The Intermediate Piano Works of Aaron Copland

1. The Intermediate Piano Works of Aaron Copland Style, Analysis, Pedagogy, and Peformance Peter Friesen

2. The Piano Works • Piano Variations (1930) (orchestrated 1957) • Piano Sonata (1939-1941) • Piano Fantasy (1952-1957)

3. Intermediate Works • Moment musicale, 1917, Waltz Caprice, Sonnet I, 1918, Sonnet II, 1919, Sonnet III, 1920 – all unpublished • Scherzo Humoristique: The Cat and the Mouse, 1920 • 3 Moods, 1920–21: Embittered, Wistful, Jazzy • Passacaglia, 1921–2 • Petit Portrait, 1921 • Blues no.1 (Sentimental Melody: Slow Dance), 1926–7 • Blues no.2 (Piano Blues no.4), 1926 • Pf Blues no.2, 1926, rev. 1934 (arr. chamber orch, 1978–9) • Sunday Afternoon Music, 1935 • The Young Pioneers, 1935

4. More Intermediate Works • Billy the Kid: Suite from the ballet: Nos 1, 2, 5 & 8, 1938 • Billy the Kid: Waltz from the ballet, 1938 • Episode, (organ), 1940 • Midday Thoughts, 1944 (rev. 1982) • Midsummer Nocturne, 1947 (rev. 1977) • Piano Blues no.1, 1947 (arr. For chamber orchestra, 1978–9) • Piano Blues no.3, 1948 • Down a Country Lane, 1962 • In Evening Air, 1966 • Night Thoughts (Homage to Ives), 1972 • Proclamation, 1973 (rev. 1982)

5. Duet/2-Piano Works • Concerto for Piano, 1926 • Dance of the Adolescent (arr. excerpt from ballet Grohg), before 1932 • El Salon Mexico, 1936 • Fantasia Mexicana, 1936 • Two Children’s pieces, 1936 • Billy the Kid: Suite from the ballet: Nos 1, 2, 5 & 8, 1938 • Billy the Kid: Waltz from the ballet, 1938, • Rodeo: Dance Episodes Nos. 3&4, 1942 • Danzón cubano, 2 pf, 1942 (orchestrated 1946) • Danza de Jalisco, 2 pf, 1963 (arr. of orch. work) • Dance Panels, 1959 (ballet, arr. 1965 for two pianos)

6. Aaron Copland (1900-1990) • Early influences: piano music of Liszt, Chopin; music of Scriabin, Mussorgsky • Studied composition with Rubin Goldmark in New York • Studied piano under Victor Wittgenstein and Clarence Adler • At 20, moved to Paris to study under Boulanger; also studied French piano music under Ricardo Viñes

7. Aaron Copland (continued) • Published his first work, The Cat and the Mouse, in 1920 after his arrival in Paris • Upon return to the USA, was involved in various music societies to promote new music; was championed in his early career by Koussevitsky, later by Bernstein • Taught at Harvard in 1935 and 1941 on an interim basis; in 1951, was honored as the Norton Chair of Poetics • Less productive later in life, esp. after onset of Alzheimer’s

8. General Style Characteristics • 4 overlapping style periods: • Jazzy, abstract, populist/Americana, serial • Transparent textures/economic use of pitch material • Disjunct melodies • Static key areas • Ambiguous harmonic language • Use of familiar harmonic elements (e.g. triads, tonic/dominant) in non-traditional ways • Use of colorful descriptive language in scores • Highly syncopated, often declamatory rhythms

9. Down a Country Lane (1962) • Ternary form • Disjunct melody • Irregular phrasing • Avoidance of tonic and strong cadences • Creates wistful/longing effect • Unclear key areas in B section • Unresolved modulations

10. Examples of disjunct melodies

13. Avoidance of Tonic/Cadences

14. Down a Country Lane Pedagogical Notes • One of Copland’s piano works that doesn’t require large hands to play comfortably • Introduction to non-traditional harmonic devices, but still very accessible to the listener • Familiar elements (ternary form, unchanging meter) make the work accessible for earlier intermediate pianists • Contrapuntal in nature – 2- to 3-voice textures dominate

15. The Young Pioneers (1935) • 7/8 meter (3+4, alternates occasionally with 4+3) • Meter changes at transitions between formal sections • Ternary form • Use of repetitive motives to explore variety of colors • Sparse texture, limited pitch material • Harmonic center (not key area) of Eb/D#

17. Meter Changes at Transitions

18. The Young Pioneers Pedagogical Notes • Think 3+2+2 in general (beat 6 often has a tenuto indicated) • Try not to make this too cerebral - encourage a “feel” of the rhythmic scheme • Have student come up with short lyrics which have accents on the strong beats • Have student clap 3+2+2 while you play for them • Dynamic variety a must for a strong performance

19. Piano Blues No. 4 (1926) • Blatant example of Copland’s “jazzy” style • Use of blue notes • Syncopated rhythms • Repetitive vamping style • No indicated key signature • Published 1949

20. Use of Blue Notes

21. Syncopation

22. Piano Blues No. 4 Pedagogical Notes • Player should have large hands • Frequent, large jumps • Syncopations make it easy to lose the beat without strong counting

23. The Cat and The Mouse “Scherzo Humoristique”(1920) • Most directly programmatic of intermediate works • Utilizes extensive augmented and whole-tone harmonies • Wide rhythmic variety • Frequent tempo changes • Through-composed with repeated themes

24. Use of Whole Tone Scale

26. The Cat and the Mouse Pedagogical Notes • Rapid jumps • Highly patterned themes and motives • Pacing/tempo relationships critical • Great piece for teaching dramatic interpretation • Silence is golden

27. Petite Portrait(ABE)(1921) • Use of limited serialism • Use of familiar triadic harmonies in non-traditional ways • Use of widely-spaced, open intervals • Declamatory rhythm • Non-melodic composition

29. Petite Portrait Pedagogical Notes • Frequent 10ths • No melody – can explore color and harmonic shaping • Bold dissonance