Aaron Copland Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, critic, writer, teacher, pianist, and conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as the "Dean of American Compos ...

's Clarinet Concerto (also referred to as the Concerto for Clarinet and String Orchestra or the Concerto for Clarinet, Strings, Harp and Piano) was written between 1947 and 1949, although a first version was available in 1948. The concerto was later choreographed by

Jerome Robbins Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television. Among his nu ...

for the ballet ''Pied Piper'' (1951).

History

Composition

Soon after Copland composed his Symphony No. 3, in 1947

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

clarinetist

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader, known as the "King of Swing". His orchestra did well commercially. From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing bi ...

commissioned him to write a concerto for clarinet. Goodman told Copland biographer Vivian Perlis:

I made no demands on what Copland should write. He had completely free rein, except that I should have a two-year exclusivity on playing the work. I paid two thousand dollars and that's real money. At the time there were not too many American composers to pick from... We never had much trouble except for a little fracas about the spot before the cadenza where he had written a repetition of some phrase. I was a little sticky about leaving it out—it was where the viola was the echo to give the clarinet a cue. But I think Aaron finally did leave it out... Aaron and I played the concerto quite a few times with him conducting, and we made two recordings"

Copland was in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

in 1947 as a lecturer and conductor. While there he made many drafts of the concerto. On August 26, 1948, Copland wrote that the concerto was still "dribbling along". A month later, he wrote in a letter that the piece was almost done. On December 6, 1948, he wrote to composer

Carlos Chávez Carlos Antonio de Padua Chávez y Ramírez (13 June 1899 – 2 August 1978) was a Mexican composer, conducting, conductor, music theorist, educator, journalist, and founder and director of the Mexican Symphonic Orchestra. He was influence ...

that he had completed the composition and was pleased with the result. Copland accepted a commission from conductor

Serge Koussevitzky Serge Koussevitzky (born Sergey Aleksandrovich Kusevitsky;Koussevitzky's original Russian forename is usually transliterated into English as either "Sergei" or "Sergey"; however, he himself adopted the French spelling "Serge", using it in his sig ...

to arrange the concerto's first movement as an '' Elegy for Strings'', to be performed by the Boston Symphony. However, in a letter to Koussevitzky dated August 29, 1950, Copland backed away from the commission. The composer explained that, after further thought, he believed that performing an arrangement of the first movement by itself "takes away from the integrity of the Concerto as I originally conceived it, and I am basically unwilling to do that". Copland was also concerned, he wrote, that a performance of the concerto's first movement by itself when the concerto still had not been performed—Goodman repeatedly postponed his premier of the piece—might be misperceived by the public as expressing doubt about the quality of the concerto's second movement. He proposed a different way to satisfy his commitment for an

elegy An elegy is a poem of serious reflection, and in English literature usually a lament for the dead. However, according to ''The Oxford Handbook of the Elegy'', "for all of its pervasiveness ... the 'elegy' remains remarkably ill defined: sometime ...

Performances

Benny Goodman premiered the concerto on an

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

radio broadcast with the

NBC Symphony Orchestra The NBC Symphony Orchestra was a radio orchestra conceived by David Sarnoff, the president of the Radio Corporation of America, the parent corporation of the National Broadcasting Company especially for the conductor Arturo Toscanini. The NBC ...

conducted by

Fritz Reiner Frederick Martin Reiner (; December 19, 1888 – November 15, 1963) was an American conductor of opera and symphonic music in the twentieth century. Hungarian born and trained, he emigrated to the United States in 1922, where he rose to promine ...

, on November 6, 1950. Some claim this performance, however, was not the world premiere, and attribute the world premiere to Ralph McLane and the

Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription concerts, n ...

under Eugene Ormandy because this performance on November 28, 1950 was the first "public performance". In any case it was the first public performance of the Concerto in New York. This November 28, 1950 performance —probably just beyond the end of the two-year exclusivity— had been scheduled by Copland to increase pressure on Goodman, since he kept on putting off the first performance. A recording of the first radio performance by Goodman, with the NBC Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Fritz Reiner is available on CD on the Legend music label (see below). The concerto quickly established itself as a standard piece in the clarinet repertoire. Since the performance by Benny Goodman, other notable performances include those by: * Stanley Drucker and the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...

with

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was th ...

Milenko Stefanović Milenko Stefanović (19 February 1930 – 25 July 2022)Gordana Krajačić, "In memoriam - Milenko Mima Stefanović," ''Blic'', August 9, 2022, p. 23 was a Serbian classical and jazz clarinetist. He was a prizewinner in the international competi ...

and the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra with

(

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

, June 2, 1961) *

Richard Stoltzman Richard Leslie Stoltzman (born July 12, 1942) is an American clarinetist. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, he spent his early years in San Francisco, California, and Cincinnati, Ohio, graduating from Woodward High School in 1960. Today, Stoltzman is pa ...

and the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

with

Michael Tilson Thomas Michael Tilson Thomas (born December 21, 1944) is an American conductor, pianist, and composer. He is Artistic Director Laureate of the New World Symphony, an American orchestral academy in Miami Beach, Florida, Music Director Laureate of the S ...

