career1 Coplandrsquosexhaustive two-volume autobiography coauthored with VivianPerlis2 Howard Pollackrsquos definitive biography3 and recentdissertations and theses by a new generation of scholars suggest acurrent resurgence of interest in Copland

Ironically while Coplandrsquos compositions traditionally havereceived relatively little attention in the specialist literature theopposite problemmdashthat of perhaps too much exposuremdashexistswhen tributes to Copland announcements of his activities orreviews of his compositions are concerned Practically everymusical journal announced his momentous birthdays every fiveyears while most ensembles from high schools to professionalorchestras have at some time programmed his compositions Theprimary purpose of Aaron Copland A Guide to Research is todirect readers to significant sources for information on Coplandrsquoslife compositions musical activities and cultural context

In Aaron Copland A Guide to Research the chapterorganization reflects an ordering of bibliographic importancemoving from general information on Copland to primary and thensecondary sources Section II ldquoChronology of Life and Worksrdquo isa chronological chart simultaneously representing three concurrentspheres of Coplandrsquos career biography compositions and

writings The chart makes tangible the methodological convictionthat Coplandrsquos life can best be studied in the context of hiscompositions and writings and vice versa It is assumed that thereader will consult the article on Copland by William Austin in theNew Grove Dictionary of American Music4 or similar works citedin Section IV for prose biographies In addition the reader shouldconsult the New Grove Dictionary of American Music JoannSkowronskirsquos Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography5 or PollackrsquosAaron Copland The Life and Work of an Uncommon Man for awork-list containing information on manuscripts and premieresThe chronological compilation of Coplandrsquos writings in Section IIshould be cross-referenced with the alphabetical annotations inSection III Section I ldquoA Guide to Studies on Aaron Coplandrdquo is asurvey of trends in research with suggestions for additionalavenues of exploration

Section III ldquoPrimary SourcesmdashCoplandrsquos Writingsrdquo is acomprehensive list with annotations of Coplandrsquos published andunpublished books articles essays and interviews6 The principalresources for Section III were the Guide to the Aaron CoplandCollection at the Library of Congress (available in the MusicDivision of the Library of Congress) The Music Index AaronCopland A Bio-Bibliography and bibliographies in secondarysources At the time that Skowronskirsquos Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography was written before Coplandrsquos death many of hismanuscripts had not been transferred to the Library of CongressBecause Coplandrsquos writings often were published outside of thetraditional musical literature the comprehensive listings of thissection were previously impossible without full access to hismanuscripts and the proliferation of electronic databasesSection III also includes unpublished manuscripts of articles andessays held in the Copland Collection chronicling the full extentof Coplandrsquos literary activities7 It is hoped that future scholarsmay locate publication data for those manuscripts currentlycataloged as unpublished or undated

The selection criteria for citations in the chapters of secondarysources are necessarily different than those for the comprehensiveprimary source chapter Skowronskirsquos Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography is commendably thorough through 1984 SinceAaron Copland A Guide to Research is meant to complementrather than duplicate Skowronskirsquos effort the majority of thecitations refer to significant secondary sources written since 1983mdash

viii

writings encompassing the end of Coplandrsquos career his death in1990 and the concurrent revival of scholarly interest leading up tothe centenary of his birth in 20008 The citations since 1983 wereculled from The Music Index RILM Abstracts DissertationAbstracts International and Humanities Index The secondarysource material prior to 1983 is extremely selectivemdashworks eitherprimarily or exclusively about Coplandmdashand is culled mainly fromRILM Abstracts The reader should consult Skowronskirsquosbibliography for additional sources prior to 1983 Secondarysources are limited primarily to books articles and dissertationsor theses in English for newspaper references such as society newsand book performance or record reviews readers should consultSkowronskirsquos bibliography and newspaper indices such as TheNew York Times Index9

Section IV ldquoSecondary SourcesmdashGeneral Studies on CoplandrsquosLife and Milieurdquo is arranged by bibliographic importance fromcomprehensive studies to significant references in monographs tomajor articles in journals encyclopedias Web sites andvideotapes Section V ldquoSecondary SourcesmdashWritings aboutCoplandrsquos Compositionsrdquo is organized from larger compositionalissues to examinations of specific genres or works Section VIldquoTopical Studiesrdquo reflects Coplandrsquos multidisciplinarycontributions within the superstructure of American musicalculture an issue about which he wrote passionately We hope thatby organizing Section VI topically we prompt future scholars tobegin thorough explorations of the full range of Coplandrsquoscontributions as conductor critic commentator author mentorand teacher in addition to composer and musician

Section VII is a listing of tributes and obituaries which are notannotated because of the repetitive content of the sourcesAlthough Aaron Copland A Guide to Research was not initiallylimited to English-language secondary sources the presence of onlyone reference in Section VIII confirms that the significant researchon Copland readily available in North American libraries throughinterlibrary loan is almost exclusively published in EnglishBecause of the meteoric rate of change in the recording industryCoplandrsquos recordings are not annotated instead historicaldiscographies and Internet locations functioning as currentdiscographies are included with traditional bibliographies inSection IX An extensive subject index is included with thetraditional author and title indexes As a result future scholars can

ix

analyze topical writings by Copland in conjunction with hisconcurrent compositions and related secondary source researchmdashwhether on the development of South American music theinstitution of musical criticism in the United States or thepromotion of an identifiably American music

Finally we both would like to acknowledge the financialassistance of Gettysburg College and Western Maryland College insupport of Aaron Copland A Guide to Research In addition wewould like to thank our students especially Karen Cook whohave helped in the research process

Notes

1 Arthur Berger Aaron Copland (New York Oxford University1953) and Julia FSmith Aaron Copland His Work andContribution to American Music (New York EPDutton 1955)

2 Aaron Copland and Vivian Perlis Copland 1900 through 1942(New York St MartinrsquosMarek 1984) and Aaron Copland andVivian Perlis Copland Since 1942 (New York St Martinrsquos 1989)

3 Howard Pollack Aaron Copland The Life and Work of anUncommon Man (New York Henry Holt 1999)

4 William H Austin ldquoCoplandrdquo vol 1 The New Grove Dictionaryof American Music ed HWiley Hitchcock and Stanley Sadie(London Macmillan 1986)

5 Joann Skowronski Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography (WestportCT Greenwood 1985)

6 Throughout Aaron Copland A Guide to Research annotations arebased on examination of the items unless stated otherwise Eachbibliographic entry contains pagination information anInternational Standard Book Number (ISBN) and Library ofCongress (LC) call number when appropriate

7 Coplandrsquos unpublished lectures speeches and correspondence arenot included in Section III because they are currently available onlyat the Library of Congress While this is also true of Coplandrsquosunpublished articles or essays we include them to illustrate thecomprehensive scope of his published writings many of theseunpublished manuscripts became drafts for later publications

8 The Interviews category in Section III is similarly selective9 Such secondary source material is occasionally annotated in Aaron

Copland A Guide to Research as are selected tributes orobituaries if the article includes significant historical information

x

AARON COPLAND

IA Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland

The house inside is comfortable clean-lineduncluttered The living-dining room has paintings onthe walls abstract and realistic ldquoThey donrsquot gotogetherrdquo said Aaron ldquoBut theyrsquore all painted by myfriendsrdquohellip The studio is dominated by the piano and alarge table-desk the composer has had for thirty yearsIt was made for him by another friend and has a doubletop in the space between he files letters and worksheets1

If a living and working space could be a metaphor for someonersquosprofessional career then Aaron Coplandrsquos home paralleled hislifelong musical concerns In his workspace his piano desk scoresletters books manuscripts recordings and a set of the GroveDictionary of Music and Musicians all coexisted Throughout hispersonal and professional life Copland similarly was surroundedby a context of friends students colleagues critics teacherslisteners readers lovers family commentators and musicians Hecomposed at the piano but the desk from which he conductedother musical activities simultaneously encapsulated a professionand a friendshipCoplandrsquos compositionsmdashsometimes atonal other times diatonicbut all communicative and sensitive to the musical purpose andmaterials of the compositionmdashare analogous to the pictures on hiswalls While a casual visitor perceived tension between the realisticand abstract paintings the works were united in the context ofgifts from friends In much the same way many commentatorshave categorized Coplandrsquos compositions as either programmaticor abstract failing to recognize the Americanism and individual

compositional stylemdashan aesthetic that like his home was ldquoclean-lined unclutteredrdquo2mdashthat unified Coplandrsquos works

So often academic research decontextualizes its subject in favorof structural analyses that prove the importance of the object beinganalyzed thus simultaneously elevating the researcher in theprocess Few composers will benefit more than Copland from thecurrent move of scholarly research toward increasingcontextualization and inclusivity Copland even when composinghis most erudite works was no ivory-tower composer His lifelongconcerns of musical communication promotion of the livingcomposer and establishment of an identifiably American musicalexpression placed him in the center of musical activity in theUnited States throughout much of the twentieth century

During his lifetime Copland chafed against his typecasting assolely a composer of Americana with its implications of frontiernarratives quotations of folk music and accessibility to the generallistener Similarly he challenged the dichotomization of his worksas either ldquoseriousrdquo or ldquopopularrdquo Although quipping ldquoI have asplit personalityrdquo3 Copland concluded the emendation ofldquoComposer from Brooklyn An Autobiographical Sketchrdquo bystating

I can only say that those commentators who would like tosplit me down the middle into two opposing personalitieswill get no encouragement from me I prefer to think that Iwrite my music from a single vision when the results differ itis because I take into account with each new piece thepurpose for which it is intended and the nature of themusical materials with which I begin to workhellip It bothersme not at all to realize that my range as composer includesboth accessible and problematic works4

Despite such statements scholars and critics frequently havereinforced the polarization of Coplandrsquos compositionssuperimposing musical dichotomiesmdashpopularseriousprogrammaticabstract tonalatonal and diatonicserialmdashondivisive chronological periods5 It seems neither profitable norappropriate to continue to study Copland in relative isolation orthrough outdated categoriza tions especially when thedocumentary record left by Copland suggests otherwise

2 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

Recent research on Copland has begun to emphasize the unitiesamong his works whether through compositional style orAmericanism As Larry Starr has argued it is precisely theheterogeneity of Coplandrsquos compositions reflecting the diversityand plurality of American culture that unifies and defines hismusical Americanism6 Underlying the heterogeneity and supposeddichotomies Starr identified a pervasive Coplandesque style basedon ldquomelodic variationmdashwhere a basic cell is gradually expandedinto a longer unit (without departing too far from the content ofthe basic cell itself) through a process of repetition reordering andthe accretion or interpolation of new elementsrdquo7 A profitabledirection for future research is to apply the compositionalprinciples identified by Copland and Starr not just to individualpieces but to chronological periods consisting of diverse genres orspecific genres crossing apparent compositional or chronologicalstyles

Given Coplandrsquos notoriety as a composer his relative scholarlyneglect indicates previous academic biases against much of hismusic As Starr stated the ldquospecifically American qualitiesrdquo ofCoplandrsquos music have led ldquoAmerican critics academics andintelligentsiardquo to undervalue his compositions8 The scholarlyunderevaluation of Copland is intensified in his collaborativeworks because of their ldquofunctionalrdquo associations and in hisldquoAmericanardquo scores because of their popular appeal The scholarlybias toward decontextualized theoretical analyses of Coplandrsquosabstract works is also clear The challenge of future Coplandstudies is to bridge the gap between the now-dated dichotomiesmdashto contextualize (even humanize) the theoretical analyses appliedto abstract compositions and to develop critical methodologiesthat substantiate the collaborative and multidisciplinarycompositions With all of Coplandrsquos manuscripts and letters nowavailable at the Library of Congress in addition to his publishedcompositions and unpublished musical manuscripts it is possibleto evaluate Coplandrsquos musical contributions in the context of hisother professional and personal activities

Aaron Copland A Guide to Research has been designed toassess the areas of Coplandrsquos compositional and professionalcareer that have been neglected in scholarly study In Section II thechronological chart of Coplandrsquos biography compositions andwritings is intended to encourage the contextualization of allthree areas for future Copland studies The comprehensive

A GUIDE TO STUDIES ON AARON COPLAND 3

collection and annotation of Coplandrsquos published writings andunpublished manuscripts (Section III) allows not only access to thecontent of these writings but also the potential for future researchto address the scope of his literary efforts

A perusal of the secondary sources (Sections IVndashVI) suggestsmethodological avenues for continued exploration For example inSection IVA Howard Pollackrsquos definitive biography serves as amodel for contextualization of Coplandrsquos career within the spheresof his sexuality his artistic circles (especially dance) and hisliterary influences9 The works by Copland and Vivian Perlisprovide the commentary by Copland to support these expandeddirections In Section IVB Jennifer DeLapprsquos dissertation suggestsa profitable methodological model for balancing contextual andtheoretical analyses of specific compositions Previously articles byCarol Oja and Robert Parker have provided similar methodologicaldirections

Before a full syntheses of Coplandrsquos compositional style orevaluations of complete genres can be undertaken individualstudies of specific compositions must create the foundationSection V is structured to indicate the compositional techniquesgenres and individual works that have been most overlookedSection VB1 shows that this type of research on the individualballets has occurred Because of the interdisciplinary nature ofdance these studies tend to be relatively contextualized While thefilm scores and incidental music should present a similaropportunity studies of these genres lag behind since many of thescores remain unpublished in their entirety and because thesecompositions have not achieved repertory status as suites divorcedfrom their collaborative context Methodologies that unite themusical elements with the visual narrative and psychologicalcomponents of the film choreography or text need to be exploredfurther

