When was rodeo composed

Aaron Copland's ballet Rodeo is a celebration of the American West and reflects an important image we have of ourselves. The commission for Rodeo came, surprisingly enough, from the classically-oriented Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, with the music by Copland and the choreography and scenario by Agnes de Mille.

The ballet was precedent setting - there were said to be 22 curtain calls at its premiere at the Metropolitan Opera House on October 16, - and the success of this ballet insured that dance would thrive as an integral part of American musical theater. The genesis of the scenario is told by Agnes de Mille in her memoir Dance to the Piper. According to de Mille, the idea of doing a ballet for the Ballet Russe, a company with a decidedly 19th-century bent, did not immediately inspire Copland in their first meeting.

Nor did Copland inspire her; instead, he laughed out loud at some of her ideas for a scenario. De Mille invited him to "go straight to Hell" - an inauspicious beginning, to say the least.

Tags: Copland. More Inspiration. Bach and other musicians? Leave a Comment Cancel Comment All fields are required. Your email address will not be published. Brahms - Lalo. Want a Smarter Kid? Get Them Music Lessons. Newsletter Subscription. Contact Us.

Take a look at our video masterclasses for inspiration. To enable all images to work in the Powerpoint files please save the file to your computer. To save to your computer: PC - right-click and save, Mac - ctrl-click and save. All parts have been designed to work together to enable mixed-ability groups to perform together.

See more information about the parts below. Please get in touch with the Ten Pieces team if there are minor adjustments you would like to make for your ensemble. A certain amount of simplification has been required to adapt the pieces for mixed-ability. Some pieces have been cut to allow a minute general duration and to remove especially difficult passages of music. He was one of the first 'serious' American composers to carve out his own path amongst the much more famous songwriters and jazz musicians of the s.

His music is said to 'sound like America' and often features a large, open sound like the vast American prairies , and complex rhythms like cowboys on horseback. Copland was born and brought up in Brooklyn, the youngest of 5 children all living above their father's grocery shop. Copland learned piano with his sister and started writing down ideas at the age of 8.

By the age of 15 he had decided to be a composer and his love of European music led him to Paris and to study with famous music teacher Nadia Boulanger. When he returned home he began writing music in many different styles including three symphonies, four ballets and several film scores. He also became a great teacher and supporter of younger composers.