One hundred thirteen years and one day ago today, on November 14, 1900, the great composer Aaron Copland was born.
More than once, I have wondered what experiences this young boy may have had, seen and experienced, that influenced and shaped both him and the music that sang to him, from a place deep within, pushing at itself to be born.
When Mr. Copland was seventy-seven years old, I was in my senior year of high school. For the spring recital, the high school band performed, Fanfare for the Common Man, a stirring four-minute piece of music, featuring brass and percussion, arresting me and taking me to that sacred place I hold so dearly – “Be here now and hear your heart speak”.
I can still remember being overwhelmed with emotion, sitting on the stage, fearing I’d burst at any moment, grateful there was not a flute part. What a tremendous gift to be given, this music thing that can fill the well, sometimes to overflowing. I treasured these “uh-oh, the damn might break” experiences, as they remind me I am human… and they certainly fluctuated vastly from all those John Phillip Sousa marches the band played on the football field at half-time in the bitter cold of New England, often to an apathetic crowd in the bleacher stands.
In awe of our great composers, this one in particular, I read up on him and discovered that within the realms of American music, his Fanfare for the Common Man is referred to as “a patriotic standard”. That feeling of patriotism and the romantic notions of amber waves of grain, blossom again and again when I listen to not just this piece, but others as well, including his magnificent, Appalachian Spring.
So, in gratitude for the man and his music, here is Aaron Copland’s composition that “evokes the vast American landscape and pioneer spirit” (thank you Wikipedia).
We are all the common man, and yet, the music says we are so much more than that. It speaks to what we have in common with each other, as well as to the individual spirit, the potential of triumph over strife, of working hard, of all that we have IN us… of that is yet to be.
Today I honor you in spirit, Aaron Copland, and all you gave us through the music. Thank you for this fanfare of celebration.
So for you, the reader, and the music in you, I invite you to take four minutes of time and close your eyes, listen, and watch your heart.
Does your spirit feel a bit more full, shiny, lifted, hopeful? My wish is that it does. Take your fullness and shininess and feeling bigger with you through your day today, and see what happens.
Blessings on the path, musical friends. ♥
beth magill 