Many of the studies of specific instrumental compositions reflectthe graduate degree requirements of academic institutionsInstrumental performers tend to study the repertoire of theirspecific instrument thus the solo repertorymdashthe ClarinetConcerto the Duo for flute and piano and especially the solopiano worksmdashhas received concentrated attention Singers choraldirectors and instrumental conductors have not similarly minedCoplandrsquos oeuvre For example no significant work has beenfocused specifically on Coplandrsquos orchestration one of the most

4 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

telling aspects of his unique compositional style While his twooperas and especially the Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson havebeen studied the remainder of Coplandrsquos vocal works awaitsubstantial examination

With recent efforts to contextualize Copland within a broadeneddefinition of musical Americanism Section VIA should becomemore substantial Additionally the corpus of Coplandrsquos writings ascritic commentator andor author needs to be examinedsystematically especially in conjunction with concurrentcompositions or musical activities10 Given that the final threedecades of Coplandrsquos professional life (1956ndash1983) centered on hisconducting rather than composing it is a major oversight that thisarea of his musical activities has not been studied Through hisconducting Coplandrsquos musical philosophies literally were takenfrom the written and musical page and put into motion Forexample the programming of concerts that Copland conductedreflects his lifelong commitment to the promotion of contemporarymusic particularly that of the living American composer

Similarly as ldquoDean of American Composersrdquo Coplandrsquos role ofmentor and teacher to young composers from as early as 1926through the mid-1960s has not been explored thoroughly Just asRobert Schumann promoted the compositional career of JohannesBrahms Copland did for four generations of young Americancomposers Each decade Copland routinely assessed the youngergeneration of composers listing almost exclusively men Was it hisamazing perceptivity or a self-fulfilling prophecy that such a highpercentage of these composers rose to national prominencemdashandwomen continued to compose in relative obscuritymdashthrough the1960s

As we begin the new century of research on Copland it is nolonger necessary to carry forward outdated assumptionsmdashwhethermethodological models obstinate categorizations of ldquoseriousrdquo andldquopopularrdquo music or other academic biases As each of the specificareas to which Copland contributed is better understood a fullsynthesis of his career can be realized

Let the latest research begin

A GUIDE TO STUDIES ON AARON COPLAND 5

Notes

1 Dorle JSoria ldquoArtistrsquos Liferdquo High FidelityMusical America 20(November 1970) MA-4 Soria described Aaron Coplandrsquos homenear Peek-skill New York during an interview conducted in 1970

2 Ibid3 Aaron Copland ldquoComposer from Brooklyn An Autobiographical

Sketchrdquo in The New Music 1900ndash1960 (New York WWNorton1968) 163

4 Ibid 1685 The traditional categorizations of Coplandrsquos compositions have

been called into question by authors such as Lawrence Starr whohas proposed elements of a unified compositional style (LawrenceStarr ldquoCoplandrsquos Stylerdquo Perspectives of New Music 19 [Fall-Winter 980] 87ndash88)

6 Larry Starr ldquoIves Gershwin and Copland Reflections on theStrange History of American Art Musicrdquo American Music 12(Summer 1994) 168ndash169 In this case ldquoAmericanismrdquo implies thelarger American musical palette referred to by Copland and Starrwhile ldquoAmericanardquo implies the specific expression of Americanismassociated with the frontier musical accessibility and the quotationof folk tunes

7 Ibid 1818 Ibid 1799 Howard Pollack Aaron Copland The Life and Work of an

Uncommon Man (New York Henry Holt 1999) Pollackrsquos bookinitiated the wave of research surrounding the centenary ofCoplandrsquos birth in 2000

10 Pollackrsquos biography does cover each of these areas but there isconsiderable room for systematic application of these musicalendeavors to individual compositions by Copland

6 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

• Book Cover
• Half-Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Composer Resource Manuals
• Contents
• Preface
• I A Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland

writings The chart makes tangible the methodological convictionthat Coplandrsquos life can best be studied in the context of hiscompositions and writings and vice versa It is assumed that thereader will consult the article on Copland by William Austin in theNew Grove Dictionary of American Music4 or similar works citedin Section IV for prose biographies In addition the reader shouldconsult the New Grove Dictionary of American Music JoannSkowronskirsquos Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography5 or PollackrsquosAaron Copland The Life and Work of an Uncommon Man for awork-list containing information on manuscripts and premieresThe chronological compilation of Coplandrsquos writings in Section IIshould be cross-referenced with the alphabetical annotations inSection III Section I ldquoA Guide to Studies on Aaron Coplandrdquo is asurvey of trends in research with suggestions for additionalavenues of exploration

Section III ldquoPrimary SourcesmdashCoplandrsquos Writingsrdquo is acomprehensive list with annotations of Coplandrsquos published andunpublished books articles essays and interviews6 The principalresources for Section III were the Guide to the Aaron CoplandCollection at the Library of Congress (available in the MusicDivision of the Library of Congress) The Music Index AaronCopland A Bio-Bibliography and bibliographies in secondarysources At the time that Skowronskirsquos Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography was written before Coplandrsquos death many of hismanuscripts had not been transferred to the Library of CongressBecause Coplandrsquos writings often were published outside of thetraditional musical literature the comprehensive listings of thissection were previously impossible without full access to hismanuscripts and the proliferation of electronic databasesSection III also includes unpublished manuscripts of articles andessays held in the Copland Collection chronicling the full extentof Coplandrsquos literary activities7 It is hoped that future scholarsmay locate publication data for those manuscripts currentlycataloged as unpublished or undated

The selection criteria for citations in the chapters of secondarysources are necessarily different than those for the comprehensiveprimary source chapter Skowronskirsquos Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography is commendably thorough through 1984 SinceAaron Copland A Guide to Research is meant to complementrather than duplicate Skowronskirsquos effort the majority of thecitations refer to significant secondary sources written since 1983mdash

viii

writings encompassing the end of Coplandrsquos career his death in1990 and the concurrent revival of scholarly interest leading up tothe centenary of his birth in 20008 The citations since 1983 wereculled from The Music Index RILM Abstracts DissertationAbstracts International and Humanities Index The secondarysource material prior to 1983 is extremely selectivemdashworks eitherprimarily or exclusively about Coplandmdashand is culled mainly fromRILM Abstracts The reader should consult Skowronskirsquosbibliography for additional sources prior to 1983 Secondarysources are limited primarily to books articles and dissertationsor theses in English for newspaper references such as society newsand book performance or record reviews readers should consultSkowronskirsquos bibliography and newspaper indices such as TheNew York Times Index9

Section IV ldquoSecondary SourcesmdashGeneral Studies on CoplandrsquosLife and Milieurdquo is arranged by bibliographic importance fromcomprehensive studies to significant references in monographs tomajor articles in journals encyclopedias Web sites andvideotapes Section V ldquoSecondary SourcesmdashWritings aboutCoplandrsquos Compositionsrdquo is organized from larger compositionalissues to examinations of specific genres or works Section VIldquoTopical Studiesrdquo reflects Coplandrsquos multidisciplinarycontributions within the superstructure of American musicalculture an issue about which he wrote passionately We hope thatby organizing Section VI topically we prompt future scholars tobegin thorough explorations of the full range of Coplandrsquoscontributions as conductor critic commentator author mentorand teacher in addition to composer and musician

Section VII is a listing of tributes and obituaries which are notannotated because of the repetitive content of the sourcesAlthough Aaron Copland A Guide to Research was not initiallylimited to English-language secondary sources the presence of onlyone reference in Section VIII confirms that the significant researchon Copland readily available in North American libraries throughinterlibrary loan is almost exclusively published in EnglishBecause of the meteoric rate of change in the recording industryCoplandrsquos recordings are not annotated instead historicaldiscographies and Internet locations functioning as currentdiscographies are included with traditional bibliographies inSection IX An extensive subject index is included with thetraditional author and title indexes As a result future scholars can

ix

analyze topical writings by Copland in conjunction with hisconcurrent compositions and related secondary source researchmdashwhether on the development of South American music theinstitution of musical criticism in the United States or thepromotion of an identifiably American music

Finally we both would like to acknowledge the financialassistance of Gettysburg College and Western Maryland College insupport of Aaron Copland A Guide to Research In addition wewould like to thank our students especially Karen Cook whohave helped in the research process

Notes

1 Arthur Berger Aaron Copland (New York Oxford University1953) and Julia FSmith Aaron Copland His Work andContribution to American Music (New York EPDutton 1955)

2 Aaron Copland and Vivian Perlis Copland 1900 through 1942(New York St MartinrsquosMarek 1984) and Aaron Copland andVivian Perlis Copland Since 1942 (New York St Martinrsquos 1989)

3 Howard Pollack Aaron Copland The Life and Work of anUncommon Man (New York Henry Holt 1999)

4 William H Austin ldquoCoplandrdquo vol 1 The New Grove Dictionaryof American Music ed HWiley Hitchcock and Stanley Sadie(London Macmillan 1986)

5 Joann Skowronski Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography (WestportCT Greenwood 1985)

6 Throughout Aaron Copland A Guide to Research annotations arebased on examination of the items unless stated otherwise Eachbibliographic entry contains pagination information anInternational Standard Book Number (ISBN) and Library ofCongress (LC) call number when appropriate

7 Coplandrsquos unpublished lectures speeches and correspondence arenot included in Section III because they are currently available onlyat the Library of Congress While this is also true of Coplandrsquosunpublished articles or essays we include them to illustrate thecomprehensive scope of his published writings many of theseunpublished manuscripts became drafts for later publications

8 The Interviews category in Section III is similarly selective9 Such secondary source material is occasionally annotated in Aaron

Copland A Guide to Research as are selected tributes orobituaries if the article includes significant historical information

x

AARON COPLAND

IA Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland

The house inside is comfortable clean-lineduncluttered The living-dining room has paintings onthe walls abstract and realistic ldquoThey donrsquot gotogetherrdquo said Aaron ldquoBut theyrsquore all painted by myfriendsrdquohellip The studio is dominated by the piano and alarge table-desk the composer has had for thirty yearsIt was made for him by another friend and has a doubletop in the space between he files letters and worksheets1

If a living and working space could be a metaphor for someonersquosprofessional career then Aaron Coplandrsquos home paralleled hislifelong musical concerns In his workspace his piano desk scoresletters books manuscripts recordings and a set of the GroveDictionary of Music and Musicians all coexisted Throughout hispersonal and professional life Copland similarly was surroundedby a context of friends students colleagues critics teacherslisteners readers lovers family commentators and musicians Hecomposed at the piano but the desk from which he conductedother musical activities simultaneously encapsulated a professionand a friendshipCoplandrsquos compositionsmdashsometimes atonal other times diatonicbut all communicative and sensitive to the musical purpose andmaterials of the compositionmdashare analogous to the pictures on hiswalls While a casual visitor perceived tension between the realisticand abstract paintings the works were united in the context ofgifts from friends In much the same way many commentatorshave categorized Coplandrsquos compositions as either programmaticor abstract failing to recognize the Americanism and individual

compositional stylemdashan aesthetic that like his home was ldquoclean-lined unclutteredrdquo2mdashthat unified Coplandrsquos works

So often academic research decontextualizes its subject in favorof structural analyses that prove the importance of the object beinganalyzed thus simultaneously elevating the researcher in theprocess Few composers will benefit more than Copland from thecurrent move of scholarly research toward increasingcontextualization and inclusivity Copland even when composinghis most erudite works was no ivory-tower composer His lifelongconcerns of musical communication promotion of the livingcomposer and establishment of an identifiably American musicalexpression placed him in the center of musical activity in theUnited States throughout much of the twentieth century

During his lifetime Copland chafed against his typecasting assolely a composer of Americana with its implications of frontiernarratives quotations of folk music and accessibility to the generallistener Similarly he challenged the dichotomization of his worksas either ldquoseriousrdquo or ldquopopularrdquo Although quipping ldquoI have asplit personalityrdquo3 Copland concluded the emendation ofldquoComposer from Brooklyn An Autobiographical Sketchrdquo bystating

I can only say that those commentators who would like tosplit me down the middle into two opposing personalitieswill get no encouragement from me I prefer to think that Iwrite my music from a single vision when the results differ itis because I take into account with each new piece thepurpose for which it is intended and the nature of themusical materials with which I begin to workhellip It bothersme not at all to realize that my range as composer includesboth accessible and problematic works4

Despite such statements scholars and critics frequently havereinforced the polarization of Coplandrsquos compositionssuperimposing musical dichotomiesmdashpopularseriousprogrammaticabstract tonalatonal and diatonicserialmdashondivisive chronological periods5 It seems neither profitable norappropriate to continue to study Copland in relative isolation orthrough outdated categoriza tions especially when thedocumentary record left by Copland suggests otherwise

2 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

Recent research on Copland has begun to emphasize the unitiesamong his works whether through compositional style orAmericanism As Larry Starr has argued it is precisely theheterogeneity of Coplandrsquos compositions reflecting the diversityand plurality of American culture that unifies and defines hismusical Americanism6 Underlying the heterogeneity and supposeddichotomies Starr identified a pervasive Coplandesque style basedon ldquomelodic variationmdashwhere a basic cell is gradually expandedinto a longer unit (without departing too far from the content ofthe basic cell itself) through a process of repetition reordering andthe accretion or interpolation of new elementsrdquo7 A profitabledirection for future research is to apply the compositionalprinciples identified by Copland and Starr not just to individualpieces but to chronological periods consisting of diverse genres orspecific genres crossing apparent compositional or chronologicalstyles

