Aaron Copland

The Life and Work of an Uncommon Man

Howard Pollack author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:University of Illinois Press

Currently unavailable, our supplier has not provided us a restock date

Aaron Copland cover

The first time in paperback, this is the best full-length biography of Aaron Copland, his life and his music.

Features the biography of Aaron Copland, his life, and his music.One of America's most beloved and accomplished composers, Aaron Copland played a crucial role in American music's coming of age. Indeed, Copland masterworks like Appalachian Spring and A Lincoln Portrait only begin to tell the epic story of a career spent composing a wealth of music for opera, ballet, chorus, orchestra, chamber ensemble, band, radio, and film.

Howard Pollack's expansive biography examines Copland's long list of accomplishments while also telling the story of the composer's musical development, political sympathies, personal life, relationships as an openly gay man, and tireless encouragement of younger composers. A winner of the Pulitzer Prize and an Academy Award, Copland played a vital role in the Yaddo Festival and as a beloved teacher at Tanglewood, Harvard, and the New School for Social Research. He turned to conducting later in life and via tours promoted American classical music overseas while taking it to appreciative audiences across the United States.

Winner of an ASCAP Deems Taylor Award.

"Now is the time for a comprehensive, insightful biography of Aaron Copland, and Howard Pollack has answered the call. . . . This is a professional, open-minded, and understanding look at a composer and a man who epitomized those qualities himself. . . . A book as sober, respectful, and finely nuanced as this is just what [Copland's] legacy deserves."--John Rockwell, New York Times Book Review
"Taut and clear. . . . Not only a success in its own right, but a valuable model of what biography can and probably should be."--Kirkus Reviews

  • Winner of <DIV>Winner of an ASCAP Deems Taylor Award.</DIV> 2000

ISBN: 9780252069000

Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 56mm

Weight: unknown

726 pages