Copland was a great American composer during the 20th century, the compositions often incorporated different aspects of popular American music. For example, he often utilized forms such as Jazz and folk music into the works that he created. Copland aimed to create and develope something that could be distinctively called American music so that American music and culture could free itself from European influence (pbs). Later on in his career he became known as a Dean of American Music , which is a testament to his dedication of his goal. Some of his most famous works are the Appalachian spring which won the 1945 pulitzer prize for music and Fanfare for the Common man. Copland’s parents were both Jewish immigrants from Lithuania and he was born November 14, 1990 in Brooklyn. Copland’s parents had five children and Copland was the youngest. For much of his early childhood, Copland and his siblings would work in his …show more content…
In 1939, Copland created two of his largest Hollywood film scores for Of Mice and Men, Our Town, and the Heiress. Other works that he composed for ballets included Agnes Demille’s Rodeo and Appalachian Spring. These works had focuses on the views of American Country life with was intermingled with use folk traditions, which was one of Copland’s originals goals to create something that was distinctly American. Probably the most patriotic of his works and most American of his works was his composition “A Lincoln Portrait” which was a piece made for voice and orchestra. The singer would narrate some of Lincoln’s writings over scores that Copland had written for the orchestra. Copland would go on to win numerous awards for his works such as the Pulitzer Prize and New York Music Critics Circle Award for Appalachian Spring, the New York Music Critics Circle Award for Symphony No.3, and many