Given Coplandrsquos notoriety as a composer his relative scholarlyneglect indicates previous academic biases against much of hismusic As Starr stated the ldquospecifically American qualitiesrdquo ofCoplandrsquos music have led ldquoAmerican critics academics andintelligentsiardquo to undervalue his compositions8 The scholarlyunderevaluation of Copland is intensified in his collaborativeworks because of their ldquofunctionalrdquo associations and in hisldquoAmericanardquo scores because of their popular appeal The scholarlybias toward decontextualized theoretical analyses of Coplandrsquosabstract works is also clear The challenge of future Coplandstudies is to bridge the gap between the now-dated dichotomiesmdashto contextualize (even humanize) the theoretical analyses appliedto abstract compositions and to develop critical methodologiesthat substantiate the collaborative and multidisciplinarycompositions With all of Coplandrsquos manuscripts and letters nowavailable at the Library of Congress in addition to his publishedcompositions and unpublished musical manuscripts it is possibleto evaluate Coplandrsquos musical contributions in the context of hisother professional and personal activities

Aaron Copland A Guide to Research has been designed toassess the areas of Coplandrsquos compositional and professionalcareer that have been neglected in scholarly study In Section II thechronological chart of Coplandrsquos biography compositions andwritings is intended to encourage the contextualization of allthree areas for future Copland studies The comprehensive

A GUIDE TO STUDIES ON AARON COPLAND 3

collection and annotation of Coplandrsquos published writings andunpublished manuscripts (Section III) allows not only access to thecontent of these writings but also the potential for future researchto address the scope of his literary efforts

A perusal of the secondary sources (Sections IVndashVI) suggestsmethodological avenues for continued exploration For example inSection IVA Howard Pollackrsquos definitive biography serves as amodel for contextualization of Coplandrsquos career within the spheresof his sexuality his artistic circles (especially dance) and hisliterary influences9 The works by Copland and Vivian Perlisprovide the commentary by Copland to support these expandeddirections In Section IVB Jennifer DeLapprsquos dissertation suggestsa profitable methodological model for balancing contextual andtheoretical analyses of specific compositions Previously articles byCarol Oja and Robert Parker have provided similar methodologicaldirections

Before a full syntheses of Coplandrsquos compositional style orevaluations of complete genres can be undertaken individualstudies of specific compositions must create the foundationSection V is structured to indicate the compositional techniquesgenres and individual works that have been most overlookedSection VB1 shows that this type of research on the individualballets has occurred Because of the interdisciplinary nature ofdance these studies tend to be relatively contextualized While thefilm scores and incidental music should present a similaropportunity studies of these genres lag behind since many of thescores remain unpublished in their entirety and because thesecompositions have not achieved repertory status as suites divorcedfrom their collaborative context Methodologies that unite themusical elements with the visual narrative and psychologicalcomponents of the film choreography or text need to be exploredfurther

Many of the studies of specific instrumental compositions reflectthe graduate degree requirements of academic institutionsInstrumental performers tend to study the repertoire of theirspecific instrument thus the solo repertorymdashthe ClarinetConcerto the Duo for flute and piano and especially the solopiano worksmdashhas received concentrated attention Singers choraldirectors and instrumental conductors have not similarly minedCoplandrsquos oeuvre For example no significant work has beenfocused specifically on Coplandrsquos orchestration one of the most

4 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

telling aspects of his unique compositional style While his twooperas and especially the Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson havebeen studied the remainder of Coplandrsquos vocal works awaitsubstantial examination

With recent efforts to contextualize Copland within a broadeneddefinition of musical Americanism Section VIA should becomemore substantial Additionally the corpus of Coplandrsquos writings ascritic commentator andor author needs to be examinedsystematically especially in conjunction with concurrentcompositions or musical activities10 Given that the final threedecades of Coplandrsquos professional life (1956ndash1983) centered on hisconducting rather than composing it is a major oversight that thisarea of his musical activities has not been studied Through hisconducting Coplandrsquos musical philosophies literally were takenfrom the written and musical page and put into motion Forexample the programming of concerts that Copland conductedreflects his lifelong commitment to the promotion of contemporarymusic particularly that of the living American composer

Similarly as ldquoDean of American Composersrdquo Coplandrsquos role ofmentor and teacher to young composers from as early as 1926through the mid-1960s has not been explored thoroughly Just asRobert Schumann promoted the compositional career of JohannesBrahms Copland did for four generations of young Americancomposers Each decade Copland routinely assessed the youngergeneration of composers listing almost exclusively men Was it hisamazing perceptivity or a self-fulfilling prophecy that such a highpercentage of these composers rose to national prominencemdashandwomen continued to compose in relative obscuritymdashthrough the1960s

As we begin the new century of research on Copland it is nolonger necessary to carry forward outdated assumptionsmdashwhethermethodological models obstinate categorizations of ldquoseriousrdquo andldquopopularrdquo music or other academic biases As each of the specificareas to which Copland contributed is better understood a fullsynthesis of his career can be realized

Let the latest research begin

A GUIDE TO STUDIES ON AARON COPLAND 5

Notes

1 Dorle JSoria ldquoArtistrsquos Liferdquo High FidelityMusical America 20(November 1970) MA-4 Soria described Aaron Coplandrsquos homenear Peek-skill New York during an interview conducted in 1970

2 Ibid3 Aaron Copland ldquoComposer from Brooklyn An Autobiographical

Sketchrdquo in The New Music 1900ndash1960 (New York WWNorton1968) 163

4 Ibid 1685 The traditional categorizations of Coplandrsquos compositions have

been called into question by authors such as Lawrence Starr whohas proposed elements of a unified compositional style (LawrenceStarr ldquoCoplandrsquos Stylerdquo Perspectives of New Music 19 [Fall-Winter 980] 87ndash88)

6 Larry Starr ldquoIves Gershwin and Copland Reflections on theStrange History of American Art Musicrdquo American Music 12(Summer 1994) 168ndash169 In this case ldquoAmericanismrdquo implies thelarger American musical palette referred to by Copland and Starrwhile ldquoAmericanardquo implies the specific expression of Americanismassociated with the frontier musical accessibility and the quotationof folk tunes

7 Ibid 1818 Ibid 1799 Howard Pollack Aaron Copland The Life and Work of an

Uncommon Man (New York Henry Holt 1999) Pollackrsquos bookinitiated the wave of research surrounding the centenary ofCoplandrsquos birth in 2000

10 Pollackrsquos biography does cover each of these areas but there isconsiderable room for systematic application of these musicalendeavors to individual compositions by Copland

6 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

• Book Cover
• Half-Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Composer Resource Manuals
• Contents
• Preface
• I A Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland

writings encompassing the end of Coplandrsquos career his death in1990 and the concurrent revival of scholarly interest leading up tothe centenary of his birth in 20008 The citations since 1983 wereculled from The Music Index RILM Abstracts DissertationAbstracts International and Humanities Index The secondarysource material prior to 1983 is extremely selectivemdashworks eitherprimarily or exclusively about Coplandmdashand is culled mainly fromRILM Abstracts The reader should consult Skowronskirsquosbibliography for additional sources prior to 1983 Secondarysources are limited primarily to books articles and dissertationsor theses in English for newspaper references such as society newsand book performance or record reviews readers should consultSkowronskirsquos bibliography and newspaper indices such as TheNew York Times Index9

Section IV ldquoSecondary SourcesmdashGeneral Studies on CoplandrsquosLife and Milieurdquo is arranged by bibliographic importance fromcomprehensive studies to significant references in monographs tomajor articles in journals encyclopedias Web sites andvideotapes Section V ldquoSecondary SourcesmdashWritings aboutCoplandrsquos Compositionsrdquo is organized from larger compositionalissues to examinations of specific genres or works Section VIldquoTopical Studiesrdquo reflects Coplandrsquos multidisciplinarycontributions within the superstructure of American musicalculture an issue about which he wrote passionately We hope thatby organizing Section VI topically we prompt future scholars tobegin thorough explorations of the full range of Coplandrsquoscontributions as conductor critic commentator author mentorand teacher in addition to composer and musician

Section VII is a listing of tributes and obituaries which are notannotated because of the repetitive content of the sourcesAlthough Aaron Copland A Guide to Research was not initiallylimited to English-language secondary sources the presence of onlyone reference in Section VIII confirms that the significant researchon Copland readily available in North American libraries throughinterlibrary loan is almost exclusively published in EnglishBecause of the meteoric rate of change in the recording industryCoplandrsquos recordings are not annotated instead historicaldiscographies and Internet locations functioning as currentdiscographies are included with traditional bibliographies inSection IX An extensive subject index is included with thetraditional author and title indexes As a result future scholars can

ix

analyze topical writings by Copland in conjunction with hisconcurrent compositions and related secondary source researchmdashwhether on the development of South American music theinstitution of musical criticism in the United States or thepromotion of an identifiably American music

Finally we both would like to acknowledge the financialassistance of Gettysburg College and Western Maryland College insupport of Aaron Copland A Guide to Research In addition wewould like to thank our students especially Karen Cook whohave helped in the research process

Notes

1 Arthur Berger Aaron Copland (New York Oxford University1953) and Julia FSmith Aaron Copland His Work andContribution to American Music (New York EPDutton 1955)

2 Aaron Copland and Vivian Perlis Copland 1900 through 1942(New York St MartinrsquosMarek 1984) and Aaron Copland andVivian Perlis Copland Since 1942 (New York St Martinrsquos 1989)

3 Howard Pollack Aaron Copland The Life and Work of anUncommon Man (New York Henry Holt 1999)

4 William H Austin ldquoCoplandrdquo vol 1 The New Grove Dictionaryof American Music ed HWiley Hitchcock and Stanley Sadie(London Macmillan 1986)

5 Joann Skowronski Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography (WestportCT Greenwood 1985)

6 Throughout Aaron Copland A Guide to Research annotations arebased on examination of the items unless stated otherwise Eachbibliographic entry contains pagination information anInternational Standard Book Number (ISBN) and Library ofCongress (LC) call number when appropriate

7 Coplandrsquos unpublished lectures speeches and correspondence arenot included in Section III because they are currently available onlyat the Library of Congress While this is also true of Coplandrsquosunpublished articles or essays we include them to illustrate thecomprehensive scope of his published writings many of theseunpublished manuscripts became drafts for later publications

8 The Interviews category in Section III is similarly selective9 Such secondary source material is occasionally annotated in Aaron

Copland A Guide to Research as are selected tributes orobituaries if the article includes significant historical information

x

AARON COPLAND

IA Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland

The house inside is comfortable clean-lineduncluttered The living-dining room has paintings onthe walls abstract and realistic ldquoThey donrsquot gotogetherrdquo said Aaron ldquoBut theyrsquore all painted by myfriendsrdquohellip The studio is dominated by the piano and alarge table-desk the composer has had for thirty yearsIt was made for him by another friend and has a doubletop in the space between he files letters and worksheets1

If a living and working space could be a metaphor for someonersquosprofessional career then Aaron Coplandrsquos home paralleled hislifelong musical concerns In his workspace his piano desk scoresletters books manuscripts recordings and a set of the GroveDictionary of Music and Musicians all coexisted Throughout hispersonal and professional life Copland similarly was surroundedby a context of friends students colleagues critics teacherslisteners readers lovers family commentators and musicians Hecomposed at the piano but the desk from which he conductedother musical activities simultaneously encapsulated a professionand a friendshipCoplandrsquos compositionsmdashsometimes atonal other times diatonicbut all communicative and sensitive to the musical purpose andmaterials of the compositionmdashare analogous to the pictures on hiswalls While a casual visitor perceived tension between the realisticand abstract paintings the works were united in the context ofgifts from friends In much the same way many commentatorshave categorized Coplandrsquos compositions as either programmaticor abstract failing to recognize the Americanism and individual

compositional stylemdashan aesthetic that like his home was ldquoclean-lined unclutteredrdquo2mdashthat unified Coplandrsquos works

So often academic research decontextualizes its subject in favorof structural analyses that prove the importance of the object beinganalyzed thus simultaneously elevating the researcher in theprocess Few composers will benefit more than Copland from thecurrent move of scholarly research toward increasingcontextualization and inclusivity Copland even when composinghis most erudite works was no ivory-tower composer His lifelongconcerns of musical communication promotion of the livingcomposer and establishment of an identifiably American musicalexpression placed him in the center of musical activity in theUnited States throughout much of the twentieth century

During his lifetime Copland chafed against his typecasting assolely a composer of Americana with its implications of frontiernarratives quotations of folk music and accessibility to the generallistener Similarly he challenged the dichotomization of his worksas either ldquoseriousrdquo or ldquopopularrdquo Although quipping ldquoI have asplit personalityrdquo3 Copland concluded the emendation ofldquoComposer from Brooklyn An Autobiographical Sketchrdquo bystating

I can only say that those commentators who would like tosplit me down the middle into two opposing personalitieswill get no encouragement from me I prefer to think that Iwrite my music from a single vision when the results differ itis because I take into account with each new piece thepurpose for which it is intended and the nature of themusical materials with which I begin to workhellip It bothersme not at all to realize that my range as composer includesboth accessible and problematic works4

