The Intermediate

Piano Works
of Aaron Copland

Style, Analysis, Pedagogy, and

Peformance

Peter Friesen
 The Piano Works
 Piano Variations
(1930) (orchestrated 1957)
 Piano Sonata
(1939-1941)
 Piano Fantasy
(1952-1957)
 Intermediate Works
 Moment musicale, 1917, Waltz Caprice, Sonnet I, 1918,
Sonnet II, 1919, Sonnet III, 1920 – all unpublished
 Scherzo Humoristique: The Cat and the Mouse, 1920
 3 Moods, 1920–21: Embittered, Wistful, Jazzy
 Passacaglia, 1921–2
 Petit Portrait, 1921
 Blues no.1 (Sentimental Melody: Slow Dance), 1926–7
 Blues no.2 (Piano Blues no.4), 1926
 Pf Blues no.2, 1926, rev. 1934 (arr. chamber orch, 1978–9)
 Sunday Afternoon Music, 1935
 The Young Pioneers, 1935
 More Intermediate Works
 Billy the Kid: Suite from the ballet: Nos 1, 2, 5 & 8, 1938
 Billy the Kid: Waltz from the ballet, 1938
 Episode, (organ), 1940
 Midday Thoughts, 1944 (rev. 1982)
 Midsummer Nocturne, 1947 (rev. 1977)
 Piano Blues no.1, 1947 (arr. For chamber orchestra, 1978–9)
 Piano Blues no.3, 1948
 Down a Country Lane, 1962
 In Evening Air, 1966
 Night Thoughts (Homage to Ives), 1972
 Proclamation, 1973 (rev. 1982)
 Duet/2-Piano Works
 Concerto for Piano, 1926
 Dance of the Adolescent (arr. excerpt from ballet Grohg), before
1932
 El Salon Mexico, 1936
 Fantasia Mexicana, 1936
 Two Children’s pieces, 1936
 Billy the Kid: Suite from the ballet: Nos 1, 2, 5 & 8,
1938
 Billy the Kid: Waltz from the ballet, 1938,
 Rodeo: Dance Episodes Nos. 3&4, 1942
 Danzón cubano, 2 pf, 1942 (orchestrated 1946)
 Danza de Jalisco, 2 pf, 1963 (arr. of orch. work)
 Dance Panels, 1959 (ballet, arr. 1965 for two pianos)
 Aaron Copland (1900-1990)
 Early influences: piano music
of Liszt, Chopin; music of
Scriabin, Mussorgsky
 Studied composition with
Rubin Goldmark in New York
 Studied piano under Victor
Wittgenstein and Clarence
Adler
 At 20, moved to Paris to study
under Boulanger; also studied
French piano music under
Ricardo Viñes
 Aaron Copland (continued)
 Published his first work, The Cat and the Mouse,
in 1920 after his arrival in Paris
 Upon return to the USA, was involved in various
music societies to promote new music; was
championed in his early career by Koussevitsky,
later by Bernstein
 Taught at Harvard in 1935 and 1941 on an
interim basis; in 1951, was honored as the
Norton Chair of Poetics
 Less productive later in life, esp. after onset of
Alzheimer’s
 General Style Characteristics
 4 overlapping style periods:
 Jazzy, abstract, populist/Americana, serial
 Transparent textures/economic use of pitch material
 Disjunct melodies
 Static key areas
 Ambiguous harmonic language
 Use of familiar harmonic elements (e.g. triads,
tonic/dominant) in non-traditional ways
 Use of colorful descriptive language in scores
 Highly syncopated, often declamatory rhythms
 Down a Country Lane (1962)
 Ternary form

 Disjunct melody

 Irregular phrasing

 Avoidance of tonic and strong cadences

 Creates wistful/longing effect

 Unclear key areas in B section

 Unresolved modulations
Examples of disjunct melodies
Avoidance of Tonic/Cadences
 Down a Country Lane
Pedagogical Notes

 One of Copland’s piano works that doesn’t require large hands to

play comfortably
 Introduction to non-traditional harmonic devices, but still very
accessible to the listener
 Familiar elements (ternary form, unchanging meter) make the work
accessible for earlier intermediate pianists
 Contrapuntal in nature – 2- to 3-voice textures dominate
 The Young Pioneers (1935)
 7/8 meter (3+4, alternates occasionally with 4+3)
 Meter changes at transitions between formal sections

 Ternary form

 Use of repetitive motives to explore variety of colors

 Sparse texture, limited pitch material

 Harmonic center (not key area) of Eb/D#

Meter Changes at Transitions
 The Young Pioneers
Pedagogical Notes

 Think 3+2+2 in general (beat 6 often has a tenuto

indicated)
 Try not to make this too cerebral - encourage a “feel”
of the rhythmic scheme
 Have student come up with short lyrics which have accents on
the strong beats
 Have student clap 3+2+2 while you play for them
 Dynamic variety a must for a strong performance
 Piano Blues No. 4 (1926)
 Blatant example of Copland’s “jazzy” style

 Use of blue notes

 Syncopated rhythms

 Repetitive vamping style

 No indicated key signature

 Published 1949
Use of Blue Notes
Syncopation
 Piano Blues No. 4
Pedagogical Notes

 Player should have large hands

 Frequent, large jumps
 Syncopations make it easy to lose the beat
without strong counting
 The Cat and The Mouse
“Scherzo Humoristique”
(1920)
 Most directly programmatic of intermediate
works
 Utilizes extensive augmented and whole-
tone harmonies
 Wide rhythmic variety
 Frequent tempo changes
 Through-composed with repeated themes
Use of Whole Tone Scale
 The Cat and the Mouse
Pedagogical Notes

 Rapid jumps
 Highly patterned themes and motives
 Pacing/tempo relationships critical
 Great piece for teaching dramatic interpretation
 Silence is golden
 Petite Portrait
(ABE)
(1921)

 Use of limited serialism

 Use of familiar triadic harmonies in non-
traditional ways
 Use of widely-spaced, open intervals
 Declamatory rhythm
 Non-melodic composition
 Petite Portrait
Pedagogical Notes

 Frequent 10ths
 No melody – can explore color and harmonic
shaping
 Bold dissonance