Suite from Appalachian Spring, violin and piano; Aaron Copland

Suite from Appalachian Spring, violin and piano by Aaron Copland

• Arranged by Bryan Stanley. Published by Boosey and Hawkes
• Aaron Copland (1900 – 1990) was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later a conductor of his own music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as ''the dean of American composers.'' The open, slowly changing harmonies in much of his music are typical of what many people consider to be the sound of American music. He is best known for the works he wrote between 1930-40 in a deliberately accessible style often referred to as ''populist,'' and which the composer labeled his ''vernacular'' style.
• Among the most enduring of his ''vernacular'' works is ''Appalachian Spring'' (1944), a Martha Graham ballet following life in a small 19th-century settlement in Pennsylvania. Copland famously incorporated the Shaker tune ''Simple Gifts'' into the music of the ballet. Critic John Martin wrote at its premiere: ''Aaron Copland has written a score of fresh and singing beauty. It is, on its surface, a piece of early Americana, but in reality it is a celebration of the human spirit.'' The suite of this special piece is presented here in an idiomatic arrangement for violin and piano by Bryan Stanley. For advanced players.