Despite such statements scholars and critics frequently havereinforced the polarization of Coplandrsquos compositionssuperimposing musical dichotomiesmdashpopularseriousprogrammaticabstract tonalatonal and diatonicserialmdashondivisive chronological periods5 It seems neither profitable norappropriate to continue to study Copland in relative isolation orthrough outdated categoriza tions especially when thedocumentary record left by Copland suggests otherwise

2 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

Recent research on Copland has begun to emphasize the unitiesamong his works whether through compositional style orAmericanism As Larry Starr has argued it is precisely theheterogeneity of Coplandrsquos compositions reflecting the diversityand plurality of American culture that unifies and defines hismusical Americanism6 Underlying the heterogeneity and supposeddichotomies Starr identified a pervasive Coplandesque style basedon ldquomelodic variationmdashwhere a basic cell is gradually expandedinto a longer unit (without departing too far from the content ofthe basic cell itself) through a process of repetition reordering andthe accretion or interpolation of new elementsrdquo7 A profitabledirection for future research is to apply the compositionalprinciples identified by Copland and Starr not just to individualpieces but to chronological periods consisting of diverse genres orspecific genres crossing apparent compositional or chronologicalstyles

Given Coplandrsquos notoriety as a composer his relative scholarlyneglect indicates previous academic biases against much of hismusic As Starr stated the ldquospecifically American qualitiesrdquo ofCoplandrsquos music have led ldquoAmerican critics academics andintelligentsiardquo to undervalue his compositions8 The scholarlyunderevaluation of Copland is intensified in his collaborativeworks because of their ldquofunctionalrdquo associations and in hisldquoAmericanardquo scores because of their popular appeal The scholarlybias toward decontextualized theoretical analyses of Coplandrsquosabstract works is also clear The challenge of future Coplandstudies is to bridge the gap between the now-dated dichotomiesmdashto contextualize (even humanize) the theoretical analyses appliedto abstract compositions and to develop critical methodologiesthat substantiate the collaborative and multidisciplinarycompositions With all of Coplandrsquos manuscripts and letters nowavailable at the Library of Congress in addition to his publishedcompositions and unpublished musical manuscripts it is possibleto evaluate Coplandrsquos musical contributions in the context of hisother professional and personal activities

Aaron Copland A Guide to Research has been designed toassess the areas of Coplandrsquos compositional and professionalcareer that have been neglected in scholarly study In Section II thechronological chart of Coplandrsquos biography compositions andwritings is intended to encourage the contextualization of allthree areas for future Copland studies The comprehensive

A GUIDE TO STUDIES ON AARON COPLAND 3

collection and annotation of Coplandrsquos published writings andunpublished manuscripts (Section III) allows not only access to thecontent of these writings but also the potential for future researchto address the scope of his literary efforts

A perusal of the secondary sources (Sections IVndashVI) suggestsmethodological avenues for continued exploration For example inSection IVA Howard Pollackrsquos definitive biography serves as amodel for contextualization of Coplandrsquos career within the spheresof his sexuality his artistic circles (especially dance) and hisliterary influences9 The works by Copland and Vivian Perlisprovide the commentary by Copland to support these expandeddirections In Section IVB Jennifer DeLapprsquos dissertation suggestsa profitable methodological model for balancing contextual andtheoretical analyses of specific compositions Previously articles byCarol Oja and Robert Parker have provided similar methodologicaldirections

Before a full syntheses of Coplandrsquos compositional style orevaluations of complete genres can be undertaken individualstudies of specific compositions must create the foundationSection V is structured to indicate the compositional techniquesgenres and individual works that have been most overlookedSection VB1 shows that this type of research on the individualballets has occurred Because of the interdisciplinary nature ofdance these studies tend to be relatively contextualized While thefilm scores and incidental music should present a similaropportunity studies of these genres lag behind since many of thescores remain unpublished in their entirety and because thesecompositions have not achieved repertory status as suites divorcedfrom their collaborative context Methodologies that unite themusical elements with the visual narrative and psychologicalcomponents of the film choreography or text need to be exploredfurther

Many of the studies of specific instrumental compositions reflectthe graduate degree requirements of academic institutionsInstrumental performers tend to study the repertoire of theirspecific instrument thus the solo repertorymdashthe ClarinetConcerto the Duo for flute and piano and especially the solopiano worksmdashhas received concentrated attention Singers choraldirectors and instrumental conductors have not similarly minedCoplandrsquos oeuvre For example no significant work has beenfocused specifically on Coplandrsquos orchestration one of the most

4 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

telling aspects of his unique compositional style While his twooperas and especially the Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson havebeen studied the remainder of Coplandrsquos vocal works awaitsubstantial examination

With recent efforts to contextualize Copland within a broadeneddefinition of musical Americanism Section VIA should becomemore substantial Additionally the corpus of Coplandrsquos writings ascritic commentator andor author needs to be examinedsystematically especially in conjunction with concurrentcompositions or musical activities10 Given that the final threedecades of Coplandrsquos professional life (1956ndash1983) centered on hisconducting rather than composing it is a major oversight that thisarea of his musical activities has not been studied Through hisconducting Coplandrsquos musical philosophies literally were takenfrom the written and musical page and put into motion Forexample the programming of concerts that Copland conductedreflects his lifelong commitment to the promotion of contemporarymusic particularly that of the living American composer

Similarly as ldquoDean of American Composersrdquo Coplandrsquos role ofmentor and teacher to young composers from as early as 1926through the mid-1960s has not been explored thoroughly Just asRobert Schumann promoted the compositional career of JohannesBrahms Copland did for four generations of young Americancomposers Each decade Copland routinely assessed the youngergeneration of composers listing almost exclusively men Was it hisamazing perceptivity or a self-fulfilling prophecy that such a highpercentage of these composers rose to national prominencemdashandwomen continued to compose in relative obscuritymdashthrough the1960s

As we begin the new century of research on Copland it is nolonger necessary to carry forward outdated assumptionsmdashwhethermethodological models obstinate categorizations of ldquoseriousrdquo andldquopopularrdquo music or other academic biases As each of the specificareas to which Copland contributed is better understood a fullsynthesis of his career can be realized

Let the latest research begin

A GUIDE TO STUDIES ON AARON COPLAND 5

Notes

1 Dorle JSoria ldquoArtistrsquos Liferdquo High FidelityMusical America 20(November 1970) MA-4 Soria described Aaron Coplandrsquos homenear Peek-skill New York during an interview conducted in 1970

2 Ibid3 Aaron Copland ldquoComposer from Brooklyn An Autobiographical

Sketchrdquo in The New Music 1900ndash1960 (New York WWNorton1968) 163

4 Ibid 1685 The traditional categorizations of Coplandrsquos compositions have

been called into question by authors such as Lawrence Starr whohas proposed elements of a unified compositional style (LawrenceStarr ldquoCoplandrsquos Stylerdquo Perspectives of New Music 19 [Fall-Winter 980] 87ndash88)

6 Larry Starr ldquoIves Gershwin and Copland Reflections on theStrange History of American Art Musicrdquo American Music 12(Summer 1994) 168ndash169 In this case ldquoAmericanismrdquo implies thelarger American musical palette referred to by Copland and Starrwhile ldquoAmericanardquo implies the specific expression of Americanismassociated with the frontier musical accessibility and the quotationof folk tunes

7 Ibid 1818 Ibid 1799 Howard Pollack Aaron Copland The Life and Work of an

Uncommon Man (New York Henry Holt 1999) Pollackrsquos bookinitiated the wave of research surrounding the centenary ofCoplandrsquos birth in 2000

10 Pollackrsquos biography does cover each of these areas but there isconsiderable room for systematic application of these musicalendeavors to individual compositions by Copland

6 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

• Book Cover
• Half-Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Composer Resource Manuals
• Contents
• Preface
• I A Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland

analyze topical writings by Copland in conjunction with hisconcurrent compositions and related secondary source researchmdashwhether on the development of South American music theinstitution of musical criticism in the United States or thepromotion of an identifiably American music

Finally we both would like to acknowledge the financialassistance of Gettysburg College and Western Maryland College insupport of Aaron Copland A Guide to Research In addition wewould like to thank our students especially Karen Cook whohave helped in the research process

Notes

1 Arthur Berger Aaron Copland (New York Oxford University1953) and Julia FSmith Aaron Copland His Work andContribution to American Music (New York EPDutton 1955)

2 Aaron Copland and Vivian Perlis Copland 1900 through 1942(New York St MartinrsquosMarek 1984) and Aaron Copland andVivian Perlis Copland Since 1942 (New York St Martinrsquos 1989)

3 Howard Pollack Aaron Copland The Life and Work of anUncommon Man (New York Henry Holt 1999)

4 William H Austin ldquoCoplandrdquo vol 1 The New Grove Dictionaryof American Music ed HWiley Hitchcock and Stanley Sadie(London Macmillan 1986)

5 Joann Skowronski Aaron Copland A Bio-Bibliography (WestportCT Greenwood 1985)

6 Throughout Aaron Copland A Guide to Research annotations arebased on examination of the items unless stated otherwise Eachbibliographic entry contains pagination information anInternational Standard Book Number (ISBN) and Library ofCongress (LC) call number when appropriate

7 Coplandrsquos unpublished lectures speeches and correspondence arenot included in Section III because they are currently available onlyat the Library of Congress While this is also true of Coplandrsquosunpublished articles or essays we include them to illustrate thecomprehensive scope of his published writings many of theseunpublished manuscripts became drafts for later publications

8 The Interviews category in Section III is similarly selective9 Such secondary source material is occasionally annotated in Aaron

Copland A Guide to Research as are selected tributes orobituaries if the article includes significant historical information

x

AARON COPLAND

IA Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland

The house inside is comfortable clean-lineduncluttered The living-dining room has paintings onthe walls abstract and realistic ldquoThey donrsquot gotogetherrdquo said Aaron ldquoBut theyrsquore all painted by myfriendsrdquohellip The studio is dominated by the piano and alarge table-desk the composer has had for thirty yearsIt was made for him by another friend and has a doubletop in the space between he files letters and worksheets1

If a living and working space could be a metaphor for someonersquosprofessional career then Aaron Coplandrsquos home paralleled hislifelong musical concerns In his workspace his piano desk scoresletters books manuscripts recordings and a set of the GroveDictionary of Music and Musicians all coexisted Throughout hispersonal and professional life Copland similarly was surroundedby a context of friends students colleagues critics teacherslisteners readers lovers family commentators and musicians Hecomposed at the piano but the desk from which he conductedother musical activities simultaneously encapsulated a professionand a friendshipCoplandrsquos compositionsmdashsometimes atonal other times diatonicbut all communicative and sensitive to the musical purpose andmaterials of the compositionmdashare analogous to the pictures on hiswalls While a casual visitor perceived tension between the realisticand abstract paintings the works were united in the context ofgifts from friends In much the same way many commentatorshave categorized Coplandrsquos compositions as either programmaticor abstract failing to recognize the Americanism and individual

compositional stylemdashan aesthetic that like his home was ldquoclean-lined unclutteredrdquo2mdashthat unified Coplandrsquos works

So often academic research decontextualizes its subject in favorof structural analyses that prove the importance of the object beinganalyzed thus simultaneously elevating the researcher in theprocess Few composers will benefit more than Copland from thecurrent move of scholarly research toward increasingcontextualization and inclusivity Copland even when composinghis most erudite works was no ivory-tower composer His lifelongconcerns of musical communication promotion of the livingcomposer and establishment of an identifiably American musicalexpression placed him in the center of musical activity in theUnited States throughout much of the twentieth century

During his lifetime Copland chafed against his typecasting assolely a composer of Americana with its implications of frontiernarratives quotations of folk music and accessibility to the generallistener Similarly he challenged the dichotomization of his worksas either ldquoseriousrdquo or ldquopopularrdquo Although quipping ldquoI have asplit personalityrdquo3 Copland concluded the emendation ofldquoComposer from Brooklyn An Autobiographical Sketchrdquo bystating

I can only say that those commentators who would like tosplit me down the middle into two opposing personalitieswill get no encouragement from me I prefer to think that Iwrite my music from a single vision when the results differ itis because I take into account with each new piece thepurpose for which it is intended and the nature of themusical materials with which I begin to workhellip It bothersme not at all to realize that my range as composer includesboth accessible and problematic works4

Despite such statements scholars and critics frequently havereinforced the polarization of Coplandrsquos compositionssuperimposing musical dichotomiesmdashpopularseriousprogrammaticabstract tonalatonal and diatonicserialmdashondivisive chronological periods5 It seems neither profitable norappropriate to continue to study Copland in relative isolation orthrough outdated categoriza tions especially when thedocumentary record left by Copland suggests otherwise

2 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

Recent research on Copland has begun to emphasize the unitiesamong his works whether through compositional style orAmericanism As Larry Starr has argued it is precisely theheterogeneity of Coplandrsquos compositions reflecting the diversityand plurality of American culture that unifies and defines hismusical Americanism6 Underlying the heterogeneity and supposeddichotomies Starr identified a pervasive Coplandesque style basedon ldquomelodic variationmdashwhere a basic cell is gradually expandedinto a longer unit (without departing too far from the content ofthe basic cell itself) through a process of repetition reordering andthe accretion or interpolation of new elementsrdquo7 A profitabledirection for future research is to apply the compositionalprinciples identified by Copland and Starr not just to individualpieces but to chronological periods consisting of diverse genres orspecific genres crossing apparent compositional or chronologicalstyles

