Aaron Copland: El Salon Mexico and Danzon Cubano, Research Paper Example

Aaron Copland on many occasions has talked about how he tries to avoid repeating himself in his music. In Howard Pollack’s text “Aaron Copland: The Life and Work of an Uncommon Man” he notes that, “Copland was not the kind of film composer inclined to repeat large sections of music or even themes.”[1] However, there are instances where he does exactly that. Thesis statement: The following material will show despite the fact Copland worked very hard to avoid repeating himself in his music, he did so in his composition of El Salon Mexico and Danzon Cubano. The compositions will be assessed for their similarities as well as their differences in respect to structure and origin form which they were inspired.

Introduction

Music has always been a form of expressive language. People around the globe respond to music in numerous but certainly extensive ways of determining how the said musical arrangements are accepted by particular groups of individuals based on personal and cultural interpretation.  In Aaron Copland’s essay “How We Listen,” the composer asks “is there a meaning to music?” and then he follows up by saying “my answer to that would be, ‘Yes’. And ‘Can you state in so many words what the meaning is?’ My answer to that would be, “No.” Therein lies the difficulty. Simple-minded souls will never be satisfied with the answer to the second of these questions. They always want to have a meaning, and the more concrete it is the better they like it.”[2] This is partly one of the reasons why Copland prides himself in being one of the few composers that refrains from repeating himself in his work. Copland goes on to note that the more music reminds listeners of physical things they can recognize, the more they identify with the expression of the music. Relatively, this is the reason why it is very important to note public interpretation of particular works especially based on specific points of consideration that largely affects their overall acceptance and appreciation of each work.

Aaron Copland, with his approach to Latin American music, he developed an interest in it that carried over into multiple works. The prime example can be seen with his composition of El Salon Mexico and Danzon Cubano. Even though Copland tried to refrain from making any of his compositions too alike, these two compositions in particular have much more in common than just the Latin American culture that inspired them; but, for starters, let’s look at the how Copland was inspired to compose these pieces and the similar circumstances associated with that inspiration. Copland made a trip to Mexico with his lover Victor Kraft (16 years old at that time) in 1932. The people and dances there fascinated him. He wanted to capture the essence of it. He falls in love with Mexico. Upon his return, he wrote El Salon Mexico. Nine years go by (1941), He went visit Havana with his lover Victor Kraft (25 years old at that time). He went to the salon and listened to the music there. Upon his return, he took the commission of the League of Composers and wrote Danzon Cubano. This piece is dedicated to Rudy Burckhardt. Rudy entertained Copland and Kraft during their stay in Havana in Spring 2014. He also admired Copland’s earlier essay on “The Story Behind My El Salon Mexico”. Copland had wanted to write a Cuban piece since his trip to Havana. The circumstances of these two trips are similar and yet when he set out to write a piece of music, he thinks in terms of doing something different. For example, Copland’s attempt to create differences between the two works are readily apparent in the way  El Salon is written for orchestra, while Danzon Cubano is just written for two pianos, or  the way folk tunes are used in El Salon, but Copland makes up his own tunes in Danzon Cubano. The El Salon is based on the melodic and rhythmic fragments heard by the composer, while there is no sense intended in Danzon. It is just an American tourist’s impression of an absorbing Cuba dance form. In regards to structure, it can also be argued that Copland made the pieces different in that he made El Salon longer while making Danzon Cubano a much shorter piece. With all of these differences, one might ask how the works can be similar; to answer this question, it’s best to start at the life of the musician himself.

About the Musician

Aaron Copland is noted for his exceptional skills in music. His capacity to compose and develop musical scoring that is highly appreciated in the music industry then and now. Practically, his experiences have created in him a better sense of what is accounted for as amalgamated music. These arrangements allow him to become more expressive and particularly effective in sending out a specific message that speaks fully to his audience. Considering the experiences he has passed through, it could be identified well how his works have evolved through time and how the value of his music has been recognized from one generation to another.

