Appalachian Spring is a ballet score by Aaron Copland that premiered in October 1944, and achieved widespread popularity as an orchestral suite. The ballet, scored for a thirteen-member chamber orchestra, was created at the request of choreographer and dancer Martha Graham and commissioned by Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge. While writing the work over the course of a year, Copland wrote that it was somewhat foolish to do as the ballet and its corresponding scores were historically short-lived. Copland was awarded the 1945 Pulitzer Prize for Music for the ballet. For other uses, see Ballet (disambiguation). ... Aaron Copland Aaron Copland (November 14, 1900 – December 2, 1990) was an American composer of concert and film music, as well as an accomplished pianist. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the song titled Orchestra, see The Servant (band). ... In music, a suite is an organized set of instrumental or orchestral pieces normally performed at a single sitting, as a separate musical performance, not accompanying an opera, ballet, or theater-piece. ... Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. ... For the supercentenarian, see Martha Graham (supercentenarian). ... Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge (30 October 1864 - 4 November 1953), born Elizabeth Penn Sprague, was an American pianist and patron of music, especially of chamber music. ... The Pulitzer Prize for Music was first awarded in 1943. ...

The story told is a spring celebration of the American pioneers of the 1800s after building a new Pennsylvania farmhouse. Among the central characters are a newlywed couple, a neighbor, a revivalist preacher and his followers. // Invention of the Jacquard loom in 1801. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ...

In 1945, Copland rearranged the ballet work as an orchestral suite, preserving most of the music. The ballet and orchestral work were well received. The latter was credited as more important in popularizing the composer. In 1972, Boosey & Hawkes published a version of the suite fusing the structure of the orchestral suite with the scoring of the original ballet: double string quartet, bass, flute, clarinet, bassoon, and piano. All three versions continue to be performed in full. Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Boosey & Hawkes is a British music publisher, the largest classical music publisher in the world. ... The resident string quartet of the Library of Congress in 1963 A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string instruments—usually two violins, a viola and cello—or a piece written to be performed by such a group. ... Side and front views of a modern double bass with a French bow. ... ♠ This article is about the family of musical instruments. ... Two soprano clarinets: a B♭ clarinet (left, with capped mouthpiece) and an A clarinet (right, with no mouthpiece). ... The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers and occasionally even higher. ... A short grand piano, with the lid up. ...

The orchestral suite is divided in eight sections, which Copland describes as:

1. Very slowly. Introduction of the characters, one by one, in a suffused light.
2. Fast. Sudden burst of unison strings in A major arpeggios starts the action. A sentiment both elated and religious gives the keynote to this scene.
3. Moderate. Duo for the Bride and her Intended – scene of tenderness and passion.
4. Quite fast. The Revivalist and his flock. Folksy feeling – suggestions of square dances and country fiddlers.
5. Still faster. Solo dance of the Bride – presentiment of motherhood. Extremes of joy and fear and wonder.
6. Very slowly (as at first). Transition scene to music reminiscent of the introduction.
7. Calm and flowing. Scenes of daily activity for the Bride and her Farmer husband. There are five variations on a Shaker theme. The theme, sung by a solo clarinet, was taken from a collection of Shaker melodies compiled by Edward D. Andrews, and published under the title "The Gift to Be Simple." The melody most borrowed and used almost literally is called "Simple Gifts."
8. Moderate. Coda. The Bride takes her place among her neighbors. At the end the couple are left "quiet and strong in their new house." Muted strings intone a hushed prayerlike chorale passage. The close is reminiscent of the opening music.

