''The Cat and The Mouse'' is a composition by the

American classical music American classical music is music written in the United States in the Classical music tradition, which originated in Europe. In many cases, beginning in the 18th century, it has been influenced by American folk music styles; and from the 20th cen ...

composer

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 ...

. The first of his works to be published, it was written shortly before he began his schooling in

Paris, France Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1921. It was based on

Jean de la Fontaine Jean de La Fontaine (, ; ; 8 July 162113 April 1695) was a French Fable, fabulist and one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century. He is known above all for his ''La Fontaine's Fables, Fables'', which provided a model for subs ...

's fable of

The Old Cat and the Young Mouse The Old Cat and the Young Mouse (''Le vieux chat et la jeune souris'') is a late fable by La Fontaine's Fables, Jean de la Fontaine (XII.5). Written towards the end of his life, its grim conclusion is that 'Youth thinks its every wish will gain s ...

and bears a resemblance to the slightly earlier ''O gato e o rato'' by Brazilian composer

Heitor Villa-Lobos Heitor Villa-Lobos (March 5, 1887November 17, 1959) was a Brazilian composer, conductor, cellist, and classical guitarist described as "the single most significant creative figure in 20th-century Brazilian art music". Villa-Lobos has globally bec ...

.An excerpt can be hear
here
and the score i
here
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cat and the Mouse, The Piano compositions by Aaron Copland Compositions for solo piano 1921 compositions