Being from an American decent, Copland knew so much about cultural diversity. Even during the early 1920s towards the late 1950s, Copland made it a point to be involved in seeing how the society advances through time. Practically, people have become more expansive especially in determining the way they are to be entertained. Considerably, such entertainment ranges from literary towards musical scores that are distinctively able to mandate a good sense of showing how the society viewed constructive art. Recognizing the changing culture of the people, Copland made it a point to develop a definite pattern that would help his listeners understand the meaning of the song he is trying to present them with. Carried into most of his creations are the culture and traditions of those who are involved in making the said pieces of art. This is the reason why his work on the songs El Salon Mexico and Danzon Cubano provide a distinct process of indicating how his music identifies well with his desire to communicate to his audience not only the music that he has created but the colorful culture that comes along with it.

While he says that he does not want any repetition in any of his works, it was evident how these two particular arrangements related well toward each other, especially in terms of creating extensive courses of development that produces a musical scoring that talks well to the public to whom he wants to convey his message to. To be able to identify with the said similarities, it is best to take note of how he has come up of such musical works and how they closely identify with his experiences and personal perceptions all at the same time.

The Music

El Salon Mexico

This rendition from Copland strongly relates to his desire to produce a musical arrangement that conveys more than just the art of creating music itself. He wanted to define his work according to the ideal process of determining what worth history has on his work and how his work is able to create a rhythm of the actual feel of what it is like in Mexico. Copland admits that he desires to make most of his works valuable especially in consideration with how most of his artistic contributions to the field of music become more extensive especially in being used as a representation of history and culture, rather than just being a piece of creation that is determined to entertain the public.

This way, he is able to convey a deeper sense of his artistry. Particularly arranged to be played by an orchestra, El Salon Mexico is arranged in way that the instruments used to define this music would be able to consider a mixture of musical presentation that largely insists on how the actual Mexican music feels and how it is able to create a connection between the people and the traditions they may have been practicing during the time when Copland visited the city. Falling in love with the city and its people, Copland’s arrangement of El Salon Mexico intends to make his listeners feel connected to what he has personally seen and experienced in the land.

Danzon Cubano 

This arrangement is most often than not mistaken to take on a dance rhythm. Cuba is noted for its fast dances and its lively musical culture. Taking into account such facts, Copland tried to put everything in a nutshell and prepared music that catered well to the audience he wanted to target. Danzon Cubano was prepared to be specifically played by a two-piano setting. This arrangement and choice of instruments determine how simple the arrangement was intended to be. Nevertheless, there were critics who did not see the worth of this particular arrangement within such light.

Danzon Cubano was an arrangement that determined a better sense of what Cuban culture was about and how well it is defined under the circumstances by which dance music becomes the base foundation of most Cuban musical arrangements. Considerably, this song is observed to have particular differences from the first arrangement noted herein. However, given the fact that the Cuban and Mexican cultures are closely related to each other, it could not be denied that such connection of values is largely affective of what his arrangements want to convey to his listeners.

In their article on the visualization of music Sean M. Smith and Glen Williams note that, “currently, the most popular method of visualizing music is music notation. Through music notation, an experienced musician can gain an impression of how a particular piece of music sounds simply by looking at the notes on paper.”[3] When one applies this method of music notation to the two pieces by Copland the following similarities are uncovered.

When comparing the above section taken from Danzon Cubano for Piano Solo with the section below taken from El Salon Mexico for Piano Solo, one does not have to be familiar with reading musical notation to identify a clear pattern in Copland’s musical key selection, structure and format. The musical score patterns are clearly structured in a similar way, from top to bottom from high note to low note, whether in revers order or in their original composition and Copland has similar lines distributed throughout the compositions that parallel the structure between the two works.

The above two excerpts from Copland’s two pieces show a similar pattern of shifting from high to low notes in almost a symmetrical way. The two sets of musical notes taken from two different compositions easily could be follow up one another in the same musical score. While Copland prided himself in originality and the lack of redundancy and repetition in his work, the above examples reveal his pieces were not without their parallels.  When trying to grasp the movement of a musical piece, one must focus on the rhythm, meter, and tempo, as well as the pitch, as it relates to the melody and order of the piece. Another important aspect of thoroughly assessing a musical piece is to evaluate its design, texture and logic. This is best done through looking at the notes on paper, like the examples above, as the texture of the music reveals the planned design used to structure and keep the composition together.