* Paul Meyer and the

English Chamber Orchestra The English Chamber Orchestra (ECO) is a British chamber orchestra based in London. The full orchestra regularly plays concerts at Cadogan Hall, and their ensemble performs at Wigmore Hall. With a limited performance size, the orchestra spe ...

* Sabine Meyer and the Bamberger Symphoniker However, one particular recording of note is the one with Goodman and conducted by Copland himself, which Aaron Copland considered to be his best recording ever.

Style and structure

Copland incorporated many jazz elements into his concerto. Mellers —Copland being representative of the American "Other"— links Copland’s affinity for jazz elements with the fact that “both Negro and Jew are dispossessed people who have become, in a cosmopolitan urban society, representative of man’s uprootedness.” Copland himself acknowledged that his signature "bittersweet lyricism" like in the first movement of the Clarinet Concerto may have been influenced by his feelings of loneliness and social alienation over his homosexuality. On the piece, Copland writes:

"The instrumentation being clarinet with strings, harp, and piano, I did not have a large battery of percussion to achieve jazzy effects, so I used slapping basses and whacking harp sounds to simulate them. The Clarinet Concerto ends with a fairly elaborate coda in C major that finishes off with a clarinet glissando – or "smear" in jazz lingo."

The piece is written in a very unusual form. The two

movements Movement may refer to: Generic uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Movement (sign language), a hand movement when signing * Motion, commonly referred to as movement * Movement (music), a division of a larger c ...

are played back-to-back, linked by a clarinet

cadenza In music, a cadenza, (from , meaning cadence; plural, ''cadenze'' ) is, generically, an improvised or written-out ornamental passage played or sung by a soloist(s), usually in a "free" rhythmic style, and often allowing virtuosic display ...

. The first movement is written in A-B-A

form Form is the shape, visual appearance, or configuration of an object. In a wider sense, the form is the way something happens. Form may also refer to: *Form (document), a document (printed or electronic) with spaces in which to write or enter dat ...

and is slow and expressive, full of bittersweet lyricism. The cadenza not only gives the soloist an opportunity to display his virtuosity, but also introduces many of the melodic Latin American jazz themes that dominate the second movement. The overall form of the final movement is a free

rondo The rondo or rondeau is a musical form that contains a principal theme (music), theme (sometimes called the "refrain") which alternates with one or more contrasting themes (generally called "episodes", but also referred to as "digressions" or "c ...

with several developing side issues that resolve in the end with an elaborate coda in C major. Copland noted that his playful finale is born of

"an unconscious fusion of elements obviously related to North and South American popular music (for example, a phrase from a currently popular
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
ian tune, heard by me in Rio, became embedded in the secondary material)."

This section was written specially for Benny Goodman's jazz talents; however, many of the technical challenges were above Goodman's confidence level, and the original score shows several alterations by Goodman to bring down higher notes, making it easier to play. The manuscript page of the original coda has suggested changes by Goodman in pencil, and the memo on top reads:

"1st version —later revised— of Coda of Clarinet Concerto (too difficult for Benny Goodman)"

Recently, performances of the restored original version have been given by Martin Fröst, Charles Neidich and Andrew Simon, amongst others. In the liner notes of the Chandos CD ''Composers in New York'', Charles Neidich writes:

"...of that 948coda, complete with a tremendously brilliant clarinet part: cascading arpeggios which oplanddecided were too difficult for the clarinet and which in the revised version he gave to the piano."

Only a few recordings of this version have been made (see the discography section below). The concerto contains other notable references such as material from “The Cummington Story”, an "Office of War Information Documentary" (written in 1945) which sets the stage for the film's church-centered small town. It is the refugees’ theme from the unpublished film score that is used in the concerto.Use of material from "Down a country lane" and "The Cummington Story", p.11
/ref>

Discography

Recordings on LP

* Gervase de Peyer. ''Copland, Clarinet Concerto''. Unicorn Records RHS314 ?, (p) ~1972 * Paul Drushler. Version with piano. Mark 3344 *

. ''Aaron Copland conducts his clarinet concerto''. Columbia Masterworks MS 6497, (p) 1963 *

. ''Meeting at the Summit''. Columbia MS6805 ?, (p) ?

