Aaron Copland Piano Variations with Sheet music
Aaron Copland: American composer
Aaron Copland, (born Nov. 14, 1900, Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S.—died Dec. 2, 1990, North Tarrytown [now Sleepy Hollow], N.Y.), American composer who achieved a distinctive musical characterization of American themes in an expressive modern style.
Copland, the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants, was born in New York City and attended public schools there. An older sister taught him to play the piano, and by the time he was 15 he had decided to become a composer. As a first step Copland tried to learn harmony through a correspondence course. Haltingly and in an environment not particularly conducive to art, he struggled toward his goal.
In the summer of 1921 Copland attended the newly founded school for Americans at Fontainebleau, where he came under the influence of Nadia Boulanger, a brilliant teacher who shaped the outlook of an entire generation of American musicians. He decided to stay on in Paris, where he became Boulanger’s first American student in composition. After three years in Paris, Copland returned to New York City with an important commission: Nadia Boulanger had asked him to write an organ concerto for her American appearances.
Copland composed the piece while working as the pianist of a hotel trio at a summer resort in Pennsylvania. That season the Symphony for Organ and Orchestra had its premiere in Carnegie Hall with the New York Symphony under the direction of the composer and conductor Walter Damrosch.
In his growth as a composer Copland mirrored the important trends of his time. After his return from Paris, he worked with jazz rhythms in Music for the Theater (1925) and the Piano Concerto (1926). There followed a period during which he was strongly influenced by Igor Stravinsky’s Neoclassicism, turning toward an abstract style he described as “more spare in sonority, more lean in texture.” This outlook prevailed in the Piano Variations (1930), Short Symphony (1933), and Statements for Orchestra (1933–35). After this last work, there occurred a change of direction that was to usher in the most productive phase of Copland’s career.
He well summed up the new orientation: “During these years I began to feel an increasing dissatisfaction with the relations of the music-loving public and the living composer. It seemed to me that we composers were in danger of working in a vacuum.”
Furthermore, he realized that a new public for modern music was being created by the new media of radio, phonograph, and film scores: “It made no sense to ignore them and to continue writing as if they did not exist. I felt that it was worth the effort to see if I couldn’t say what I had to say in the simplest possible terms.” Copland therefore was led to what became a most significant development after the 1930s: the attempt to simplify the new music in order that it would have meaning for a large public.
The decade that followed saw the production of the scores that spread Copland’s fame throughout the world. Most important of these were the three ballets based on American folk material: Billy the Kid (1938), Rodeo (1942), and Appalachian Spring (1944; commissioned by dancer Martha Graham).
To this group belong also El salón México (1936), an orchestral piece based on Mexican melodies and rhythms; two works for high-school students—the “play opera” The Second Hurricane (1937) and An Outdoor Overture (1938); and a series of film scores, of which the best known are Of Mice and Men (1939), Our Town (1940), The Red Pony (1948), and The Heiress (1948). Typical too of the Copland style are two major works that were written in time of war—Lincoln Portrait (1942), for speaker and chorus, on a text drawn from Lincoln’s speeches, and Letter from Home (1944), as well as the melodious Third Symphony (1946).
In his later years Copland refined his treatment of Americana: “I no longer feel the need of seeking out conscious Americanism. Because we live here and work here, we can be certain that when our music is mature it will also be American in quality.” His later works include an opera, The Tender Land (1954); Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson (1950), for voice and piano; and the delightful Nonet (1960).
During these years Copland also produced a number of works in which he showed himself increasingly receptive to the serial techniques of the so-called 12-tone school of composer Arnold Schoenberg. Notable among such works are the stark and dissonant Piano Fantasy (1957); Connotations (1962), which was commissioned for the opening of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City; and Inscape (1967). The 12-tone works were not generally well-received; after 1970 Copland virtually stopped composing, though he continued to lecture and to conduct through the mid-1980s.
For the better part of four decades, as composer (of operas, ballets, orchestral music, band music, chamber music, choral music, and film scores), teacher, writer of books and articles on music, organizer of musical events, and a much sought after conductor, Copland expressed “the deepest reactions of the American consciousness to the American scene.”
He received more than 30 honorary degrees and many additional awards. His books include What to Listen for in Music (1939), Music and Imagination (1952), Copland on Music (1960), and The New Music, 1900–60 (1968). With the aid of Vivian Perlis, he wrote a two-volume autobiography (Copland: 1900 Through 1942 [1984] and Copland: Since 1943 [1989]).
