Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein Composers, Collaborators, Friends

Who Was Aaron Copland? Born 14 November 1900 in Brooklyn, NY Interested in music from a young age Influenced by Igor Stravinsky and Nadia Boulanger Died 2 December 1990, two months after his friend, Leonard Bernstein

Copland’s Early Days Attended the school for Americans at Fontainebleau Taught by composer and renowned teacher Nadia Boulanger Challenged Copland to pen the “American Sound” Symphony for Organ and Orchestra Created very modern, abstract pieces

Symphony for Organ and Orchestra

A Change of Heart “During these years I began to feel an increasing dissatisfaction with the relations of the music-loving public and the living composer. It seemed to me that we composers were in danger of working in a vacuum…It made no sense to ignore them and to continue writing as if they did not exist. I felt that it was worth the effort tot see if I couldn’t say what I had to say in the simplest possible terms.”

Copland in the 30’s and 40’s Composed his most well known works Three Ballets: Billy the Kid (1938), Rodeo (1942), Appalachian Spring (1944) El salón México (1936), The Second Hurricane (1937), An Outdoor Overture (1938) Film Scores: Of Mice and Men (1939), Our Town (1940), The Red Pony (1948), The Heiress (1942) Created the “Americana” style

Rodeo (1942)

Who was Leonard Bernstein? Born 25 August 1918 in Lawrence, MA Began playing piano from a young age Revered pianist, conductor, and composer Conductor of the New York Philharmonic Hosted popular television shows on music such as Omnibus and Young People’s Concerts Died on 14 October 1990

Bernstein’s Early Days Attended Harvard University and the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood Studied counterpoint, conducting, and orchestration Met Aaron Copland in 1937 while attending Harvard University

Leonard Bernstein: Conductor Overture from Candide

The Meeting of Two Friends Bernstein on their first meeting: On his right sat “an odd-looking man in his thirties, [with] a pair of glasses resting on his great hooked nose and a mouth filled with teeth flashing a wide grin.” He then realized who he was sitting next to. “I almost fell out of the balcony.” He had met renowned composer Aaron Copland.

Best of Friends Copland supported Bernstein’s application to the Curtis School of Music Copland recommended Bernstein for the conducting Program at Tanglewood

Bernstein at the Berkshires First attended as a conducting student Assistant to Serge Koussevitzky at Tanglewood Eventually becomes a teacher and conductor there Gave the last performance of his career there in 1990

Copland in the 50’s and 60’s Won the Academy Award for Best Original Musical Score for The Heiress Wrote his opera The Tender Land Wrote Connotations for the Lincoln Center Inaugural Concert by the New York Philharmonic Won the Presidential Medal of Freedom Wrote Inscape and The New Music

The Communist Struggle Bernstein Copland Outspoken about political ideas Involved with groups such as the Civil Rights Congress, the Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee, and the American Committee for Yugoslav Relief Blacklisted by McCarthy for having Socialist tendencies Did not hurt his career like it did other artists Never blacklisted, but put on watch for being friendly with Bernstein and other leftist people and groups.

Legacy Influence on 20th century music Mentors and teachers Copland’s film style influenced later film composers Bernstein’s West Side Story is still regarded as one of the best works of musical theatre Mentors and teachers Copland mentored Bernstein, who in turn taught a host of music students Bernstein’s television series on music is still used to educate students today