Given Coplandrsquos notoriety as a composer his relative scholarlyneglect indicates previous academic biases against much of hismusic As Starr stated the ldquospecifically American qualitiesrdquo ofCoplandrsquos music have led ldquoAmerican critics academics andintelligentsiardquo to undervalue his compositions8 The scholarlyunderevaluation of Copland is intensified in his collaborativeworks because of their ldquofunctionalrdquo associations and in hisldquoAmericanardquo scores because of their popular appeal The scholarlybias toward decontextualized theoretical analyses of Coplandrsquosabstract works is also clear The challenge of future Coplandstudies is to bridge the gap between the now-dated dichotomiesmdashto contextualize (even humanize) the theoretical analyses appliedto abstract compositions and to develop critical methodologiesthat substantiate the collaborative and multidisciplinarycompositions With all of Coplandrsquos manuscripts and letters nowavailable at the Library of Congress in addition to his publishedcompositions and unpublished musical manuscripts it is possibleto evaluate Coplandrsquos musical contributions in the context of hisother professional and personal activities

Aaron Copland A Guide to Research has been designed toassess the areas of Coplandrsquos compositional and professionalcareer that have been neglected in scholarly study In Section II thechronological chart of Coplandrsquos biography compositions andwritings is intended to encourage the contextualization of allthree areas for future Copland studies The comprehensive

A GUIDE TO STUDIES ON AARON COPLAND 3

collection and annotation of Coplandrsquos published writings andunpublished manuscripts (Section III) allows not only access to thecontent of these writings but also the potential for future researchto address the scope of his literary efforts

A perusal of the secondary sources (Sections IVndashVI) suggestsmethodological avenues for continued exploration For example inSection IVA Howard Pollackrsquos definitive biography serves as amodel for contextualization of Coplandrsquos career within the spheresof his sexuality his artistic circles (especially dance) and hisliterary influences9 The works by Copland and Vivian Perlisprovide the commentary by Copland to support these expandeddirections In Section IVB Jennifer DeLapprsquos dissertation suggestsa profitable methodological model for balancing contextual andtheoretical analyses of specific compositions Previously articles byCarol Oja and Robert Parker have provided similar methodologicaldirections

Before a full syntheses of Coplandrsquos compositional style orevaluations of complete genres can be undertaken individualstudies of specific compositions must create the foundationSection V is structured to indicate the compositional techniquesgenres and individual works that have been most overlookedSection VB1 shows that this type of research on the individualballets has occurred Because of the interdisciplinary nature ofdance these studies tend to be relatively contextualized While thefilm scores and incidental music should present a similaropportunity studies of these genres lag behind since many of thescores remain unpublished in their entirety and because thesecompositions have not achieved repertory status as suites divorcedfrom their collaborative context Methodologies that unite themusical elements with the visual narrative and psychologicalcomponents of the film choreography or text need to be exploredfurther

Many of the studies of specific instrumental compositions reflectthe graduate degree requirements of academic institutionsInstrumental performers tend to study the repertoire of theirspecific instrument thus the solo repertorymdashthe ClarinetConcerto the Duo for flute and piano and especially the solopiano worksmdashhas received concentrated attention Singers choraldirectors and instrumental conductors have not similarly minedCoplandrsquos oeuvre For example no significant work has beenfocused specifically on Coplandrsquos orchestration one of the most

4 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

telling aspects of his unique compositional style While his twooperas and especially the Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson havebeen studied the remainder of Coplandrsquos vocal works awaitsubstantial examination

With recent efforts to contextualize Copland within a broadeneddefinition of musical Americanism Section VIA should becomemore substantial Additionally the corpus of Coplandrsquos writings ascritic commentator andor author needs to be examinedsystematically especially in conjunction with concurrentcompositions or musical activities10 Given that the final threedecades of Coplandrsquos professional life (1956ndash1983) centered on hisconducting rather than composing it is a major oversight that thisarea of his musical activities has not been studied Through hisconducting Coplandrsquos musical philosophies literally were takenfrom the written and musical page and put into motion Forexample the programming of concerts that Copland conductedreflects his lifelong commitment to the promotion of contemporarymusic particularly that of the living American composer

Similarly as ldquoDean of American Composersrdquo Coplandrsquos role ofmentor and teacher to young composers from as early as 1926through the mid-1960s has not been explored thoroughly Just asRobert Schumann promoted the compositional career of JohannesBrahms Copland did for four generations of young Americancomposers Each decade Copland routinely assessed the youngergeneration of composers listing almost exclusively men Was it hisamazing perceptivity or a self-fulfilling prophecy that such a highpercentage of these composers rose to national prominencemdashandwomen continued to compose in relative obscuritymdashthrough the1960s

As we begin the new century of research on Copland it is nolonger necessary to carry forward outdated assumptionsmdashwhethermethodological models obstinate categorizations of ldquoseriousrdquo andldquopopularrdquo music or other academic biases As each of the specificareas to which Copland contributed is better understood a fullsynthesis of his career can be realized

Let the latest research begin

A GUIDE TO STUDIES ON AARON COPLAND 5

Notes

1 Dorle JSoria ldquoArtistrsquos Liferdquo High FidelityMusical America 20(November 1970) MA-4 Soria described Aaron Coplandrsquos homenear Peek-skill New York during an interview conducted in 1970

2 Ibid3 Aaron Copland ldquoComposer from Brooklyn An Autobiographical

Sketchrdquo in The New Music 1900ndash1960 (New York WWNorton1968) 163

4 Ibid 1685 The traditional categorizations of Coplandrsquos compositions have

been called into question by authors such as Lawrence Starr whohas proposed elements of a unified compositional style (LawrenceStarr ldquoCoplandrsquos Stylerdquo Perspectives of New Music 19 [Fall-Winter 980] 87ndash88)

6 Larry Starr ldquoIves Gershwin and Copland Reflections on theStrange History of American Art Musicrdquo American Music 12(Summer 1994) 168ndash169 In this case ldquoAmericanismrdquo implies thelarger American musical palette referred to by Copland and Starrwhile ldquoAmericanardquo implies the specific expression of Americanismassociated with the frontier musical accessibility and the quotationof folk tunes

7 Ibid 1818 Ibid 1799 Howard Pollack Aaron Copland The Life and Work of an

Uncommon Man (New York Henry Holt 1999) Pollackrsquos bookinitiated the wave of research surrounding the centenary ofCoplandrsquos birth in 2000

10 Pollackrsquos biography does cover each of these areas but there isconsiderable room for systematic application of these musicalendeavors to individual compositions by Copland

6 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

• Book Cover
• Half-Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Composer Resource Manuals
• Contents
• Preface
• I A Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland

AARON COPLAND

IA Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland

The house inside is comfortable clean-lineduncluttered The living-dining room has paintings onthe walls abstract and realistic ldquoThey donrsquot gotogetherrdquo said Aaron ldquoBut theyrsquore all painted by myfriendsrdquohellip The studio is dominated by the piano and alarge table-desk the composer has had for thirty yearsIt was made for him by another friend and has a doubletop in the space between he files letters and worksheets1

If a living and working space could be a metaphor for someonersquosprofessional career then Aaron Coplandrsquos home paralleled hislifelong musical concerns In his workspace his piano desk scoresletters books manuscripts recordings and a set of the GroveDictionary of Music and Musicians all coexisted Throughout hispersonal and professional life Copland similarly was surroundedby a context of friends students colleagues critics teacherslisteners readers lovers family commentators and musicians Hecomposed at the piano but the desk from which he conductedother musical activities simultaneously encapsulated a professionand a friendshipCoplandrsquos compositionsmdashsometimes atonal other times diatonicbut all communicative and sensitive to the musical purpose andmaterials of the compositionmdashare analogous to the pictures on hiswalls While a casual visitor perceived tension between the realisticand abstract paintings the works were united in the context ofgifts from friends In much the same way many commentatorshave categorized Coplandrsquos compositions as either programmaticor abstract failing to recognize the Americanism and individual

compositional stylemdashan aesthetic that like his home was ldquoclean-lined unclutteredrdquo2mdashthat unified Coplandrsquos works

So often academic research decontextualizes its subject in favorof structural analyses that prove the importance of the object beinganalyzed thus simultaneously elevating the researcher in theprocess Few composers will benefit more than Copland from thecurrent move of scholarly research toward increasingcontextualization and inclusivity Copland even when composinghis most erudite works was no ivory-tower composer His lifelongconcerns of musical communication promotion of the livingcomposer and establishment of an identifiably American musicalexpression placed him in the center of musical activity in theUnited States throughout much of the twentieth century

During his lifetime Copland chafed against his typecasting assolely a composer of Americana with its implications of frontiernarratives quotations of folk music and accessibility to the generallistener Similarly he challenged the dichotomization of his worksas either ldquoseriousrdquo or ldquopopularrdquo Although quipping ldquoI have asplit personalityrdquo3 Copland concluded the emendation ofldquoComposer from Brooklyn An Autobiographical Sketchrdquo bystating

I can only say that those commentators who would like tosplit me down the middle into two opposing personalitieswill get no encouragement from me I prefer to think that Iwrite my music from a single vision when the results differ itis because I take into account with each new piece thepurpose for which it is intended and the nature of themusical materials with which I begin to workhellip It bothersme not at all to realize that my range as composer includesboth accessible and problematic works4

Despite such statements scholars and critics frequently havereinforced the polarization of Coplandrsquos compositionssuperimposing musical dichotomiesmdashpopularseriousprogrammaticabstract tonalatonal and diatonicserialmdashondivisive chronological periods5 It seems neither profitable norappropriate to continue to study Copland in relative isolation orthrough outdated categoriza tions especially when thedocumentary record left by Copland suggests otherwise

2 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

Recent research on Copland has begun to emphasize the unitiesamong his works whether through compositional style orAmericanism As Larry Starr has argued it is precisely theheterogeneity of Coplandrsquos compositions reflecting the diversityand plurality of American culture that unifies and defines hismusical Americanism6 Underlying the heterogeneity and supposeddichotomies Starr identified a pervasive Coplandesque style basedon ldquomelodic variationmdashwhere a basic cell is gradually expandedinto a longer unit (without departing too far from the content ofthe basic cell itself) through a process of repetition reordering andthe accretion or interpolation of new elementsrdquo7 A profitabledirection for future research is to apply the compositionalprinciples identified by Copland and Starr not just to individualpieces but to chronological periods consisting of diverse genres orspecific genres crossing apparent compositional or chronologicalstyles

Given Coplandrsquos notoriety as a composer his relative scholarlyneglect indicates previous academic biases against much of hismusic As Starr stated the ldquospecifically American qualitiesrdquo ofCoplandrsquos music have led ldquoAmerican critics academics andintelligentsiardquo to undervalue his compositions8 The scholarlyunderevaluation of Copland is intensified in his collaborativeworks because of their ldquofunctionalrdquo associations and in hisldquoAmericanardquo scores because of their popular appeal The scholarlybias toward decontextualized theoretical analyses of Coplandrsquosabstract works is also clear The challenge of future Coplandstudies is to bridge the gap between the now-dated dichotomiesmdashto contextualize (even humanize) the theoretical analyses appliedto abstract compositions and to develop critical methodologiesthat substantiate the collaborative and multidisciplinarycompositions With all of Coplandrsquos manuscripts and letters nowavailable at the Library of Congress in addition to his publishedcompositions and unpublished musical manuscripts it is possibleto evaluate Coplandrsquos musical contributions in the context of hisother professional and personal activities

Aaron Copland A Guide to Research has been designed toassess the areas of Coplandrsquos compositional and professionalcareer that have been neglected in scholarly study In Section II thechronological chart of Coplandrsquos biography compositions andwritings is intended to encourage the contextualization of allthree areas for future Copland studies The comprehensive

A GUIDE TO STUDIES ON AARON COPLAND 3

collection and annotation of Coplandrsquos published writings andunpublished manuscripts (Section III) allows not only access to thecontent of these writings but also the potential for future researchto address the scope of his literary efforts

A perusal of the secondary sources (Sections IVndashVI) suggestsmethodological avenues for continued exploration For example inSection IVA Howard Pollackrsquos definitive biography serves as amodel for contextualization of Coplandrsquos career within the spheresof his sexuality his artistic circles (especially dance) and hisliterary influences9 The works by Copland and Vivian Perlisprovide the commentary by Copland to support these expandeddirections In Section IVB Jennifer DeLapprsquos dissertation suggestsa profitable methodological model for balancing contextual andtheoretical analyses of specific compositions Previously articles byCarol Oja and Robert Parker have provided similar methodologicaldirections

Before a full syntheses of Coplandrsquos compositional style orevaluations of complete genres can be undertaken individualstudies of specific compositions must create the foundationSection V is structured to indicate the compositional techniquesgenres and individual works that have been most overlookedSection VB1 shows that this type of research on the individualballets has occurred Because of the interdisciplinary nature ofdance these studies tend to be relatively contextualized While thefilm scores and incidental music should present a similaropportunity studies of these genres lag behind since many of thescores remain unpublished in their entirety and because thesecompositions have not achieved repertory status as suites divorcedfrom their collaborative context Methodologies that unite themusical elements with the visual narrative and psychologicalcomponents of the film choreography or text need to be exploredfurther

Many of the studies of specific instrumental compositions reflectthe graduate degree requirements of academic institutionsInstrumental performers tend to study the repertoire of theirspecific instrument thus the solo repertorymdashthe ClarinetConcerto the Duo for flute and piano and especially the solopiano worksmdashhas received concentrated attention Singers choraldirectors and instrumental conductors have not similarly minedCoplandrsquos oeuvre For example no significant work has beenfocused specifically on Coplandrsquos orchestration one of the most