Copland’s sheet music is available for download from our Library.
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Artist or Composer / Score name | Cover | List of Contents |
---|---|---|
Andrea Morricone – Nuovo Cinema Paradiso – Love Theme | ||
Andrea Vanzo Autumn Intro | ||
Andrea Vanzo Les Madeleines | ||
Andrea Vanzo Spring | ||
Andrea Vanzo Valzer d’Inverno | ||
Andrés Segovia Classic Album For Guitar Volume 2 | Andrés Segovia Classic Album For Guitar Volume 2 | |
Andrés Segovia Classic Album For Guitar Volumes 1 to14 | Andrés Segovia Classic Album For Guitar Volumes 1 to14Andrés Segovia Classic Album For Guitar Volume 2 | |
Andres Segovia Collection Pieces For Solo Guitar | Andres Segovia Collection Pieces For Solo Guitar | |
Andres Segovia Obras Para Guitarra Vol 1 Preludios Y Estudios | Andres Segovia Obras Para Guitarra Vol 1 Preludios Y Estudios | |
Andres Segovia Obras Para Guitarra Vol 2 23 Canciones Populares Del Mundo | Andres Segovia Obras Para Guitarra Vol 2 23 Canciones Populares Del Mundo | |
Andres Segovia- Transcripciones Obras Para Guitarra Vol 3 | Andres Segovia- Transcripciones Obras Para Guitarra Vol 3 | |
Andrew Hill 21 Piano Compositions | ||
Andrew Lloyd Webber Sunset Boulevard (Revised Broadway Version) Piano & Vocal Score | ||
Andrew Lloyd Webber The Music Of The Night | ||
Andrew Lloyd Webber Think of me (The Phantom of the Opera) | Andrew Lloyd Webber Think Of Me | |
Andrew Lloyd Webber – All I Ask of You (The Phantom of the Opera) | ||
Andrew Lloyd Webber – Angel Of Music (Piano, Vocal, Guitar chords) | Andrew Lloyd Webber – Angel Of Music (Piano, Vocal, Guitar chords) | |
Andrew Lloyd Webber – CATS (Piano & Vocal score) | Andrew Lloyd Webber – CATS (Piano & Vocal score) | |
Andrew Lloyd Webber – Jesus Christ Superstar (Musical Excerpts Complete Libretto) Lyrics by Tim Rice | ||
Andrew Lloyd Webber – Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat The Musical Full Score | ||
Andrew Lloyd Webber – Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat The Musical Vocal Selections | Andrew Lloyd Webber – Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat The Musical Vocal Selections | |
Andrew Lloyd Webber – Love Never Dies (Piano Book) | Andrew Lloyd Weber – Love Never Dies (Piano Book) | |
Andrew Lloyd Webber – Love Never Dies Full Vocal Score (Andrew Lloyd Webber) | Love Never Dies Full Vocal Score | |
Andrew Lloyd Webber – Memory (from CATS) Piano Vocal with lyrics | ||
Andrew Lloyd Webber – Requiem (the musical) Piano Vocal Score | ||
Andrew Lloyd Webber – School of Rock | Andrew Lloyd Webber – School of Rock | |
Andrew Lloyd Webber – The Phantom Of The Opera | ||
Andrew Lloyd Webber – Unmasked A Memoir (Book) | ||
Andrew Lloyd Webber – Unmasked The Platinum Collection | Andrew Lloyd Webber – Unmasked The Platinum Collection | |
Andrew Lloyd Webber “By Jeeves”, the musical | ||
Andrew Lloyd Webber Anthology | Webber, Andrew Lloyd – Antholog | |
Andrew Lloyd Webber Jesus Christ Superstar Tim Rice (Deutsche Texte) | Andrew Lloyd Webber Jesus Christ Superstar Tim Rice (Deutsche Texte) | |
Andrew Lloyd Webber Masquerade from The Phantom of the Opera for Guitar TABS | Andrew Lloyd Webber Masquerade from The Phantom of the Opera for Guitar TABS | |
Andrew Lloyd Webber Memory (from Cats) for Guitar TABS | Andrew Lloyd Webber Memory (from Cats) for Guitar TABS | |
Andrew Lloyd Webber Pro Vocal Womens Edition | Andrew Lloyd Webber Pro Vocal Womens Edition | |
Andrew Lloyd Webber Sheet Music Collection, The – Andrew Lloyd Webber sheet music | Andrew Lloyd Webber Sheet Music Collection, The – Andrew Lloyd Webber sheet music | |