Points to Give Attention to

When it comes to determining the musical structure of the works of Copland, It could be noted that El Salon Mexico takes on more of the folk songs amalgamated into the entirety of the arrangement. Copland made sure that the cultural value of the arrangement would be evident enough especially in determining the most convenient course of identifying the overall aspect of providing ample time of transition between the musical elements designed to identify well with such values accordingly. Among the folk songs inserted into the arrangement of El Salon Mexico include Billy the Kid, Appalachian Spring and the Rodeo. Fast as the rhythm of the musical arrangement is, Copland simple wanted to convey to his listeners the lively culture of the Mexicans and how such attitude and outlook in life affects the ways by which Mexicans respond to extensive course of social and political pressure that they had to deal with at the time.

Copland made it a point that every verse of the arrangement represents a distinct element of the Mexican traditions and culture that he himself was able to witness during his visit in the city. Practically, Copland wanted to make sure that his work would be well recognized as a tool of understanding the Mexican culture at a much deeper context with the use of time-defined developments that have strongly been used to identify with the people and how they respond to both the social and political pressures that they are expected face accordingly.

The choice of using an orchestra for this arrangement was basically defined by the thought of developing a more convenient way of exposing how culture defines music and how the people adjust to such matters for the sake of survival and life-satisfaction. Even without words, this arrangement is able to strongly convey the idea behind what it really feels like and how is it like to be a Mexican living in Mexico and dealing with the overall social situation in the area.

In Danzon Cubano, a more concentrated arrangement could be observed. Nevertheless, although the arrangement itself is simple, it could not be denied that Copland tried as much as possible to insert particular additions that are sure to identify well with the process of determining the cultural value of the arrangement. At some point, inserting specific add-ons such as the utilization of particular common Cuban rhythms into the arrangement made the musical scoring of this piece quite livelier and at some aspects exciting for the listeners amidst the simplicity of its form. Following a non-sentimental pattern of sweet rhythm that is identified as part of the Cuban romantic culture that is usually used and adapted to different types of musical arrangements that are produced in the country, Copland takes into account the possibility embracing a process of creating music that follows the same pattern thus allowing the Cubans to easily relate to the music he has created while giving the other members of the society a chance to see through what the said music has to offer them with. As if allowing them to experience the Cuban culture as much as he did, Copland made sure that his arrangement would be able to transcend a clear and definite course of message that would impose on the better sense of what is meant by rich cultural music.

Conclusion

In sum, the interpretation of specifically designed musical scores is designed to determine a particular pattern of interpretation on the part of the listeners. It could be understood that somehow, it is through the directive determination of worth that a musical arrangement implies that the understanding of a musical score becomes more meaningful to the listeners. Among the most notable composers of his time is Aaron Copland. This American composer is noted for his capacity to take on a story into a created musical arrangement that speaks fully to the people. The public interpretation of most of his musical creations often depend on what  is known about the composer and his travels. It is a common notion that musicians want to make a mark that would serve as their determinable identity in the field. For Aaron Copland, he wanted to be known as an innovator in the world of musical composition.  This was especially true in respect to his ability to refrain from repeating himself in musical scoring or his past accomplishments.  He wants to be noted as someone who does not repeat the scoring arrangements he utilized in his previous works. However, two of his musical arrangements, namely the El Salon Mexico and the Danzon Cubano have particular similarities that account for the idea that Copland wants to insist or send out similar messages through the said songs.

Bibliography

Copland, Aaron. “The story behind my El Salon Mexico.” Tempo 3, no. 04 (1939): 48-50.

Copland, Aaron, and William Schuman. What to Listen for in Music. McGraw-Hill, 1957.

Pollack, Howard. Aaron Copland: The Life and Work of an Uncommon Man. Urbana: U of Illinois, 2000. Print.

Smith, Sean M., and Glen Williams. “A visualization of music.” InVisualization’97., Proceedings, pp. 499-503. IEEE, 1997.

[1] Pollack, Howard. Aaron Copland: The Life and Work of an Uncommon Man. Urbana: U of Illinois, 2000. Print.

[2] Copland, Aaron, and William Schuman. What to Listen for in Music. McGraw-Hill, 1957.

[3] Smith, Sean M., and Glen Williams. “A visualization of music.” InVisualization’97., Proceedings, pp. 499