Third Symphony | Aaron Copland
Born November 14, 1900 in New York City; died December 2, 1990 in North Tarrytown, New York
Aaron Copland (1900-1990) was an American composer who became known for creating music that reflected the spirit of American life. Born in Brooklyn, New York, to a family of Jewish immigrants, Copland showed an interest in music from a young age and studied piano as a child. He later went to Paris to study composition, where he absorbed various European styles but later began to focus on developing a distinctly American sound. His early influences included Chopin, Debussy, Verdi, the post-Impressionistic French music of his Parisian contemporaries, and his teacher Nadia Boulanger.
Throughout his career, Copland composed for a variety of genres, including orchestral music, ballets, film scores, and chamber music, earning him a reputation as one of the most influential American composers of the 20th century. Copland’s best-known works, such as Appalachian Spring, Billy the Kid, Rodeo, and Fanfare for the Common Man, are often inspired by American folk tunes, the wide-open landscapes of the American West, and themes of everyday life. His music is noted for its simplicity, openness, and emotional directness, making it both modern and accessible to a wide audience. In addition to composing, Copland was a conductor, teacher, and writer, helping to promote American music around the world. His work left a lasting impact on American classical music, and he is often called “the Dean of American Composers.”
Aaron Copland’s Third Symphony (1946) is one of his most significant orchestral works and is often considered a defining example of American symphonic music. Composed between 1944 and 1946, the symphony was commissioned by conductor Serge Koussevitzky for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and it premiered shortly after the end of World War II. This timing, along with the triumphant and expansive nature of the music, helped establish the symphony as a symbol of American optimism and resilience. The Third Symphony is structured in four movements, combining elements of traditional symphonic form with Copland’s distinctive American style, drawing on open harmonies, folk-like melodies, and rhythmic vitality.
The first movement (Molto moderato – Allegro molto) begins with a grand, expansive introduction, setting a serene and open tone, with slow, lyrical themes that gradually build into a lively, fast-paced section. Copland uses the orchestra’s full range to create contrasting textures, from lush strings to brilliant brass fanfares. The movement combines Copland’s ability to craft wide-open, spacious harmonies with moments of energetic propulsion, creating a sense of both contemplation and forward momentum. The second movement (Allegro molto), in contrast, is brisk and rhythmic, featuring sharp, dance-like rhythms that recall Copland’s earlier ballets like Rodeo. It has a playful, almost scherzo-like character, with rapid shifts in dynamics and mood.
The third movement (Andantino quasi allegretto) serves as a reflective interlude, marked by gentle melodies and more subdued orchestration. It explores Copland’s lyrical side, allowing moments of calm and introspection before leading into the final, most famous movement. The fourth movement (Molto deliberato – Allegro risoluto) begins with a slow, solemn introduction that gradually transitions into a bold and triumphant finale. Copland famously incorporates his earlier Fanfare for the Common Man (1942, inspired by a speech by Vice President Henry Wallace) into this movement, weaving its powerful brass and percussion theme into the larger symphonic structure. The movement builds to a grand, exhilarating conclusion, embodying the sense of American strength and optimism that made the symphony so iconic. With its combination of grandeur, folk-inspired melodies, and sweeping harmonies, the Third Symphony stands as a landmark in American classical music.
The Improvised Violin Concerto | Mark O’Connor
(Born August 5, 1961 in Mountlake Terrace, Washington)
Mark O’Connor (born 1961) is an American composer and virtuoso violinist/fiddler known for his fusion of classical, jazz, and folk music traditions. Born near Seattle, Washington, O’Connor began studying the violin at a young age, quickly gaining recognition as a prodigious talent in bluegrass and country music. By the time he was a teenager, he had already won several national fiddle championships and was performing with country legends like Stéphane Grappelli and Chet Atkins. O’Connor’s eclectic style, which blends American folk traditions with jazz improvisation and classical technique, has made him one of the most influential and versatile musicians of his generation.
O’Connor’s work as a composer is equally groundbreaking. His Appalachia Waltz and Appalachian Journey collaborations with Yo-Yo Ma and Edgar Meyer brought American folk music into the classical concert hall, earning widespread acclaim. He has composed several orchestral and chamber works, including his Fiddle Concerto and Americana Symphony, which combine elements of bluegrass, jazz, and classical music. In addition to his composing and performing career, O’Connor has developed a violin method focused on American music, aiming to inspire young musicians to explore and master a wide variety of musical genres. His contributions have made him a key figure in American music, celebrated for his ability to bridge cultural and musical traditions.
Notes Courtesy of Mark O’Connor:
The Improvised Violin Concerto unites two disciplines: symphonic composition and improvisational performance art. It is the first concerto to feature an entirely improvised solo part over a through-composed orchestral score.
The piece adheres to three basic principles:
First, the orchestra–a large body of musicians trained to play in perfect synchronization—must not improvise. I cannot envision designing a stable, long-form piece around orchestral improvisation. However, I do score ambient sounds and noise effects, which sound improvisational and thus serve as a link between the orchestra and the soloist.