Andrew Lloyd Webber The Phantom of the Opera for Guitar TABS | Andrew Lloyd Webber The Phantom of the Opera for Guitar TABS | |
Andrew Lloyd WebberJesus Christ Superstar (Broadway) | Andrew Lloyd Webber Jesus Christ Superstar (Broadway) | |
Andrew Lloyd WebberThe Phantom of the Opera (Piano Vocal & Guitar) Songbook | ||
Androgyne (Mario Leblanc) | ||
Andy Timmons Anthology | ||
Andy Jaffe – Jazz Harmony | Andy Jaffe – Jazz Harmony | |
Andy Laverne – Tons Of Runs For The Contemporary Pianist | andy laverne tons of runs contemporary pianist | |
Andy LaVerne – Vol. 85 Tunes You Thought You Knew | Andy LaVerne sheet music | |
Andy Mckee Joyland (Songbook) (Andy Mckee) Guitar TAB | Andy Mckee Joyland (Songbook) (Andy Mckee) Guitar TAB | |
Angeles Negros Y Volveré (Alaian Barrière) | ||
ANGELO BADALAMENTI – (Twin peaks) – Twin Peaks theme easy piano solo | ANGELO BADALAMENTI – (Twin peaks) – Twin Peaks theme | Badalamenti Angelo – Twin Peaks |
Angelo Badalamenti – Twin Peaks – Love Theme easy piano solo | Badalamenti, Angelo – Twin Peaks – Love Theme | Angelo Badalamenti – Twin Peaks (book) |
Angelo Badalamenti – Twin Peaks (songbook the music of Twin Peaks) | Angelo Badalamenti – Twin Peaks (book) | |
Angelo Badalamenti – Twin Peaks Theme (Instrumental) (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Angelo Badalamenti Twin Peaks – Love Theme (Laura Palmer’s Theme) | Twin Peaks -Love Theme | |
Angra Rebirth Guitar Songbook | ||
Angry Birds Theme Song (Piano) | ||
Animal Crossing Christmas Eve | ||
Animal Crossing – Christmas Eve (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Animal Crossing New Horizons – Welcome Horizons Main Theme | ||
Animals – The House Of The Rising Sun | The Animals – House Of The Rising Sun | |
Animation Collection, Music From The Movies The (Solo Piano) | Animation Collection, Music From The Movies The (Solo Piano) | |
Anime Music Collection | Anime Collection | |
Anime Sheet Music Tsubasa Chronicle | Anime Sheet Music Tsubasa Chronicle | |
Anna And The King – How Can I Not Love You – Enriquez Joy | ||
Anna And The King – How Can I Not Love You – Joy Enriquez | Anna And The King – How Can I Not Love You – Enriquez Joy | |
Anna Karenina 2012 – Curtain (Dario Marianelli) | ||
Anna Karenina 2012 – Dance with me (Dario Marianelli) | ||
Anna Karenina 2012 – I Understood Something (Dario Marianelli) | ||
Anna Karenina 2012 – Kitty’s Debut (Dario Marianelli) | ||
Anna Karenina 2012 – Ouverture (Dario Marianelli) | ||
Anna Karenina 2012 – Ouverture (easier version) | ||
Anna Karenina 2012 – Too Late (Dario Marianelli) | ||
Anna Nalick – Breathe | ||
Anne Murray – Day Dream Believer | ||
Anne Murray Best Of Songbook Piano Vocal Guitar Chords | Anne Murray Best Of Songbook Piano Vocal Guitar Chords CONTENTS LIST | |
Anne Murray Could I Have This Dance Piano Vocal Musescore File.mscz | ||
Anne Of Green Gables – Anne’s Theme | ||
Anne With An E – Marilla’s Theme | Anne With An E – Marilla’s Theme | |
Annie Lennox The Best Of | Anni Lennox best of songbook | |
Anohni – In My Dreams (piano Solo arr.) euphoria OST | ||
Another Day In Paradise Phil Collins (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Another Day of Sun – La La Land OST | ||
Anouk – Girl | ||
Anouk – Its a Shame | ||
Anouk – My Life | ||
Anouk – Nobodys Wife | ||
Anoushiravan Rohani Fravorite Persian Pieces for piano Mid-level piano book | Anoushiravan Rohani Fravorite Persian Pieces for piano Mid-level piano book | |
Ansons S. – 6 easy pieces | ||
Ansons, S. The harmonic garden part I – 24 short Jazz Piano solos | ||
Anthologie De La Chanson Française 1920 1950 Enrégistrée Book (Français) | Anthologie de la chanson française | |
