Elvis Presley And Aaron Copland

What do a rock legend and a classical composer have in common? More than you might think. At a glance, Elvis Presley’s unique spontaneity and Aaron Copland’s innovative classical creations seem unlikely to possess many similarities. Elvis Presley and Aaron Copland, both outstanding musicians with distinct styles and influence, had differing creative processes, genres, and impacts on American music.

Elvis Presley and Aaron Copland were both outstanding musicians through and through. Both Copland and Presley even had their own nicknames. Presley was referred to as the ‘King of Rock and Roll’ (Elvis Presley). It is not clear exactly when Elvis got his nickname but he definitely earned it and “cemented his position as ‘the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’”

Aaron Copland on the other hand was often called the ‘Dean of American Composers’ (Aaron Copland). Due to his involvement in various “facets of artistic expression” such as conducting, writing, editing, teaching, and lecturing, Aaron Copland earned the name ‘Dean of American Music’ (Aaron Copland, 1900-1990). Nicknames alone are not the only reason that that these two are considered outstanding musicians and this just goes to show how much of an effect they both had on the culture of music.

Another commonality between Copland and Presley is that they both had distinct styles of music and influences. Elvis Presley’s style of music was called rockabilly and it was created by combining country music with the rhythm of the blues. His style is distinct because it put a twist on early rock and roll which was still being developed at the time and lead “to what is considered ‘classic’

Copland’s style of classical music can be best understood by analyzing “Fanfare for the Common Man,” one of his most well-known pieces. The song has a very interesting feel to it. It starts out with deep drum noises and a section of trumpets creating a buildup and give off the vibe of old-time war movies and motivation for military might to defend one’s home. The initial feeling that I got from the song was that it was telling the listener to rise and stand strong. It goes from loud and booming throughout most of the song down to a section of trumpets that seem to signify great accomplishment. It also stuck out to me how in the end the classical work used the repetitive sounding of the trumpets in somewhat spaced-out intervals to help capture this idea of great accomplishment or triumph. The overall feeling of the piece was that it did not have any movement conveyed in it but that more so on the contrary that it seemed to give a message of standing strong and firm like an unmovable