Aaron Copland's Fanfare For The Common Man

The CD I review was “Fanfare for the common man, The man and his music on Aaron Copland” conducted Michael Tilson Thomas. The style of music is classical and the music is played by the San Francisco symphony. Michael Tilson Thomas had a personal relationship with Aaron Copland and admired him in many ways. Aaron Copland was an American composer of concert and film. He was also a well known pianist. He was born in 1900 and died in 1990. The style of music Aaron Copland wrote was modern music with a combination of American folk styles. He has said he wanted his music to make people feel alive and what it’s like to live in Brooklyn where he is from. Aside from composing he was a teacher, writer and critic for music. He studied in Paris and got under the wing of many famous composers. He learned many things and got influenced heavily while studying in Paris. When he returned from Paris he became well known through his composing in ballet, film and musicals, and also his lectures. The first song on the CD is called “Fanfare for the common man”. This piece was written in 1942 by Aaron Copland for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra under conductor Eugene Goossens. During World War II many composers were asked to create fanfare music to celebrate for the war effort.
Billy the Kid is a 1938 ballet. This piece is one of Aaron Copland’s more popular pieces. And has been performed worldwide for years. The ballet is known for its combination sound of a cowboy tune and an American folk song. The song and ballet is about a boy’s mother being killed by an outlaw. The boy then kills the outlaw that murdered his mother and goes on the run. For years the boy runs the desert as an outlaw but get but gets caught one day and gets put in jail. He manages to escape jail and returns to his hideout. The law then catches up with him once again and kills him. The ballet ends with the open prairie