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Aaron Copland is a popular 20th century American composer. He was born in 1900 (died 1990), when Americans were rarely recognised as composers in the music world. So Copland went to Europe for serious study, and, in the 1920s, wrote pieces with the flavour of jazz. European classical composers were also influenced by jazz at this time, as they were searching for new ways to bring their music into the 20th century.

He encountered his share of failures during his first years as a musician. His first teacher considered his modernistic chords to be sour notes, and his efforts at composition during a trip to Paris in 1920 went unnoticed. The young Copland persevered, however, and under the instruction of Nadia Boulanger, a well-known teacher of harmony, he continued to compose.

Copland returned to the United States three years later only to face more disappointing reactions to his composing endeavours. He decided to settle for a job playing piano in a trio at a Pennsylvania hotel. While he was a member of the trio, Boulanger asked him to write an organ concerto for her. During his off hours, Copland worked on the concerto, a piece that would eventually be written without organ to become his "First Symphony."

In 1936, Copland began to change his style, concentrating on folk themes. He wrote music for high school musicians before moving on to ballet on American themes, such as Billy the Kid (1938), Rodeo (1942), and Appalachian Spring (1944).

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Copland	Bibliography detail about Aaron Copland.
Copland	Listen to Fanfare for the Common Man and read about Aaron Copland.  Recommended reading