4 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

telling aspects of his unique compositional style While his twooperas and especially the Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson havebeen studied the remainder of Coplandrsquos vocal works awaitsubstantial examination

With recent efforts to contextualize Copland within a broadeneddefinition of musical Americanism Section VIA should becomemore substantial Additionally the corpus of Coplandrsquos writings ascritic commentator andor author needs to be examinedsystematically especially in conjunction with concurrentcompositions or musical activities10 Given that the final threedecades of Coplandrsquos professional life (1956ndash1983) centered on hisconducting rather than composing it is a major oversight that thisarea of his musical activities has not been studied Through hisconducting Coplandrsquos musical philosophies literally were takenfrom the written and musical page and put into motion Forexample the programming of concerts that Copland conductedreflects his lifelong commitment to the promotion of contemporarymusic particularly that of the living American composer

Similarly as ldquoDean of American Composersrdquo Coplandrsquos role ofmentor and teacher to young composers from as early as 1926through the mid-1960s has not been explored thoroughly Just asRobert Schumann promoted the compositional career of JohannesBrahms Copland did for four generations of young Americancomposers Each decade Copland routinely assessed the youngergeneration of composers listing almost exclusively men Was it hisamazing perceptivity or a self-fulfilling prophecy that such a highpercentage of these composers rose to national prominencemdashandwomen continued to compose in relative obscuritymdashthrough the1960s

As we begin the new century of research on Copland it is nolonger necessary to carry forward outdated assumptionsmdashwhethermethodological models obstinate categorizations of ldquoseriousrdquo andldquopopularrdquo music or other academic biases As each of the specificareas to which Copland contributed is better understood a fullsynthesis of his career can be realized

Let the latest research begin

A GUIDE TO STUDIES ON AARON COPLAND 5

Notes

1 Dorle JSoria ldquoArtistrsquos Liferdquo High FidelityMusical America 20(November 1970) MA-4 Soria described Aaron Coplandrsquos homenear Peek-skill New York during an interview conducted in 1970

2 Ibid3 Aaron Copland ldquoComposer from Brooklyn An Autobiographical

Sketchrdquo in The New Music 1900ndash1960 (New York WWNorton1968) 163

4 Ibid 1685 The traditional categorizations of Coplandrsquos compositions have

been called into question by authors such as Lawrence Starr whohas proposed elements of a unified compositional style (LawrenceStarr ldquoCoplandrsquos Stylerdquo Perspectives of New Music 19 [Fall-Winter 980] 87ndash88)

6 Larry Starr ldquoIves Gershwin and Copland Reflections on theStrange History of American Art Musicrdquo American Music 12(Summer 1994) 168ndash169 In this case ldquoAmericanismrdquo implies thelarger American musical palette referred to by Copland and Starrwhile ldquoAmericanardquo implies the specific expression of Americanismassociated with the frontier musical accessibility and the quotationof folk tunes

7 Ibid 1818 Ibid 1799 Howard Pollack Aaron Copland The Life and Work of an

Uncommon Man (New York Henry Holt 1999) Pollackrsquos bookinitiated the wave of research surrounding the centenary ofCoplandrsquos birth in 2000

10 Pollackrsquos biography does cover each of these areas but there isconsiderable room for systematic application of these musicalendeavors to individual compositions by Copland

6 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

• Book Cover
• Half-Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Composer Resource Manuals
• Contents
• Preface
• I A Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland

IA Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland

The house inside is comfortable clean-lineduncluttered The living-dining room has paintings onthe walls abstract and realistic ldquoThey donrsquot gotogetherrdquo said Aaron ldquoBut theyrsquore all painted by myfriendsrdquohellip The studio is dominated by the piano and alarge table-desk the composer has had for thirty yearsIt was made for him by another friend and has a doubletop in the space between he files letters and worksheets1

If a living and working space could be a metaphor for someonersquosprofessional career then Aaron Coplandrsquos home paralleled hislifelong musical concerns In his workspace his piano desk scoresletters books manuscripts recordings and a set of the GroveDictionary of Music and Musicians all coexisted Throughout hispersonal and professional life Copland similarly was surroundedby a context of friends students colleagues critics teacherslisteners readers lovers family commentators and musicians Hecomposed at the piano but the desk from which he conductedother musical activities simultaneously encapsulated a professionand a friendshipCoplandrsquos compositionsmdashsometimes atonal other times diatonicbut all communicative and sensitive to the musical purpose andmaterials of the compositionmdashare analogous to the pictures on hiswalls While a casual visitor perceived tension between the realisticand abstract paintings the works were united in the context ofgifts from friends In much the same way many commentatorshave categorized Coplandrsquos compositions as either programmaticor abstract failing to recognize the Americanism and individual

compositional stylemdashan aesthetic that like his home was ldquoclean-lined unclutteredrdquo2mdashthat unified Coplandrsquos works

So often academic research decontextualizes its subject in favorof structural analyses that prove the importance of the object beinganalyzed thus simultaneously elevating the researcher in theprocess Few composers will benefit more than Copland from thecurrent move of scholarly research toward increasingcontextualization and inclusivity Copland even when composinghis most erudite works was no ivory-tower composer His lifelongconcerns of musical communication promotion of the livingcomposer and establishment of an identifiably American musicalexpression placed him in the center of musical activity in theUnited States throughout much of the twentieth century

During his lifetime Copland chafed against his typecasting assolely a composer of Americana with its implications of frontiernarratives quotations of folk music and accessibility to the generallistener Similarly he challenged the dichotomization of his worksas either ldquoseriousrdquo or ldquopopularrdquo Although quipping ldquoI have asplit personalityrdquo3 Copland concluded the emendation ofldquoComposer from Brooklyn An Autobiographical Sketchrdquo bystating

I can only say that those commentators who would like tosplit me down the middle into two opposing personalitieswill get no encouragement from me I prefer to think that Iwrite my music from a single vision when the results differ itis because I take into account with each new piece thepurpose for which it is intended and the nature of themusical materials with which I begin to workhellip It bothersme not at all to realize that my range as composer includesboth accessible and problematic works4

Despite such statements scholars and critics frequently havereinforced the polarization of Coplandrsquos compositionssuperimposing musical dichotomiesmdashpopularseriousprogrammaticabstract tonalatonal and diatonicserialmdashondivisive chronological periods5 It seems neither profitable norappropriate to continue to study Copland in relative isolation orthrough outdated categoriza tions especially when thedocumentary record left by Copland suggests otherwise

2 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

Recent research on Copland has begun to emphasize the unitiesamong his works whether through compositional style orAmericanism As Larry Starr has argued it is precisely theheterogeneity of Coplandrsquos compositions reflecting the diversityand plurality of American culture that unifies and defines hismusical Americanism6 Underlying the heterogeneity and supposeddichotomies Starr identified a pervasive Coplandesque style basedon ldquomelodic variationmdashwhere a basic cell is gradually expandedinto a longer unit (without departing too far from the content ofthe basic cell itself) through a process of repetition reordering andthe accretion or interpolation of new elementsrdquo7 A profitabledirection for future research is to apply the compositionalprinciples identified by Copland and Starr not just to individualpieces but to chronological periods consisting of diverse genres orspecific genres crossing apparent compositional or chronologicalstyles

Given Coplandrsquos notoriety as a composer his relative scholarlyneglect indicates previous academic biases against much of hismusic As Starr stated the ldquospecifically American qualitiesrdquo ofCoplandrsquos music have led ldquoAmerican critics academics andintelligentsiardquo to undervalue his compositions8 The scholarlyunderevaluation of Copland is intensified in his collaborativeworks because of their ldquofunctionalrdquo associations and in hisldquoAmericanardquo scores because of their popular appeal The scholarlybias toward decontextualized theoretical analyses of Coplandrsquosabstract works is also clear The challenge of future Coplandstudies is to bridge the gap between the now-dated dichotomiesmdashto contextualize (even humanize) the theoretical analyses appliedto abstract compositions and to develop critical methodologiesthat substantiate the collaborative and multidisciplinarycompositions With all of Coplandrsquos manuscripts and letters nowavailable at the Library of Congress in addition to his publishedcompositions and unpublished musical manuscripts it is possibleto evaluate Coplandrsquos musical contributions in the context of hisother professional and personal activities

Aaron Copland A Guide to Research has been designed toassess the areas of Coplandrsquos compositional and professionalcareer that have been neglected in scholarly study In Section II thechronological chart of Coplandrsquos biography compositions andwritings is intended to encourage the contextualization of allthree areas for future Copland studies The comprehensive

A GUIDE TO STUDIES ON AARON COPLAND 3

collection and annotation of Coplandrsquos published writings andunpublished manuscripts (Section III) allows not only access to thecontent of these writings but also the potential for future researchto address the scope of his literary efforts

A perusal of the secondary sources (Sections IVndashVI) suggestsmethodological avenues for continued exploration For example inSection IVA Howard Pollackrsquos definitive biography serves as amodel for contextualization of Coplandrsquos career within the spheresof his sexuality his artistic circles (especially dance) and hisliterary influences9 The works by Copland and Vivian Perlisprovide the commentary by Copland to support these expandeddirections In Section IVB Jennifer DeLapprsquos dissertation suggestsa profitable methodological model for balancing contextual andtheoretical analyses of specific compositions Previously articles byCarol Oja and Robert Parker have provided similar methodologicaldirections

Before a full syntheses of Coplandrsquos compositional style orevaluations of complete genres can be undertaken individualstudies of specific compositions must create the foundationSection V is structured to indicate the compositional techniquesgenres and individual works that have been most overlookedSection VB1 shows that this type of research on the individualballets has occurred Because of the interdisciplinary nature ofdance these studies tend to be relatively contextualized While thefilm scores and incidental music should present a similaropportunity studies of these genres lag behind since many of thescores remain unpublished in their entirety and because thesecompositions have not achieved repertory status as suites divorcedfrom their collaborative context Methodologies that unite themusical elements with the visual narrative and psychologicalcomponents of the film choreography or text need to be exploredfurther

Many of the studies of specific instrumental compositions reflectthe graduate degree requirements of academic institutionsInstrumental performers tend to study the repertoire of theirspecific instrument thus the solo repertorymdashthe ClarinetConcerto the Duo for flute and piano and especially the solopiano worksmdashhas received concentrated attention Singers choraldirectors and instrumental conductors have not similarly minedCoplandrsquos oeuvre For example no significant work has beenfocused specifically on Coplandrsquos orchestration one of the most

4 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

telling aspects of his unique compositional style While his twooperas and especially the Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson havebeen studied the remainder of Coplandrsquos vocal works awaitsubstantial examination

With recent efforts to contextualize Copland within a broadeneddefinition of musical Americanism Section VIA should becomemore substantial Additionally the corpus of Coplandrsquos writings ascritic commentator andor author needs to be examinedsystematically especially in conjunction with concurrentcompositions or musical activities10 Given that the final threedecades of Coplandrsquos professional life (1956ndash1983) centered on hisconducting rather than composing it is a major oversight that thisarea of his musical activities has not been studied Through hisconducting Coplandrsquos musical philosophies literally were takenfrom the written and musical page and put into motion Forexample the programming of concerts that Copland conductedreflects his lifelong commitment to the promotion of contemporarymusic particularly that of the living American composer

Similarly as ldquoDean of American Composersrdquo Coplandrsquos role ofmentor and teacher to young composers from as early as 1926through the mid-1960s has not been explored thoroughly Just asRobert Schumann promoted the compositional career of JohannesBrahms Copland did for four generations of young Americancomposers Each decade Copland routinely assessed the youngergeneration of composers listing almost exclusively men Was it hisamazing perceptivity or a self-fulfilling prophecy that such a highpercentage of these composers rose to national prominencemdashandwomen continued to compose in relative obscuritymdashthrough the1960s

As we begin the new century of research on Copland it is nolonger necessary to carry forward outdated assumptionsmdashwhethermethodological models obstinate categorizations of ldquoseriousrdquo andldquopopularrdquo music or other academic biases As each of the specificareas to which Copland contributed is better understood a fullsynthesis of his career can be realized

Let the latest research begin

A GUIDE TO STUDIES ON AARON COPLAND 5

Notes

1 Dorle JSoria ldquoArtistrsquos Liferdquo High FidelityMusical America 20(November 1970) MA-4 Soria described Aaron Coplandrsquos homenear Peek-skill New York during an interview conducted in 1970

2 Ibid3 Aaron Copland ldquoComposer from Brooklyn An Autobiographical

Sketchrdquo in The New Music 1900ndash1960 (New York WWNorton1968) 163

4 Ibid 1685 The traditional categorizations of Coplandrsquos compositions have

been called into question by authors such as Lawrence Starr whohas proposed elements of a unified compositional style (LawrenceStarr ldquoCoplandrsquos Stylerdquo Perspectives of New Music 19 [Fall-Winter 980] 87ndash88)

6 Larry Starr ldquoIves Gershwin and Copland Reflections on theStrange History of American Art Musicrdquo American Music 12(Summer 1994) 168ndash169 In this case ldquoAmericanismrdquo implies thelarger American musical palette referred to by Copland and Starrwhile ldquoAmericanardquo implies the specific expression of Americanismassociated with the frontier musical accessibility and the quotationof folk tunes

7 Ibid 1818 Ibid 1799 Howard Pollack Aaron Copland The Life and Work of an

Uncommon Man (New York Henry Holt 1999) Pollackrsquos bookinitiated the wave of research surrounding the centenary ofCoplandrsquos birth in 2000

