Fanfare for the Common Man

I went to Chapel Choir and St. Olaf orchestra's production of the Brahms' requiem. It was absolutely beautiful, and I loved every second. It had me start wondering about art though. The Requiem is an iconic work of Brahms'. With the Hudson River School of painting in mind, I started wondering about what was classic American instrumental music. As soon as this thought popped into my head I thought of one name, and one name only: Aaron Copland. In short, Copland was well known for his music that captured American landscapes, people and attitudes. The video above is "Fanfare for the Common Man", composed before the US's entry into World War II. It was meant to capture the grandeur of America in its splendor, and the power of each solider and common person in the United States. His music evokes all sorts of identifying American images, from Billy the Kid to the magnificence of the Appalachians. I think Copland could easily be described as the iconic American composer, because of his ability to take visual cues and transfer them to strings and woodwinds.