The original ballet version is divided in 14 movements. The movements that do not appear in the orchestral suite all occur between movement 7 and the last movement. The seventh section, which is a set of variations on the Shaker melody Simple Gifts (1848), is the most recognizable section from the ballet, and has been featured in many television commercials. Copland published independent arrangements of this section for band (1958) and orchestra (1967) titled Variations on a Shaker Melody. Each variation takes the simple theme with changes limited to key, accompaniment, register, dynamics, tone color, and tempo. The second variation provides a lyrical treatment in the low register while the third contrasts starkly in a fast staccato. The last two variations of this section use only a part of the folk tune, first an extraction treated as a pastoral variation and then as a majestic closing. In the ballet, but not the suite, there is a lengthy intermediary section that moves away from the folk tune preceding the final two variations. For the ballet Theme and Variations, see Theme and Variations (ballet). ... The Shakers are an offshoot of the Religious Society of Friends (or Quakers) that originated in Manchester, England in the early 18th century. ... Simple Gifts is an 1848 Shaker song by Elder Joseph Brackett. ... A chorale was originally a hymn of the Lutheran church sung by the entire congregation. ... The Shakers are an offshoot of the Religious Society of Friends (or Quakers) that originated in Manchester, England in the early 18th century. ... Simple Gifts is an 1848 Shaker song by Elder Joseph Brackett. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... A concert band, also called wind band, symphonic band, symphonic winds, wind orchestra, wind symphony, or wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of several members of the woodwind instrument family, brass instrument family and percussion instrument family. ... Jan. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ...

Originally, Copland did not have a title for the work, referring to it simply as Ballet for Martha. Shortly before the premiere, Graham suggested Appalachian Spring, a phrase from a Hart Crane poem, "The Bridge", even though it has no direct relation to the story of the ballet: Harold Hart Crane (July 21, 1899 – April 27, 1932) was an American poet. ...

O Appalachian Spring! I gained the ledge;
Steep, inaccessible smile that eastward bends
And northward reaches in that violet wedge
Of Adirondacks!

Copland was often amused when people told him he captured the beauty of the Appalachians in his music, a fact he alluded to in an interview with NPR's Fred Caland ^[1]. The Appalachian Mountains are a vast system of mountains in eastern North America. ...

The ballad is used by West Virginia University, the clock tower at Woodburn Hall plays the melody daily at 1:30 PM.

Appalachian Spring premiered on October 30, 1944, at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., with Graham dancing the lead role. The set was designed by the Japanese American sculptor Isamu Noguchi. is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Construction of the Thomas Jefferson Building, from July 8, 1888 to May 15, 1894. ... For other uses, see Washington, D.C. (disambiguation). ... Serving from 1999 to 2003, Army General Eric Shinseki of Hawaii became the first Asian American military chief of staff. ... Sculptor redirects here. ... Isamu Noguchi , November 17, 1904 - December 30, 1988) was a prominent Japanese -American artist and landscape architect whose artistic career spanned six decades, from the 1920s onward. ...

References

• Kamien, Roger. Music: An Appreciation. Mcgraw-Hill College; 3rd edition (August 1, 1997) ISBN 0-07-036521-0
• Aaron Copland Collection: Works List. Retrieved May 16, 2005.
• DeLapp, Jennifer. The Aaron Copland Centennial: Program Notes. Retrieved May 16, 2005.
• Appalachian Spring. Dance Pages. Retrieved May 17, 2005.
• Ledbetter, Steven. Copland, Appalachian Spring. Pro Arte, 1996. Retrieved May 17, 2005.
• Scher, Valerie. "A 'fortuitous collaboration' led to 'Appalachian Spring'". The San Diego Union Tribune, March 6, 2005. Retrieved May 17, 2005.
• Mack, Linda. St. Joseph Pro Musica Program Notes. May 31, 1992. Retrieved May 18, 2005.

External links

• NPR's Performance Today Milestones of the Millennium: Appalachian Spring with Rob Kapilow and John Adams
• Aaron Copland Meets the Shakers
• - 1996 Oldsmobile Aurora TV advertisement featuring the "Simple Gifts" theme.

www.keepingscore.org (interactive site Copland MTT and San Francisco Symphony Orchestra) For the Alaska-based postminimalist composer, see John Luther Adams. ...