Aaron copland rodeo movement 4 hoe down

"Hoe-Down" from Rodeo, by Aaron Copland

 


 

 

What cultural and historical facts do we know about the piece?

     Aaron Copland wrote the music for this ballet, Agnes De Mille choreographed it, and the whole ballet has captured the hearts of many Americans since it first premiered. Performed in , this piece was one of the earliest examples of American ballet. The whole ballet takes place at Burnt Ranch, where a Cowgirl finds herself competing with visiting city girls for the attention of the local cowboys. The final movement “Hoe-down” begins where the cowgirl has been reborn in a way. She put away her normal work clothes in exchange for a beautiful dress, and reappears as the prettiest girl in the room. A hoe-down is a type of American square dance in duple meter, which is featured in this movement. There is have a typical, stand-up-and-cheer Hollywood Western ending, too, as the girl gets the right guy for her, not the aloof Head Wrangler at all, but rather, another Cowboy who has shown her respect, kindness, and honor.

     The last component connecting the whole final movement together are t


If you are of a certain age (let's say between twenty and sixty), you will instantly remember the strains of this piece as the background of juicy slabs of perfectly-cooked steak glistening on television screens across the world.  It made beef - of all things - seem exciting and patriotic, and that's quite a feat in itself.  Of course, the fact that the piece itself is from a ballet score written by a socialist sympathizer does tend to soften the red-blooded blow a bit.  Premiered in , "Hoe-Down" from Rodeo, composed by Aaron Copland, has become as iconic as, well, beef.

"Oh hey!  A blog post all about me!" ~Aaron Copland, posthumously
Copland was born in and died in (dates that always seemed to me wonderfully symmetrical).  The youngest child of Jewish parents, Aaron spent his childhood reading and learning about music from his older sister, Laurine.  At the age of eighteen, he decided to spend a year in Paris to study with Nadia Boulanger, who then became the most noted music teacher of the twentieth century.

In his youth, Copland composed more avant-garde music, designed (purposely) for a more 'elite' audience.  However

Aaron Copland: Hoedown - AQAMusical description

The overall structure is ternary formA musical form in which the opening section returns after a central contrasting section. A-B-A. Within this structure there are different sections and musical ideas based on popular folk musicTraditional music from a particular country.  songs:

  1. introduction
  2. section A – Woodblock and Bonaparte’s Retreat
  3. section B – McLoeod’s Reel, Gilderoy and McLeod’s Reel
  4. section A – Woodblock and Bonaparte’s Retreat
  5. coda

Overall, the key signatureA pattern of sharps or flats at the beginning of a piece of music indicating which are to be played. of Hoedown is D major. The introduction is in the tonicThe first degree of a scale and the central key of music. In Roman numerals this is I. minor (D minor) before moving to D major in section A. Section B moves to G major, the subdominantFourth tonal degree of the scale and a closely related key., and to A minor, the minor dominant of D major. When section A returns, the key returns to the tonic.

The tempoThe speed or pace of performance in speech, dance or music. is marked allegroLively and fast..

The music begins with the orche

Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo

Version for orchestra

Title
Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo

For
orchestra

Alternate Titles
  • Rodeo (Suite) (Alternate/Synonymous)
  • Rodeo: Suite from the Ballet (Alternate/Synonymous)

Year Composed

Scoring
3(II,III=picc):glsp/xyl/cyms/tgl/ wdbl/whip/BD/SD-harp-pft(=cel)-strings

ARCO Number(s)
47a

Category
Orchestral

Duration
18'

Premieres
  • 1. Partial:Boston, May 28th, (Boston Pops Orch, cond. Arthur Fiedler (three episodes only))
  • 2. Complete:New York, June 22nd, (New York Philharmonic, cond. Alexander Smallens)

Publisher
Boosey & Hawkes

Publishing Status
Published

Suite From
Rodeo (ballet) (for orchestra) ()

Video

Upcoming Events

  • Mar 23rd, pm
    A Poem in Tones
    Rohrbach, Austria
  • Mar 23rd, am
    Um Pulo no Ar
    Pinheiros, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
  • Mar 23rd, pm
    Music For All Ages: American Classics
    Norwalk, CT, United States

Biographies you may also like

Spurgeon morning and evening download "Complete and unabridged." A contemporary version of a devotional classic based on the New International Version.

Himani kapoor biography of christopher Himani started singing at age 5 during a religious event. Participated in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa in and later had disputes with the show's makers. Has sung for notable Hindi films including Dil Missing: christopher.

Darryl dawkins born Darryl Dawkins, nicknamed "Chocolate Thunder," was an American professional basketball player known for his powerful playing style and backboard-shattering dunks. Born on January 11, .

Apl biography Allan Pineda Lindo (more commonly known as ) was born in the Philippines to a Filipina mother and an African-American father. At age 14 he was adopted by an American family and .

Suonne sunnate massimo ranieri biography Explore Massimo Ranieri's discography including top tracks, albums, and reviews. Learn all about Massimo Ranieri on AllMusic.

Tharita catulle biography definition Tharita Cesaroni, or Tharita Cesaroni-Catulle, is an Italian cinematographer and film producer. Still, she is more or less known for being the daughter of Italian actress and singer Missing: definition.

Sketsa diponegoro biography Lukisan ini merupakan lukisan pertama yang dibuat oleh Raden Saleh Syarif Bustaman (), pelukis ternama Indonesia. Karya ini menggambarkan salah satu Missing: biography.