Author: nielsen57
Date: 2008-10-06 22:08
Perhaps to let the man himself have a say in this argument...
"The movements [of the Clarinet Concerto] are connected by a cadenza, which gives the soloist considerable opportunity to demonstrate his prowess, while at the same time introduces fragments of the melodic material to be heard in the second movement. The cadenza is written fairly close to the way I wanted it, but it is free within reason--after all, it and the movement that follows are in the jazz idiom. It is not ad lib as in cadenzas of many traditional concertos; I always felt that there was enough room for interpretation even when everything is written out."
-- Aaron Copland, from his autobiography, "Copland: Since 1943", written with Vivian Perlis
His words could, of course, be interpreted in a number of different ways (since, indeed, "within reason" means different things to different people)...my point being that there is value in looking up from the score occasionally and seeking out the larger context (though, to be fair, I'm studying musicology...and musicology students are a bit biased in that regard!). Copland's own words are invaluable in that respect...beside the autobiography, he also wrote an article in the Jan. 1927 issue of "Modern Music" on jazz rhythm in classical music, which was cited in another excellent article entitled "On the Influence of Jazz Rhythm in the Music of Aaron Copland" by Stanley Kleppinger from "American Music", Vol. 21, No. 1...I'm currently awaiting the arrival of the '27 article via interlibrary loan. I love your ideas, mrn, concerning the Brazilian aspect, and the more I study this piece, the more clear the genius of Copland is, in his skillful interweaving of North and South American popular idioms.
Happy reading/listening/practicing everyone!
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