Recordings available on CD

* Laura Ardan. ''American Classics''. Naxos 8.559069, 2001, (p) 2001 * Dimitri Ashkenazy. ''Concertos For Clarinet''. PAN Classics 510 107, 1998, (p) 1998 * Reto Bieri. ''Portrait''. PAN Classics 510 144, 2001, (p) 2001 * William Blount, ''Music for the Theatre''. Music Masters MM601621 1988 * Eduard Brunner. ''Hommage à Benny Goodman''. Koch Schwann 3-1035-2, 1992, (p) 1992 *Philippe Cuper. ''Concertos For Clarinet & Orchestra''. ADDA 581315, 1992, (p) 1993 * Karin Dornbusch. ''Barber, Copland, Ginastera''. Caprice CAP 21591, 1998, (p) 1998 * Stanley Drucker. ''Copland: El Salon Mexico/Concerto for Clarinet and String Orchestra/Music for the Theatre/Connotations for Orchestra''. Deutsche Grammophon 431 672–2 1991, (p) 1991 * Kim Ellis. ''The Music of Copland and McKinley''. Navona NV5812, 2008 * Martin Fröst. ''Martin Fröst Plays Concertos Dedicated To Benny Goodman''. BIS CD-893, 1997, (p) 1998 * Martin Fröst. ''Dance to a Black Pipe''. BIS SACD-1863, 2011, (p) 2011 (with both, original and revised, codas) *

. ''Benny Goodman Collector's Edition''. CBS MK42227, 1986, (p) 1986 *

. ''Reiner & Goodman''. Legend LGD122, 1951, (p) 1994 *Gary Gray. ''Clarinet Concertos''. Centaur CRC 2212, 1994, (p) 1994 * Janet Hilton. ''Clarinet Concertos''. CHAN 8618, 1988, (p) 1988 * Sharon Kam. ''American Classics''. Teldec Classics 8573-88482-2 2002, (p) 2002 * Sharon Kam. ''I got Rhythm, American Classics''. Teldec Classics WPCS-11205 (8573-88482-2) 2002, (p) 2002 * George MacDonald. ''Clarinet Concertos...''. ASV CD DCA568, 1986, (p) 1986 * Jon Manasse. ''3 Clarinet Concertos''. XLNT Music CD-18011, 2004, (p) 2004 * Jon Manasse. ''Sounds of America''. Recursive Classics RC3139941, (p) 2021 * Paul Meyer. ''Clarinet Concertos''. DENON CO-75289, 1993, (p) 1993 * Sabine Meyer. ''Homage To Benny Goodman''. EMI Classics 7243 5 56652 2 5, 1998, (p) 1998 * Arne Møller. ''Et Clarinet portræt''. Classico CLASSCD514, 1964, (p) 2004 * Charles Neidich. ''Composers in New-York''. Chandos digital CHAN 9848, 2000, (p) 2000 * Andreas Ottensamer. ''Portraits. The Clarinet Album''. Deutsche Grammophon 00289 481 0131, 2012, (p) 2013 * Daniel Pacitti. ''Works For Clarinet''. Agora Musica AG026, 1995 * Ludmila Peterková. ''Scaramouche And Other Concertos For Clarinet''. Supraphon SU 3348-2031, 1997, (p) 1997 * Robert Plane. ''American Landmarks''. BBC MM205 DDD 2001, (p) 2001 * David Shifrin. ''Clarinet Concerto...''. EMI CDC 7 49095 2, 1989, (p) 1989 * Robert Spring. ''American Jazz Concertos''. Summit Records DCD-1019, 2003, (p) 2003 *

. ''Copland-Corigliano, Clarinet Concertos''. RCA Victor Red Seal RD 87762, 1988, (p) 1988 *

. ''Copland Clarinet Concerto''. RCA Victor Red Seal 09026 61790 2, 1993, (p) 1993 *

. ''The Essential Clarinet''. RCA 61360, 1988, (p) 1992 * Sarah Williamson. ''Copland Clarinet Concerto''. Somm New Horizons. B003L1N4PI, 2010 *Andrzej Wojciechowski. A Tribute to Benny Goodman. DUX 1266, 2016

Recordings of the original 1948 version

* Reto Bieri. ''Portrait''. PAN Classics 510 144, 2001, (p) 2001 * Charles Neidich. ''Composers in New-York''. Chandos digital CHAN 9848, 2000, (p) 2000 * Martin Fröst. ''Dances to a Black Pipe.'' BIS-SACD-1863, 2011, (p) 2011

Recording of performance directed by the composer

. ''Benny Goodman Collector's Edition''. CBS MK42227, 1986, (p) 1986

Recording of the first radio performance

. ''Reiner & Goodman''. Legend LGD122, 1951, (p) 1994

Recordings available on DVD

. ''Concerto''. RCA Victor BVBC-34002, 1993, (p) 1993

References

External links

Good Music Guide
The Clarinet BBoard on Copland Clarinet Concerto
Video - Aaron Copland - Clarinet Concerto (21:23).
{{Authority control Concertos by Aaron Copland Copland 1949 compositions Copland