January 13, 2026

Aaron Copland (1900-1990)

1 hour 13 minutes

This week, Donald Macleod explores the life and music of Aaron Copland, one of the most distinctive voices in 20th-century American music. From his Brooklyn childhood and formative studies in Paris to his return home with bold new ideas, Copland’s career charts a path through modernism, jazz, and the search for an unmistakably American sound. We hear music that captures the spirit of a nation – from Billy the Kid and Lincoln Portrait to his Fanfare for the Common Man, before he made the move from composer to conductor.

Music featured includes:

4 Dance Episodes from Rodeo: iv. Hoe Down

Two Preludes for violin and piano

Four Early Songs: i. Night; ii. A Summer Vacation; iii. My Heart is in the East; iv. Alone

Four Motets: iii. Have Mercy on Us, O My Lord

Three Moods: i. Embittered; ii. Wistful; iii. Jazzy

Symphony for Organ and Orchestra: ii. Scherzo; iii. Finale: Lento

The Cat and the Mouse

Old Poem; Pastorale

Music for the Theater: i. Prologue; ii. Dance

Piano Concerto

Vitebsk (trio for violin, cello and piano)

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! – ballet in one act: Scene i (Prelude)

Piano Variations

Short Symphony (Symphony No. 2): i. Incisivo; ii. Espressivo; iii. Presto e ritmico

El Salón México

Billy the Kid Suite: i. Introduction: The Open Prairie; ii. Street in a Frontier Town; iii. Mexican Dance and Finale

Letter from Home

Appalachian Spring Suite: v. Solo Dance; vi. Meno mosso; vii. Variation on a Shaker Hymn

Clarinet Concerto

Lincoln Portrait

Fanfare for the Common Man

Two Pieces for String Quartet: No. 2. Allegro Moderato

Piano Quartet: iii. Non troppo lento

Music for a Great City: i. Skyline

Presented by Donald Macleod

Produced by Elizabeth Ajao for BBC Audio Wales & West

For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Aaron Copland (1900-1990): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002p75g

And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z

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By BBC Radio 3

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