10 Pollackrsquos biography does cover each of these areas but there isconsiderable room for systematic application of these musicalendeavors to individual compositions by Copland

6 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

• Book Cover
• Half-Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Composer Resource Manuals
• Contents
• Preface
• I A Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland

compositional stylemdashan aesthetic that like his home was ldquoclean-lined unclutteredrdquo2mdashthat unified Coplandrsquos works

So often academic research decontextualizes its subject in favorof structural analyses that prove the importance of the object beinganalyzed thus simultaneously elevating the researcher in theprocess Few composers will benefit more than Copland from thecurrent move of scholarly research toward increasingcontextualization and inclusivity Copland even when composinghis most erudite works was no ivory-tower composer His lifelongconcerns of musical communication promotion of the livingcomposer and establishment of an identifiably American musicalexpression placed him in the center of musical activity in theUnited States throughout much of the twentieth century

During his lifetime Copland chafed against his typecasting assolely a composer of Americana with its implications of frontiernarratives quotations of folk music and accessibility to the generallistener Similarly he challenged the dichotomization of his worksas either ldquoseriousrdquo or ldquopopularrdquo Although quipping ldquoI have asplit personalityrdquo3 Copland concluded the emendation ofldquoComposer from Brooklyn An Autobiographical Sketchrdquo bystating

I can only say that those commentators who would like tosplit me down the middle into two opposing personalitieswill get no encouragement from me I prefer to think that Iwrite my music from a single vision when the results differ itis because I take into account with each new piece thepurpose for which it is intended and the nature of themusical materials with which I begin to workhellip It bothersme not at all to realize that my range as composer includesboth accessible and problematic works4

Despite such statements scholars and critics frequently havereinforced the polarization of Coplandrsquos compositionssuperimposing musical dichotomiesmdashpopularseriousprogrammaticabstract tonalatonal and diatonicserialmdashondivisive chronological periods5 It seems neither profitable norappropriate to continue to study Copland in relative isolation orthrough outdated categoriza tions especially when thedocumentary record left by Copland suggests otherwise

2 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

Recent research on Copland has begun to emphasize the unitiesamong his works whether through compositional style orAmericanism As Larry Starr has argued it is precisely theheterogeneity of Coplandrsquos compositions reflecting the diversityand plurality of American culture that unifies and defines hismusical Americanism6 Underlying the heterogeneity and supposeddichotomies Starr identified a pervasive Coplandesque style basedon ldquomelodic variationmdashwhere a basic cell is gradually expandedinto a longer unit (without departing too far from the content ofthe basic cell itself) through a process of repetition reordering andthe accretion or interpolation of new elementsrdquo7 A profitabledirection for future research is to apply the compositionalprinciples identified by Copland and Starr not just to individualpieces but to chronological periods consisting of diverse genres orspecific genres crossing apparent compositional or chronologicalstyles

Given Coplandrsquos notoriety as a composer his relative scholarlyneglect indicates previous academic biases against much of hismusic As Starr stated the ldquospecifically American qualitiesrdquo ofCoplandrsquos music have led ldquoAmerican critics academics andintelligentsiardquo to undervalue his compositions8 The scholarlyunderevaluation of Copland is intensified in his collaborativeworks because of their ldquofunctionalrdquo associations and in hisldquoAmericanardquo scores because of their popular appeal The scholarlybias toward decontextualized theoretical analyses of Coplandrsquosabstract works is also clear The challenge of future Coplandstudies is to bridge the gap between the now-dated dichotomiesmdashto contextualize (even humanize) the theoretical analyses appliedto abstract compositions and to develop critical methodologiesthat substantiate the collaborative and multidisciplinarycompositions With all of Coplandrsquos manuscripts and letters nowavailable at the Library of Congress in addition to his publishedcompositions and unpublished musical manuscripts it is possibleto evaluate Coplandrsquos musical contributions in the context of hisother professional and personal activities

Aaron Copland A Guide to Research has been designed toassess the areas of Coplandrsquos compositional and professionalcareer that have been neglected in scholarly study In Section II thechronological chart of Coplandrsquos biography compositions andwritings is intended to encourage the contextualization of allthree areas for future Copland studies The comprehensive

A GUIDE TO STUDIES ON AARON COPLAND 3

collection and annotation of Coplandrsquos published writings andunpublished manuscripts (Section III) allows not only access to thecontent of these writings but also the potential for future researchto address the scope of his literary efforts

A perusal of the secondary sources (Sections IVndashVI) suggestsmethodological avenues for continued exploration For example inSection IVA Howard Pollackrsquos definitive biography serves as amodel for contextualization of Coplandrsquos career within the spheresof his sexuality his artistic circles (especially dance) and hisliterary influences9 The works by Copland and Vivian Perlisprovide the commentary by Copland to support these expandeddirections In Section IVB Jennifer DeLapprsquos dissertation suggestsa profitable methodological model for balancing contextual andtheoretical analyses of specific compositions Previously articles byCarol Oja and Robert Parker have provided similar methodologicaldirections

Before a full syntheses of Coplandrsquos compositional style orevaluations of complete genres can be undertaken individualstudies of specific compositions must create the foundationSection V is structured to indicate the compositional techniquesgenres and individual works that have been most overlookedSection VB1 shows that this type of research on the individualballets has occurred Because of the interdisciplinary nature ofdance these studies tend to be relatively contextualized While thefilm scores and incidental music should present a similaropportunity studies of these genres lag behind since many of thescores remain unpublished in their entirety and because thesecompositions have not achieved repertory status as suites divorcedfrom their collaborative context Methodologies that unite themusical elements with the visual narrative and psychologicalcomponents of the film choreography or text need to be exploredfurther

Many of the studies of specific instrumental compositions reflectthe graduate degree requirements of academic institutionsInstrumental performers tend to study the repertoire of theirspecific instrument thus the solo repertorymdashthe ClarinetConcerto the Duo for flute and piano and especially the solopiano worksmdashhas received concentrated attention Singers choraldirectors and instrumental conductors have not similarly minedCoplandrsquos oeuvre For example no significant work has beenfocused specifically on Coplandrsquos orchestration one of the most

4 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

telling aspects of his unique compositional style While his twooperas and especially the Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson havebeen studied the remainder of Coplandrsquos vocal works awaitsubstantial examination

With recent efforts to contextualize Copland within a broadeneddefinition of musical Americanism Section VIA should becomemore substantial Additionally the corpus of Coplandrsquos writings ascritic commentator andor author needs to be examinedsystematically especially in conjunction with concurrentcompositions or musical activities10 Given that the final threedecades of Coplandrsquos professional life (1956ndash1983) centered on hisconducting rather than composing it is a major oversight that thisarea of his musical activities has not been studied Through hisconducting Coplandrsquos musical philosophies literally were takenfrom the written and musical page and put into motion Forexample the programming of concerts that Copland conductedreflects his lifelong commitment to the promotion of contemporarymusic particularly that of the living American composer

Similarly as ldquoDean of American Composersrdquo Coplandrsquos role ofmentor and teacher to young composers from as early as 1926through the mid-1960s has not been explored thoroughly Just asRobert Schumann promoted the compositional career of JohannesBrahms Copland did for four generations of young Americancomposers Each decade Copland routinely assessed the youngergeneration of composers listing almost exclusively men Was it hisamazing perceptivity or a self-fulfilling prophecy that such a highpercentage of these composers rose to national prominencemdashandwomen continued to compose in relative obscuritymdashthrough the1960s

As we begin the new century of research on Copland it is nolonger necessary to carry forward outdated assumptionsmdashwhethermethodological models obstinate categorizations of ldquoseriousrdquo andldquopopularrdquo music or other academic biases As each of the specificareas to which Copland contributed is better understood a fullsynthesis of his career can be realized

Let the latest research begin

A GUIDE TO STUDIES ON AARON COPLAND 5

Notes

1 Dorle JSoria ldquoArtistrsquos Liferdquo High FidelityMusical America 20(November 1970) MA-4 Soria described Aaron Coplandrsquos homenear Peek-skill New York during an interview conducted in 1970

2 Ibid3 Aaron Copland ldquoComposer from Brooklyn An Autobiographical

Sketchrdquo in The New Music 1900ndash1960 (New York WWNorton1968) 163

4 Ibid 1685 The traditional categorizations of Coplandrsquos compositions have

been called into question by authors such as Lawrence Starr whohas proposed elements of a unified compositional style (LawrenceStarr ldquoCoplandrsquos Stylerdquo Perspectives of New Music 19 [Fall-Winter 980] 87ndash88)

6 Larry Starr ldquoIves Gershwin and Copland Reflections on theStrange History of American Art Musicrdquo American Music 12(Summer 1994) 168ndash169 In this case ldquoAmericanismrdquo implies thelarger American musical palette referred to by Copland and Starrwhile ldquoAmericanardquo implies the specific expression of Americanismassociated with the frontier musical accessibility and the quotationof folk tunes

7 Ibid 1818 Ibid 1799 Howard Pollack Aaron Copland The Life and Work of an

Uncommon Man (New York Henry Holt 1999) Pollackrsquos bookinitiated the wave of research surrounding the centenary ofCoplandrsquos birth in 2000

10 Pollackrsquos biography does cover each of these areas but there isconsiderable room for systematic application of these musicalendeavors to individual compositions by Copland

6 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

• Book Cover
• Half-Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Composer Resource Manuals
• Contents
• Preface
• I A Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland

Recent research on Copland has begun to emphasize the unitiesamong his works whether through compositional style orAmericanism As Larry Starr has argued it is precisely theheterogeneity of Coplandrsquos compositions reflecting the diversityand plurality of American culture that unifies and defines hismusical Americanism6 Underlying the heterogeneity and supposeddichotomies Starr identified a pervasive Coplandesque style basedon ldquomelodic variationmdashwhere a basic cell is gradually expandedinto a longer unit (without departing too far from the content ofthe basic cell itself) through a process of repetition reordering andthe accretion or interpolation of new elementsrdquo7 A profitabledirection for future research is to apply the compositionalprinciples identified by Copland and Starr not just to individualpieces but to chronological periods consisting of diverse genres orspecific genres crossing apparent compositional or chronologicalstyles

Given Coplandrsquos notoriety as a composer his relative scholarlyneglect indicates previous academic biases against much of hismusic As Starr stated the ldquospecifically American qualitiesrdquo ofCoplandrsquos music have led ldquoAmerican critics academics andintelligentsiardquo to undervalue his compositions8 The scholarlyunderevaluation of Copland is intensified in his collaborativeworks because of their ldquofunctionalrdquo associations and in hisldquoAmericanardquo scores because of their popular appeal The scholarlybias toward decontextualized theoretical analyses of Coplandrsquosabstract works is also clear The challenge of future Coplandstudies is to bridge the gap between the now-dated dichotomiesmdashto contextualize (even humanize) the theoretical analyses appliedto abstract compositions and to develop critical methodologiesthat substantiate the collaborative and multidisciplinarycompositions With all of Coplandrsquos manuscripts and letters nowavailable at the Library of Congress in addition to his publishedcompositions and unpublished musical manuscripts it is possibleto evaluate Coplandrsquos musical contributions in the context of hisother professional and personal activities

Aaron Copland A Guide to Research has been designed toassess the areas of Coplandrsquos compositional and professionalcareer that have been neglected in scholarly study In Section II thechronological chart of Coplandrsquos biography compositions andwritings is intended to encourage the contextualization of allthree areas for future Copland studies The comprehensive

A GUIDE TO STUDIES ON AARON COPLAND 3

collection and annotation of Coplandrsquos published writings andunpublished manuscripts (Section III) allows not only access to thecontent of these writings but also the potential for future researchto address the scope of his literary efforts

A perusal of the secondary sources (Sections IVndashVI) suggestsmethodological avenues for continued exploration For example inSection IVA Howard Pollackrsquos definitive biography serves as amodel for contextualization of Coplandrsquos career within the spheresof his sexuality his artistic circles (especially dance) and hisliterary influences9 The works by Copland and Vivian Perlisprovide the commentary by Copland to support these expandeddirections In Section IVB Jennifer DeLapprsquos dissertation suggestsa profitable methodological model for balancing contextual andtheoretical analyses of specific compositions Previously articles byCarol Oja and Robert Parker have provided similar methodologicaldirections

Before a full syntheses of Coplandrsquos compositional style orevaluations of complete genres can be undertaken individualstudies of specific compositions must create the foundationSection V is structured to indicate the compositional techniquesgenres and individual works that have been most overlookedSection VB1 shows that this type of research on the individualballets has occurred Because of the interdisciplinary nature ofdance these studies tend to be relatively contextualized While thefilm scores and incidental music should present a similaropportunity studies of these genres lag behind since many of thescores remain unpublished in their entirety and because thesecompositions have not achieved repertory status as suites divorcedfrom their collaborative context Methodologies that unite themusical elements with the visual narrative and psychologicalcomponents of the film choreography or text need to be exploredfurther

Many of the studies of specific instrumental compositions reflectthe graduate degree requirements of academic institutionsInstrumental performers tend to study the repertoire of theirspecific instrument thus the solo repertorymdashthe ClarinetConcerto the Duo for flute and piano and especially the solopiano worksmdashhas received concentrated attention Singers choraldirectors and instrumental conductors have not similarly minedCoplandrsquos oeuvre For example no significant work has beenfocused specifically on Coplandrsquos orchestration one of the most

