Nothing says “The Fourth Of July is soon!” like my neighbors shooting-off fireworks [checks calendar] two-and-a-half weeks early. We’re getting close to the seasonal barrage of non-stop Sousa and Tchaikovsky (I wrote about the latter’s personally-despised 1812 Overture last summer), and of course there’s value in lying on a blanket in the grass and enjoying some of those much-beloved and widely-overplayed songs of an American summer. I wanted to write about one of my favorites: Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring orchestral suite.
Commissioned in 1942 by dancer Martha Graham and pianist and arts patron Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, Copland set out to write a ballet that was wholly American in nature. The script, written by Graham, told the story of a pioneering family in Pennsylvania contemplating their bright future. Copland neither visited Appalachia nor found himself thinking about what springtime in America is like; the piece — which had the working title “Ballet For Martha” (now its subtitle) — is both for and about Graham herself. It is in many ways about movement, which is fun because I first came to know Copland’s work through my high school marching band, and Appalachian Spring is a favorite in the genre, perhaps for its all-Americanness or hummability. Either way, I spent the summer preceding my sophomore year of high school listening to an arrangement of this suite every dang day, and now I hear it in my head every day of June, July and August.
In 1945 Copland transformed the Appalachian Spring ballet (scored for 13 instruments) into an eight-part orchestral suite, opening with a tranquil movement entitled “Very Slowly,” which introduces the characters as the sun rises in the ballet. Copland beautifully establishes a sense of stillness in this early section of the piece while also … you know … not holding one long chord. Every now and then, the harp punctuates the awakening of a certain instrument or section, as if to represent the languid ticking of a clock as one fights to get out of bed in the morning. Just as you get comfortable, however, Copland plunges you into the famous “Allegro.” One of the two most recognizable melodies in the suite, it’s is the musical equivalent of running through a sprinkler on a 95-degree day. It’s surprising and fresh and upbeat all at once. I love a playful xylophone!
From there, the “Moderato” is a scene of tenderness and calm following the upbeat dance that precedes it. There’s a deceptive simplicity to Appalachian Spring that starts to fade around this movement. Conflict emerges, and with it, passion and strength in the instrumentation. This is the scene of the protagonist, the Bride, and her Intended as they steel themselves for what is to come in their lives. It feels unknown, mysterious. But Copland, acknowledging there can be joy in the unknown, pivots quickly into a square dance in the “Fast” movement. In my days of keyboard percussion, this was the movement that brought me the most joy to play. It’s quick — but not too quick — melodious and charming. It’s a little reminiscent of his Rodeo suite, my personal favorite Copland work. The “Subito allegro” follows, which brings back the earlier “Allegro” theme, this time faster and panicky — as if to represent how quickly time can flash ahead, repeating on itself. It ends sweetly, however, with a moment of calm and compassion. Copland deemed the style of Appalachian Spring as “homespun,” a term that feels most vibrant at the end of the “Subito allegro.”
Copland reprises the first melody once again in the abbreviated “As at first (slowly)” and then introduces a variation on a Shaker melody known best as “Simple Gifts.” This is the other well-known theme from Appalachian Spring— and allow me to say: “Simple Gifts” bangs. This particular movement grows and evolves so elegantly. When the cellos take over the theme around one minute in, with the percussion and harp and strings keeping time, I lose my mind. It’s beautiful! It’s ... simple! It’s ... a gift! Give me this over Tchaikovsky’s cannons any day. The denouement that follows in the “Moderato - Coda” recalls the easy stillness of Copland’s opening. By this point, however, the melody feels truly expansive, like a big field of wildflowers. One of the reasons I’ve loved Appalachian Spring is for its openness. It broadens the imagination, leaving you free to project whatever joys and fears you summon as it plays. If that’s not American music, I’m not sure what is.
Some other Copland classics to enjoy while your neighbors shoot off fireworks (please be careful):
Rodeo
“Buckaroo Holiday” has my favorite snippet of music of all time — listen for the miraculous and funny trombone solo at the 3:11 mark.
Lincoln Portrait
I am new to this particular Copland, having only seen it performed live for the first time this spring, and I was struck by how moving the interplay of music and dialogue was. What could feel cheesy or perhaps too heavy-handed instead feels monumental and almost understated.