Excerpts From Appalachian Spring

(Boosey & Hawkes Concert Band). Written in 1943-44 as a ballet for Martha Graham, Appalachian Spring is one of Aaron Copland's most celebrated compositions and winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1945. In this edition for concert band, Robert Longfield has skillfully adapted the most striking and beautiful sections from the orchestral suite. The work ranges in scope from delicate and soloistic to the overpowering force of the full ensemble, culminating with Copland's signature setting of "Simple Gifts." A wonderful opportunity for band members and their audiences to enjoy this beloved music from one of America's preeminent composers. Dur: 8:00

A commission and its context -- The creation of a dance piece -- Appalachian spring performed -- Americana between war and peace -- An American icon

Appalachian Spring, with music by Aaron Copland and choreography by Martha Graham, counts among the best known American contributions to the global concert hall and stage. In the years since its premiere-as a dance work at the Library of Congress in 1944-it has become one of Copland's most widely performed scores, and the Martha Graham Dance Company still treats it as a signature work. Over the decades, the dance and the music have taken on a range of meanings that have transformed a wartime production into a seemingly timeless expression of American identity, both musically and visually. In this Oxford Keynotes volume, distinguished musicologist Annegret Fauser follows the work from its inception in the midst of World War II to its intersections with contemporary American culture, whether in the form of choreographic reinterpretations or musical ones, as by John Williams, in 2009, for the inauguration of President Barack Obama. A concise and lively introduction to the history of the work, its realization on stage, and its transformations over time, this volume combines deep archival research and cultural interpretations to recount the creation of Appalachian Spring as a collaboration between three creative giants of twentieth-century American art: Graham, Copland, and Isamu Noguchi. Building on past and current scholarship, Fauser critiques the myths that remain associated with the work and its history, including Copland's famous disclaimer that Appalachian Spring had nothing to do with the eponymous Southern mountain region. This simultaneous endeavor in both dance and music studies presents an incisive exploration this work, situating it in various contexts of collaborative and individual creation.

Appalachian Spring is perhaps the most popular work by Aaron Copland (1900–1990). Composed as a ballet for the renowned choreographer Martha Graham (1894–1991), it was the result of a close collaboration between Copland and Graham, and the music quickly took on a life of its own. However, the best known versions of the score, those most frequently recorded and heard in concert, differ in form and musical content from the original ballet, which was scored for a chamber ensemble of thirteen instruments and premiered by the Martha Graham Dance Company at the Library of Congress on 30 October 1944. This edition presents the first completed engraving of the original version of Appalachian Spring, providing musicians and scholars access to the score as it has been performed for more than 75 years by the Graham Company. On each page of the score, the editors have included stills from the 1958 film of the ballet, with Graham dancing the lead role, in order to highlight the connection between music and dance. An introductory essay explores the creation of the work, the musical structure, the origins of and differences among multiple versions of the score, and the continued significance and influence of Copland’s music. The critical commentary draws on manuscript and published sources, as well as Graham Company performance practice, to illuminate editorial decisions. The edition also includes appendices that present a comparison of historical tempi, markings from the Graham tradition for augmenting the orchestration, and a selected discography of different versions of the score.

The author records her observations of the changes brought by the coming of spring to the woods and fields of Appalachia, supplementing her own insights with the research of natural scientists