4 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

telling aspects of his unique compositional style While his twooperas and especially the Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson havebeen studied the remainder of Coplandrsquos vocal works awaitsubstantial examination

With recent efforts to contextualize Copland within a broadeneddefinition of musical Americanism Section VIA should becomemore substantial Additionally the corpus of Coplandrsquos writings ascritic commentator andor author needs to be examinedsystematically especially in conjunction with concurrentcompositions or musical activities10 Given that the final threedecades of Coplandrsquos professional life (1956ndash1983) centered on hisconducting rather than composing it is a major oversight that thisarea of his musical activities has not been studied Through hisconducting Coplandrsquos musical philosophies literally were takenfrom the written and musical page and put into motion Forexample the programming of concerts that Copland conductedreflects his lifelong commitment to the promotion of contemporarymusic particularly that of the living American composer

Similarly as ldquoDean of American Composersrdquo Coplandrsquos role ofmentor and teacher to young composers from as early as 1926through the mid-1960s has not been explored thoroughly Just asRobert Schumann promoted the compositional career of JohannesBrahms Copland did for four generations of young Americancomposers Each decade Copland routinely assessed the youngergeneration of composers listing almost exclusively men Was it hisamazing perceptivity or a self-fulfilling prophecy that such a highpercentage of these composers rose to national prominencemdashandwomen continued to compose in relative obscuritymdashthrough the1960s

As we begin the new century of research on Copland it is nolonger necessary to carry forward outdated assumptionsmdashwhethermethodological models obstinate categorizations of ldquoseriousrdquo andldquopopularrdquo music or other academic biases As each of the specificareas to which Copland contributed is better understood a fullsynthesis of his career can be realized

Let the latest research begin

A GUIDE TO STUDIES ON AARON COPLAND 5

Notes

1 Dorle JSoria ldquoArtistrsquos Liferdquo High FidelityMusical America 20(November 1970) MA-4 Soria described Aaron Coplandrsquos homenear Peek-skill New York during an interview conducted in 1970

2 Ibid3 Aaron Copland ldquoComposer from Brooklyn An Autobiographical

Sketchrdquo in The New Music 1900ndash1960 (New York WWNorton1968) 163

4 Ibid 1685 The traditional categorizations of Coplandrsquos compositions have

been called into question by authors such as Lawrence Starr whohas proposed elements of a unified compositional style (LawrenceStarr ldquoCoplandrsquos Stylerdquo Perspectives of New Music 19 [Fall-Winter 980] 87ndash88)

6 Larry Starr ldquoIves Gershwin and Copland Reflections on theStrange History of American Art Musicrdquo American Music 12(Summer 1994) 168ndash169 In this case ldquoAmericanismrdquo implies thelarger American musical palette referred to by Copland and Starrwhile ldquoAmericanardquo implies the specific expression of Americanismassociated with the frontier musical accessibility and the quotationof folk tunes

7 Ibid 1818 Ibid 1799 Howard Pollack Aaron Copland The Life and Work of an

Uncommon Man (New York Henry Holt 1999) Pollackrsquos bookinitiated the wave of research surrounding the centenary ofCoplandrsquos birth in 2000

10 Pollackrsquos biography does cover each of these areas but there isconsiderable room for systematic application of these musicalendeavors to individual compositions by Copland

6 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

• Book Cover
• Half-Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Composer Resource Manuals
• Contents
• Preface
• I A Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland

collection and annotation of Coplandrsquos published writings andunpublished manuscripts (Section III) allows not only access to thecontent of these writings but also the potential for future researchto address the scope of his literary efforts

A perusal of the secondary sources (Sections IVndashVI) suggestsmethodological avenues for continued exploration For example inSection IVA Howard Pollackrsquos definitive biography serves as amodel for contextualization of Coplandrsquos career within the spheresof his sexuality his artistic circles (especially dance) and hisliterary influences9 The works by Copland and Vivian Perlisprovide the commentary by Copland to support these expandeddirections In Section IVB Jennifer DeLapprsquos dissertation suggestsa profitable methodological model for balancing contextual andtheoretical analyses of specific compositions Previously articles byCarol Oja and Robert Parker have provided similar methodologicaldirections

Before a full syntheses of Coplandrsquos compositional style orevaluations of complete genres can be undertaken individualstudies of specific compositions must create the foundationSection V is structured to indicate the compositional techniquesgenres and individual works that have been most overlookedSection VB1 shows that this type of research on the individualballets has occurred Because of the interdisciplinary nature ofdance these studies tend to be relatively contextualized While thefilm scores and incidental music should present a similaropportunity studies of these genres lag behind since many of thescores remain unpublished in their entirety and because thesecompositions have not achieved repertory status as suites divorcedfrom their collaborative context Methodologies that unite themusical elements with the visual narrative and psychologicalcomponents of the film choreography or text need to be exploredfurther

Many of the studies of specific instrumental compositions reflectthe graduate degree requirements of academic institutionsInstrumental performers tend to study the repertoire of theirspecific instrument thus the solo repertorymdashthe ClarinetConcerto the Duo for flute and piano and especially the solopiano worksmdashhas received concentrated attention Singers choraldirectors and instrumental conductors have not similarly minedCoplandrsquos oeuvre For example no significant work has beenfocused specifically on Coplandrsquos orchestration one of the most

4 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

telling aspects of his unique compositional style While his twooperas and especially the Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson havebeen studied the remainder of Coplandrsquos vocal works awaitsubstantial examination

With recent efforts to contextualize Copland within a broadeneddefinition of musical Americanism Section VIA should becomemore substantial Additionally the corpus of Coplandrsquos writings ascritic commentator andor author needs to be examinedsystematically especially in conjunction with concurrentcompositions or musical activities10 Given that the final threedecades of Coplandrsquos professional life (1956ndash1983) centered on hisconducting rather than composing it is a major oversight that thisarea of his musical activities has not been studied Through hisconducting Coplandrsquos musical philosophies literally were takenfrom the written and musical page and put into motion Forexample the programming of concerts that Copland conductedreflects his lifelong commitment to the promotion of contemporarymusic particularly that of the living American composer

Similarly as ldquoDean of American Composersrdquo Coplandrsquos role ofmentor and teacher to young composers from as early as 1926through the mid-1960s has not been explored thoroughly Just asRobert Schumann promoted the compositional career of JohannesBrahms Copland did for four generations of young Americancomposers Each decade Copland routinely assessed the youngergeneration of composers listing almost exclusively men Was it hisamazing perceptivity or a self-fulfilling prophecy that such a highpercentage of these composers rose to national prominencemdashandwomen continued to compose in relative obscuritymdashthrough the1960s

As we begin the new century of research on Copland it is nolonger necessary to carry forward outdated assumptionsmdashwhethermethodological models obstinate categorizations of ldquoseriousrdquo andldquopopularrdquo music or other academic biases As each of the specificareas to which Copland contributed is better understood a fullsynthesis of his career can be realized

Let the latest research begin

A GUIDE TO STUDIES ON AARON COPLAND 5

Notes

1 Dorle JSoria ldquoArtistrsquos Liferdquo High FidelityMusical America 20(November 1970) MA-4 Soria described Aaron Coplandrsquos homenear Peek-skill New York during an interview conducted in 1970

2 Ibid3 Aaron Copland ldquoComposer from Brooklyn An Autobiographical

Sketchrdquo in The New Music 1900ndash1960 (New York WWNorton1968) 163

4 Ibid 1685 The traditional categorizations of Coplandrsquos compositions have

been called into question by authors such as Lawrence Starr whohas proposed elements of a unified compositional style (LawrenceStarr ldquoCoplandrsquos Stylerdquo Perspectives of New Music 19 [Fall-Winter 980] 87ndash88)

6 Larry Starr ldquoIves Gershwin and Copland Reflections on theStrange History of American Art Musicrdquo American Music 12(Summer 1994) 168ndash169 In this case ldquoAmericanismrdquo implies thelarger American musical palette referred to by Copland and Starrwhile ldquoAmericanardquo implies the specific expression of Americanismassociated with the frontier musical accessibility and the quotationof folk tunes

7 Ibid 1818 Ibid 1799 Howard Pollack Aaron Copland The Life and Work of an

Uncommon Man (New York Henry Holt 1999) Pollackrsquos bookinitiated the wave of research surrounding the centenary ofCoplandrsquos birth in 2000

10 Pollackrsquos biography does cover each of these areas but there isconsiderable room for systematic application of these musicalendeavors to individual compositions by Copland

6 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

• Book Cover
• Half-Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Composer Resource Manuals
• Contents
• Preface
• I A Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland

telling aspects of his unique compositional style While his twooperas and especially the Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson havebeen studied the remainder of Coplandrsquos vocal works awaitsubstantial examination

With recent efforts to contextualize Copland within a broadeneddefinition of musical Americanism Section VIA should becomemore substantial Additionally the corpus of Coplandrsquos writings ascritic commentator andor author needs to be examinedsystematically especially in conjunction with concurrentcompositions or musical activities10 Given that the final threedecades of Coplandrsquos professional life (1956ndash1983) centered on hisconducting rather than composing it is a major oversight that thisarea of his musical activities has not been studied Through hisconducting Coplandrsquos musical philosophies literally were takenfrom the written and musical page and put into motion Forexample the programming of concerts that Copland conductedreflects his lifelong commitment to the promotion of contemporarymusic particularly that of the living American composer

Similarly as ldquoDean of American Composersrdquo Coplandrsquos role ofmentor and teacher to young composers from as early as 1926through the mid-1960s has not been explored thoroughly Just asRobert Schumann promoted the compositional career of JohannesBrahms Copland did for four generations of young Americancomposers Each decade Copland routinely assessed the youngergeneration of composers listing almost exclusively men Was it hisamazing perceptivity or a self-fulfilling prophecy that such a highpercentage of these composers rose to national prominencemdashandwomen continued to compose in relative obscuritymdashthrough the1960s

As we begin the new century of research on Copland it is nolonger necessary to carry forward outdated assumptionsmdashwhethermethodological models obstinate categorizations of ldquoseriousrdquo andldquopopularrdquo music or other academic biases As each of the specificareas to which Copland contributed is better understood a fullsynthesis of his career can be realized

Let the latest research begin

A GUIDE TO STUDIES ON AARON COPLAND 5

Notes

1 Dorle JSoria ldquoArtistrsquos Liferdquo High FidelityMusical America 20(November 1970) MA-4 Soria described Aaron Coplandrsquos homenear Peek-skill New York during an interview conducted in 1970

2 Ibid3 Aaron Copland ldquoComposer from Brooklyn An Autobiographical

Sketchrdquo in The New Music 1900ndash1960 (New York WWNorton1968) 163

4 Ibid 1685 The traditional categorizations of Coplandrsquos compositions have

been called into question by authors such as Lawrence Starr whohas proposed elements of a unified compositional style (LawrenceStarr ldquoCoplandrsquos Stylerdquo Perspectives of New Music 19 [Fall-Winter 980] 87ndash88)

6 Larry Starr ldquoIves Gershwin and Copland Reflections on theStrange History of American Art Musicrdquo American Music 12(Summer 1994) 168ndash169 In this case ldquoAmericanismrdquo implies thelarger American musical palette referred to by Copland and Starrwhile ldquoAmericanardquo implies the specific expression of Americanismassociated with the frontier musical accessibility and the quotationof folk tunes

7 Ibid 1818 Ibid 1799 Howard Pollack Aaron Copland The Life and Work of an

Uncommon Man (New York Henry Holt 1999) Pollackrsquos bookinitiated the wave of research surrounding the centenary ofCoplandrsquos birth in 2000

10 Pollackrsquos biography does cover each of these areas but there isconsiderable room for systematic application of these musicalendeavors to individual compositions by Copland

6 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

• Book Cover
• Half-Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Composer Resource Manuals
• Contents
• Preface
• I A Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland

Notes

1 Dorle JSoria ldquoArtistrsquos Liferdquo High FidelityMusical America 20(November 1970) MA-4 Soria described Aaron Coplandrsquos homenear Peek-skill New York during an interview conducted in 1970

2 Ibid3 Aaron Copland ldquoComposer from Brooklyn An Autobiographical

Sketchrdquo in The New Music 1900ndash1960 (New York WWNorton1968) 163

4 Ibid 1685 The traditional categorizations of Coplandrsquos compositions have

been called into question by authors such as Lawrence Starr whohas proposed elements of a unified compositional style (LawrenceStarr ldquoCoplandrsquos Stylerdquo Perspectives of New Music 19 [Fall-Winter 980] 87ndash88)

6 Larry Starr ldquoIves Gershwin and Copland Reflections on theStrange History of American Art Musicrdquo American Music 12(Summer 1994) 168ndash169 In this case ldquoAmericanismrdquo implies thelarger American musical palette referred to by Copland and Starrwhile ldquoAmericanardquo implies the specific expression of Americanismassociated with the frontier musical accessibility and the quotationof folk tunes

7 Ibid 1818 Ibid 1799 Howard Pollack Aaron Copland The Life and Work of an

Uncommon Man (New York Henry Holt 1999) Pollackrsquos bookinitiated the wave of research surrounding the centenary ofCoplandrsquos birth in 2000

10 Pollackrsquos biography does cover each of these areas but there isconsiderable room for systematic application of these musicalendeavors to individual compositions by Copland

6 AARON COPLAND A GUIDE TO RESEARCH

• Book Cover
• Half-Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Composer Resource Manuals
• Contents
• Preface
• I A Guide to Studies on Aaron Copland