Fanfare for the Common Man is one of the most recognizable pieces of 20th Century American classical music. One of composer Aaron Copland's most popular works, the fanfare is a short piece scored for brass and percussion written in 1942 at the request of the conductor Eugene Goossens. American classical music refers to music written in the United States but in the European classical music tradition. ... Aaron Copland (November 14, 1900 – December 2, 1990) was an American composer of concert and film music. ... A fanfare is a short piece of music played by trumpets and other brass instruments, frequently accompanied by percussion, usually for ceremonial purposes. ... Brass is any alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses, each of which has unique properties[1]. Note that in comparison bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin. ... A percussion instrument can be any object which produces a sound by being struck with an implement, shaken, rubbed, scraped, or by any other action which sets the object into vibration. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... A conductor conducting a band at a ceremony A conductors score and batons Conducting is the act of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. ... Sir Eugène Goossens Sir Eugène Aynsley Goossens (May 26, 1893 – June 13, 1962) was an English conductor and composer. ...

Personnel

The fanfare is written for four French horns (in F), three trumpets (in Bb), three trombones, a tuba, timpani, bass drum, and tam-tam or gong. The horn is a brass instrument consisting of tubing wrapped into a coiled form. ... Trumpets in the Bible According to Eastons Bible Dictionary, trumpets in the Bible were of a great variety of forms and were made of various materials. ... Never look at the trombones. ... The tuba is one of the largest of low-brass instruments and is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the ophicleide. ... A timpanist in the United States Air Forces in Europe Band. ... It has been suggested that vruk be merged into this article or section. ...

The Fanfare

Copland, in his autobiography, wrote of the request: "Eugene Goossens, conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, had written to me at the end of August about an idea he wanted to put into action for the 1942-43 concert season. During World War I he had asked British composers for a fanfare to begin each orchestral concert. It had been so successful that he thought to repeat the procedure in World War II with American composers". A total of eighteen fanfares [1] were written at Goossens' behest, but Copland's is the only one which remains in the standard repertoire. Cincinnati Music Hall As the fifth-oldest orchestra in the United States, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) has a legacy of fine music making as reflected in its performances in historic Music Hall, recordings, and international tours. ... Combatants Allied Powers: Russian Empire France British Empire Italy United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary German Empire Ottoman Empire Bulgaria Commanders Nikolay II Aleksey Brusilov Georges Clemenceau Joseph Joffre Ferdinand Foch Robert Nivelle Herbert H. Asquith D. Lloyd George Sir Douglas Haig Sir John Jellicoe Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

Goosens had suggested titles such as Fanfare for Soldiers, or sailors or airmen, and he wrote that "[i]t is my idea to make these fanfares stirring and significant contributions to the war effort...." Copland considered several titles including Fanfare for a Solemn Ceremony and Fanfare for Four Freedoms; to Goossens' surprise, however, Copland titled the piece Fanfare for the Common Man. Goossen wrote "Its title is as original as its music, and I think it is so telling that it deserves a special occasion for its performance. If it is agreeable to you, we will premiere it 12 March 1943 at income tax time". Copland's reply was "I [am] all for honoring the common man at income tax time". An income tax is a tax levied on the financial income of persons, corporations, or other legal entities. ...

The fanfare was also used as the main theme of the fourth movement of Copland's Third Symphony. In music, a theme is the initial or primary melody. ... In music, a movement is a large division of a larger composition or musical form. ... Aaron Coplands third and final symphony was written at the end of World War II. Its the essential American symphony that fuses his distinct Americana style of the ballets (Rodeo, etc. ...

Rock versions

Copland's fanfare was reincarnated in 1977 by British rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer on the album Works Volume I. It became one of the band's biggest hits when an edited version was released as a single that year. This version has been used around the world as a TV theme; in Mexico as the main title song of a TV sport program on TV Azteca since their beginnings as DeporTV, in Australia as the opening theme for any Seven Sport coverage, and formerly in Scotland when the BBC used it as the theme to their main news programme Reporting Scotland in the late 1970s and early 1980s. ELP has also recorded the Hoedown from Copland's Rodeo ballet for the 1972 album Trilogy. For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Works Volume I is a 1977 album by progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer. ... TV Azteca is the second largest Mexican television network. ... Seven Sport is the brand that all sporting events broadcast on the Seven Network are broadcast under. ... Reporting Scotland is BBC Scotlands national television news programme. ... Rodeo is a ballet score written by American composer Aaron Copland in 1942. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Trilogy is the third studio album by British progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer, originally released in 1972. ...

An excerpt of "Fanfare for the Common Man" also opens the Rolling Stones album Love You Live (1977), as it was used to open the 1976 concert tour supporting the Black and Blue album. This article is about the rock band. ... Love You Live is a double live album by The Rolling Stones and was released in 1977. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... Black And Blue is an album by The Rolling Stones and was released in 1976. ...

The American progressive rock band Styx has also used the Copland piece. Their 1972 self-titled debut album opens with a suite called Movement for the Common Man. The third section of the suite, titled Fanfare for the Common Man, is loosely based on the Copland original. Styx is an American arena rock band that saw its greatest success in the 1970s and 1980s, penning such hits as Come Sail Away, Babe, Mr. ... Styx is the self-titled debut album by Styx, released in 1972 (see 1972 in music). ...

Trivia

• When a metro train in Montreal starts, it produces the same three notes as the beginning of the song: F Bb F ! Also it is known that a rare species of cat called a Nittymaki makes those same three opening notes when it gives its mating call in the spring.

Reference

• Copland 1900 Through 1942, by Aaron Copland and Vivian Perlis, St. Martin's Press, 1984, ISBN 0-312-16962-0

External links

• Manuscript score from U.S. Library of Congress.
• Goossen's Fanfares.
• Audio (mp3 and .ram) by U.S. Marine Corps Band.
• Audio sample (.wav) of ELP version.