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Chapter 50
Aaron Copland
–Rodeo
Chapter at a Glance
Listen to This First
Folk Melodies
Timbre: Smaller Ensembles Within the Orchestra
Dance Rhythms
Connect Your Playlist: Folk Music
Rondo Form
Historical Context –
Listening Guide –Rodeo
Profile: Aaron Copland (1900 1990)
Expand Your Playlist: Copland
Chapter Objectives
After reading this chapter and listening to the work, students should be able to:
50.1 Describe the connection between the ballet Rodeo and the American West.
50.5 Explain how later composers have reworked the fiddle tune Copland used in
–
Key Concepts
populist modernism, traditional folk t
form
Chapter Highlight: Nationalism
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Copland pioneered a sound that evoked the open spaces of the western United States. In
the ballet Rodeo, wide spacing of instruments, bright timbres, and energetic rhythms
contribute to a distinctively American sound.
Chapter Summary
Aaron Copland still holds an iconic position as a truly America composer because he strove to
illustrate an American identity in his music. He captured the sounds of the West in this example
from Rodeo
not returned as long as she competes with him, but when she dresses for a dance, he notices her.
– (Students can hear this in
isolation in the Audio Glossary.) Copland found it in a folk song anthology transcribed by Ruth
Listening Guide
–
column. A full orchestra has the A sections, and the strong piano presence confirms the B
sections. The contrasting C section can be identified by the soloists: trumpet, then oboe, then
following its distinctive melody.
MyMusicLab Resources
Automated Listening Guide – Rodeo
Chapter Audio: Chapter 50
Profile: Aaron Copland (1900 1990)
Discussion Topics and Critical Thinking Questions
1. –
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reflect America? Moreover, how was meter and syncopation used to maintain forward motion
and create the sound of a square-dance? Do you think that Copland achieved his goal?
2. Lincoln Portrait
performance?
Activities and Exercises
1. Ask students to locate their favorite American folk tune and bring it to class to share with
the others. Students could also share via MediaShare. Have them define what make their
Journaling Prompt
States. Compared to other classical composers of the twentieth century, what do you
think makes his music so well liked by the public?