Second, the violin part must be entirely improvised. Even if a small portion of the solo part were composed, the piece would not live up to its title. The violin must be unbridled, free to introduce its own ideas at any time. And these ideas, and every note therein, will be different in each performance.
Third, the orchestra must introduce and develop themes to provide form and logic. Its score must be essentially symphonic. This affords the violin the ultimate freedom to experiment with and respond to the themes and other musical materials.
To emphasize this sense of freedom, I allow for extreme dynamic variation in the solo part. With the aid of sound reinforcement (via P.A.) and effects pedals, the violin can negotiate even the loudest tutti sections punctuated by fortissimo brass. On the other hand, the violin has the right to remain silent in the softest moments.
To avoid excessive conflict between the violin and the upper-register orchestral instruments (e.g., trumpets, flutes, oboes), I assign much of the thematic material to lower-register instruments such as the bass clarinet, the English horn, the bassoon and the trombone.
At nearly 40 minutes in length, The Improvised Violin Concerto features the longest improvisation ever called for in a classical setting. To perform it well is a daunting task.
Given the length of the piece, I dedicate each of the five movements to basic, widely interpretable elements rather than specific thoughts or images. “Fire,” the first movement, is passionate, intense, and otherworldly–an excellent launching point. “Air,” the second movement, stirs up a new kind of energy that extinguishes the embers remaining from the first movement. The playful and jazzy third movement, “Water,” introduces the human condition. The fourth movement, “Earth,” invokes blues, rock and heavy metal to convey what I call the “salt of the Earth.” This movement represents the relationship between Earth and humanity.
The final movement manifests what I call the fifth element, “Faith.” It is an invention of humanity, a celebration of the human spirit. After a series of hymnic chord sequences, the movement proceeds through Southern Gospel refrains before morphing into Gospel hoedowns and Buzzard Lope dances. It culminates in a throw-down Jubilee.
*****
Notes on Musical Improvisation
Although it’s as old as the art of music, the singular art of improvisation confounds and intimidates even the best-educated and most successful classical musicians. Many believe improvisation to be spontaneous, boundless musical invention, which is entirely true only in an approach I have often embraced, namely “free improvisation.” In most circumstances, however, improvisation is not boundless but rather adheres to (or at least references) harmonic, metric, rhythmic, and temporal guidelines.
Three levels of study define improvisation. First, discipline and years of practice are essential to conceiving of and structuring musical ideas and then learning how to musically transition from one idea to another. Second, an understanding of jazz theory, harmony, rhythm, and meters is necessary. Third, an intimate knowledge of chord progressions for specific pieces is an absolute. Knowledge of and familiarity with these chord progressions, rather than mere awareness of them, allows the improviser to spend less time worrying about technical details and more time being creative.
Mastery over the Improvised Violin Concerto, then, is no mean feat. Unlike a bluegrass tune, which usually has three or four chords, or a jazz tune, which might have 10 or 20, the Improvised Violin Concerto has hundreds of chords and numerous meter changes over the course of a thousand measures. I am, to some degree, surprised that brilliant improvisers like Mozart, Liszt, Paganini, and Mendelssohn did not tackle something like this.
In addition to encouraging classical musicians to become familiar with the pantheon of great American improvisers I have studied, I hope this piece goes a step further and inspires in those musicians a keener interest in improvisation.
–Mark O’Connor, 2011
Double Violin Concerto | Mark O’Connor
O’Connor’s Double Violin Concerto, composed in 1997, is a dynamic and genre-blending work that showcases his signature fusion of American folk traditions with classical form. Scored for two solo violins and orchestra, the concerto explores the interplay between the two violinists, often juxtaposing lyrical melodies with intricate rhythmic patterns. Drawing from his background in bluegrass, jazz, and classical music, O’Connor creates a concerto that is both virtuosic and expressive. The piece is structured in three movements, with each offering a unique contrast in mood and style, from the driving energy of the first movement to the introspective lyricism of the second, and the spirited dance-like finale.
The first movement is marked by its rhythmic vitality and rich harmonic textures, with the two solo violins engaging in a lively dialogue. O’Connor uses syncopated rhythms and folk-like motifs, which are seamlessly integrated into a classical concerto framework. The second movement stands out for its emotional depth, featuring a slow, lyrical melody that allows the violins to sing with warmth and expressiveness. The movement’s harmonic language combines folk simplicity with more complex, nuanced orchestral accompaniment, creating a sense of nostalgia. The final movement is characterized by its high energy and virtuosic demands on the soloists. The interplay between the violins, along with rapid shifts in dynamics and tempo, evokes the spirit of a fiddle contest, blending classical formality with the spontaneity of American folk traditions. This concerto demonstrates O’Connor’s ability to bridge multiple musical worlds, creating a work that is as technically challenging as it is musically diverse.