Aaron Copland

Bio

Aaron Copland (1900–1990) was an American composer whose works helped define a distinctly American sound in classical music. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he studied in Paris before returning to the United States, where he incorporated jazz, folk, and other vernacular elements into orchestral and chamber compositions. His best-known pieces include the ballets Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, and Billy the Kid, as well as the Fanfare for the Common Man and the Third Symphony. Copland also wrote film scores, piano works, and vocal music, and he was an influential teacher and advocate for contemporary American composers throughout much of the twentieth century.