Aaron Copland’s 1942 musical work ‘Fanfare for the Common Man’ will be performed locally this weekend by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra at a fanfare-themed concert, celebrating the seventy-fifth anniversary of the famous piece. ‘Fanfare’ presents a powerful and effective example of a musical piece, originally intended to honour those fighting for their country in the second world war, and written for an orchestra of primarily brass and percussion instruments. Aaron Copland was an American composer, born in Brooklyn in 1900. He studied classical music and European composers during his early life, developing a love for the genre and creating his own original compositions. He made a name for himself throughout the 1930s with pieces such as ‘Dance Symphony’ and ‘El Salon Mexico’, intentionally establishing an essentially American sound that purposefully incorporated a range of styles such as jazz, folk, classical, and even elements of Latin American music. Copland found immense success in his compositions and also began teaching his methods and musical knowledge at Harvard in the 1940s, …show more content…
3’, written at the end of World War Two and famed for its winning feeling of dignity and success. Maintaining Copland’s classic mixture of distinctly American sounds combined with the European-dominated sound of the symphony, ‘Symphony No. 3’ became known as one of the most popular American symphonies to date, with much of the credit going to its usage of ‘Fanfare for the Common Man’. ‘Fanfare’ was inducted as the theme for the fourth movement of the symphony, but with a few subtle changes, including a new introduction featuring a woodwind duet and multiple key changes. The symphony closes with a final reprise of ‘Fanfare for the Common Man’, and the symphony’s opening motif, creating a symphony known famously for its feeling of glory and