Aaron Copland is one of the foremost composers in the history of American orchestral music. He was one of the first composers to extend his popularity outside of the concert hall and into the realm of the contemporary masses.Copland was born in Brooklyn, NY into a large Lithuanian family. He experimented with the piano at a young age and began writing his own tunes at about the same time he began formal lessons. In lieu of college, Copland spent significant time studying theory and attending as many performances of any kind that he could. In the early 1920s, he moved to Paris where he studied conducting and composition at the American Conservatory. He followed the great European composers, as well as the lesser-known ones. Acting as a sponge, Copland soaked up every piece of musical knowledge he could and returned to America to put it to use.In the midst of the Great Depression, Copland's early pieces reflect the state of temperance that his home country was in. But it was in the mid-‘30s that Copland would truly hone his craft into the sound that most people are familiar with. His direct approach to the music that scored his ballets was what helped him initially gain recognition.He continued to create music for decades, making stylistic alterations and searching for new ways to make music and creating theory. He taught for a time and received awards from a number of different countries. He spent the bulk of the ‘60s and ‘70s conducting large-scale orchestras in playing both his pieces and the work of other composers. He composed less and less as time went on until he was conducting exclusively. His autobiography is considered one of the leading works on the development of American music throughout the 20th century. Aaron Copland passed away in 1990 at the age of 90.
