TITLE: Fanfare for the Common Man (1942)
COMPOSER: Aaron Copland (1900-1990)
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Copland was born in New York City and studied in both New York and Paris. Copland was the first American composer to study with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. The French impressionists influenced his earliest works, for he combined jazz elements with complex harmonies and rhythms. Works like Music for the Theatre and his Piano Concerto are representative of this style period. Copland's middle period was characterized by the use of American folk melody in his compositions. This was also the period that he composed his most famous works including Fanfare for the Common Man, Appalachian Spring and Rodeo. In the 1950's, he entered his third and final compositional period, serialism, with his Piano Quartet, Music for a Great City and Emblems being representative works.
MOVEMENTS: One
PERFORMANCE TIME: 2' 50"
INSTRUMENTATION: 14 Instruments
EDITIONS: Available for Purchase
COMPOSITION SKETCH AND MUSICAL CONSIDERATIONS
In August of 1942, Eugene Goossens, the conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony, requested to Copland that he compose a patriotic work for men serving in World War II. Fanfare for the Common Man was one of ten fanfares commissioned by Goossens. Goossens suggested the instrumentation of brass and percussion and that the length of the work be approximately two minutes. This was a common request of American composers at this volitile time in American history. Goossens had hoped to perform Copland's fanfare in October at the first concert of the season. Since Copland did not deliver the Fanfare until November, Goossens suggested another date: March 12, 1943, as it would then be income tax time, an ideal opportunity for honoring the common man.
SELECTED RECORDINGS::
| Hr-Brass performs Bach, Purcell, Copland and others | Capriccio/10361 (1990) |
| Copland, Gershwin, Bernstein and others | Rene Gailly/87076 |
| Bernstein, Schuman, Ives and others | Intersound/3502 |
| Aaron Copland: Fanfare | Pro Arte/3436 |
| Copland: Fanfare | Delos/3410 (1992) |
| Copland, Bernstein, Hanson and others | EMI Angel/65654 |
| Copland: Fanfare | EMI Angel/64306 |
| Copland, Harvey, Shankar and others | ASV/870 |
| Copland, Pachelbel, Vivaldi and others | ASV/6137 |
| Strauss, Respighi, York and others | Delos/3179 |
| Copland, Hanson, Harris and others | Koch Intl Cl/7012 (1980) |
| Aaron Copland: Fanfare | RCA/60837 |
| Copland, Grofe, Ward and others | RCA/61545 |
| Aaron Copland: Fanfare | BMG Classics/68020 |
| Copland, Strauss, Beethoven and others | RCA/61369 |
| Copland, Webber, Gould and others | Madacy/7131 |
| Copland, Gershwin, Bernstein and others | Chandos/9210 (1993) |
| Aaron Copland: Fanfare | Nimbus/5246 (1990) |
| Aaron Copland: Fanfare | Nimbus/5246 (1990) |
| Aaron Copland: Fanfare | Nimbus Records/4002 |
| Aaron Copland: Fanfare | London/430705 (1981) |
| Copland: Fanfare | Sony/64059 |
| Bernstein, Copland, Gershwin and others | Sony/61989 |
| Copland: Fanfare | Sony/46559 (1968) |
| Copland, Steiner, Bizet and others | Telarc/89101 |
| Copland, Khachaturian, Gounod and others | EMI Class for Pleas/62043 (1979) |
| Britten, Copland, Haydn and others | IMP Classics/15 |
| Bernstein performs Copland, Bernstein, Gershwin and others | Deutsche Grammophon/445486 |
| Britten, Mozart, Gershwin and others | Pickwick Group/12 |
| Copland: Fanfare | Tring/040 (1994) |
| Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: Fanfare | Tring/040 (1994) |
| Copland, Berlin, Ward and others | Pro Arte/570 |
| Handel, Vivaldi, Pachelbel and others | Intersound/12152 |
| Beethoven, Strauss, Dukas and others | Intersound/3845 |
| Smith, Cohan, Gould and others | Concert Gold/3660 |
| Copland: Fanfare | Pro Arte/846 |
| Copland, Bernstein, Gershwin and others | Intersound/2520 |
| Mouret, Pachelbel, Vivaldi and others | Intersound/1218 |
| Copland, Khachaturian, Suppe and others | Pro Arte/527 |
| Copland, Bach, Handel and others | Seraphim/69585 |
| Aaron Copland: Fanfare | Telarc/80339 (1989) |
| Strauss, Vaughan Williams, Wagner and others | BMG Classics/62674 |
| Copland, Gould, Sousa and others | RCA/60778 |
| Copland, Schuman, Buck and others | BMG Classics/60983 (1991) |
| Copland, Grieg, Janacek and others | Hyperion/66189 (1985) |
| Monteverdi, Gabrieli, Pachelbel and others | Sony/66708 |
| Bach, Brahms, Respighi and others | Masterworks/45736 |
| Aaron Copland: Fanfare | Sony/62401 (1963) |
| Copland: Fanfare | Sony/62401 (1963) |
| Aaron Copland: Fanfare | Sony/62401 (1963) |
| Copland: Fanfare | VoxBox/5035 (1967) |
| Copland: Fanfare | Analogue Product./004 (1967) |
| Copland, Joplin, Barber and others | Vox/8796 |
| , Palestrina, Bach and others | Naxos/550008 |
| Aaron Copland: Fanfare | Naxos/550282 (1989) |
| Copland: Fanfare | London/448261 (1976) |
| Gershwin: Rhapsody | London/716 (1977) |
| Copland, Bernstein, Crocket and others | Pro Arte/3413 (1991) |
| Aaron Copland: Fanfare | SMK/63082 (1966) |
| Aaron Copland: Billy the Kid | Sony/47543 (1966) |
| Bernstein: Fanfare | CBS/37257 |
| Bernstein, Schuman, Ives and others | Pro Arte/102 |
| Copland, Holst, Liszt and others | Allegro/2 |
| Copland: Fanfare | Agora/7 |
| Holst, Wagner, Tomlinson and others | BNA/5094 |
| Copland: Fanfare | Telarc/80078 |
| Aaron Copland: Billy the Kid | CBS/39443 |
| Copland, Bernstein, Cowell and others | Collins Classics/12882 (1991) |
| Copland, Hanson, Harris and others | Koch/7012 |
| Copland: Fanfare | Vox Australis/5035 |
| Copland, Strauss, Sibelius and others | RPO/7018 |
| Copland, Hancock, Strauss and others | RCA/62674 |
| Copland, Strauss, Brahms and others | Virgin/59654 |
| Copland: Fanfare | CBS/42430 (1968) |
| Copland: Fanfare | Delos/3140 |
| Copland, Buck, Bagley and others | RCA/60983 |
RELATED WEBSITES:
Copland's Biography and Works List - http://www.ny.boosey.com/composerpages/copland.html
Copland's Music Characteristics - http://www.emory.edu/MUSIC/ARNOLD/copland_content.html
Music Annotations of Copland's Works - http://www.ny.boosey.com/c2k/c2kannotations.html