Anthology for Saxophone (arr. for Eb instr. by Andrea Cappilari) | ||
Anthology Of American Piano Music Intermediate To Early Advanced Works By 31 Composers | Anthology Of American Piano Music Intermediate To Early Advanced Works By 31 Composers | |
Anthology of American Song (26 songs collection by representative American Composers) | ||
Anthology Of Broadway Songs Gold Edition Songbook Piano Vocal Guitar chords | Anthology Of Broadway Songs Gold Edition Songbook Piano Vocal Guitar chords | |
Anthology Of Children’s Songs Gold Edition Songbook Piano Vocal Guitar chords | Anthology Of Childrens Songs Gold Edition Songbook Piano Vocal Guitar chords | |
Anthology of French Piano Music – Vol. 2 Modern Composers (1906) | ||
Anthology of French Piano Music by Isidor Philipp Vol. I (1906) | ||
Anthology of German Piano Music by Moritz Moszkowski (1908) Vol I Early Composers | Anthology of German Piano Music by Moritz Moszkowski (1908) Vol I Early Comp | |
Anthology of German Piano Music by Moritz Moszkowski (1908) Vol II Modern Composers | Anthology of German Piano Music by Moritz Moszkowski (1908) Vol II Modern Comp | |
Anthology of Italian Song of 17th and 18th Cent. (1922) | ||
Anthology Of Modern Classics For The Piano (32 Compositions, Selected, Edited And Fingered) 1904 | Anthology Of Modern Classics For The Piano (32 Compositions, Selected, Edited And Fingered) 1904 | |
Anthology of Modern French song (1912) 39 songs with piano accomp. | ||
Anthology Of Movie Songs Gold Edition Songbook Piano Vocal Guitar chords | Anthology Of Movie Songs Gold Edition Songbook Piano Vocal Guitar chords | |
Anthology Of Post Tonal Music By Miguel A. Roig Francolí (Book) | ||
Anthony Braxton Composition Opus 23 M | ||
Anthony Braxton Composition Opus 23D | ||
Anthropology lead sheet.mscz | ||
Anthropology Transcription – Sheila Jordan Charlie Parker.mscz | ||
Anton Bruckner – Fantasy In G Major (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Anton Rubinstein A Life In Music (Book) Biography by Philip S. Taylor | ||
Antonio Carlos Jobim Corcovado (Piano and vocal) | Antonio Carlos Jobim Corcovado (Piano and vocal) | |
Antonio Carlos Jobim The Girl From Ipanema (Piano Solo) Garota De Ipanema | Antonio Carlos Jobim The Girl From Ipanema (Piano Solo) Garota De Ipanema | |
Antonio Carlos Jobim The Girl From Ipanema (Piano Vocal) Garota De Ipanema | Antonio Carlos Jobim The Girl From Ipanema (Piano Vocal) Garota De Ipanema | |
Antonio Carlos Jobim Triste (Guitar Solo Arr. With Tabs Sheet Music) | Antonio Carlos Jobim Triste (Guitar Solo Arr. With Tabs Sheet Music) | |
Antonio Carlos Jobim – Agua De Beber | ||
Antonio Carlos Jobim – Aguas de Março – Tom Jobim Easy Piano Solo arr | Antonio Carlos Jobim – Aguas de Março – Tom Jobim Easy Piano Solo arr | |
Antonio Carlos Jobim – Aguas de Março – Tom Jobim Easy Piano Solo arr.mscx | ||
Antonio Carlos Jobim – cancioneiro (piano,lyrics &guitar chords songbook) | Antonio Carlos Jobim – cancioneiro (piano lyrics songbook) | |
Antonio Carlos Jobim – Corcovado (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Antonio Carlos JOBIM – For bossa nova all styles (Guitar Tabs) | Antonio Carlos JOBIM – For bossa nova all styles | |
Antonio Carlos Jobim – Garota De Ipanema | ||
Antonio Carlos Jobim – Jobim Cancioneiro Obras Completas | Antonio Carlos Jobim – Jobim Cancioneiro Obras Completas contents — Antonio Carlos Jobim – Jobim Cancioneiro Obras Completas | |
Antonio Carlos Jobim – Jobim Cancioneiro Obras Selectas (partituras) | Antonio Carlos Jobim – Jobim Cancioneiro Obras Selectas (partituras) |