Symphony No. 3 (Copland) Explained

Symphony No. 3 was Aaron Copland's final symphony. It was written between 1944 and 1946, and its first performance took place on October 18, 1946 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra performing under Serge Koussevitzky. If the early Dance Symphony is included in the count, it is actually Copland's fourth symphony.[1]

Description

Written at the end of World War II, it is known as the essential American symphony that fuses his distinct "Americana" style of the ballets (Rodeo, Appalachian Spring, etc.) with the form of the symphony, which has generally been a European-dominated musical form. The Fanfare for the Common Man, written in 1942, is used as a theme in the fourth movement. Various fragments from Fanfare are also used for primary thematic material in the first three movements.[2]

\relative c

The first movement (Molto moderato) opens with a simple theme in the woodwinds and strings, which is echoed warmly throughout the orchestra, before quickly heightening into a brassy fanfare (in which we get our first hints of the Fanfare for the Common Man theme.) \relative c

The movement ends as peacefully as it started, but we are quickly snapped out of the reverie with the thunderous timpani thump that launches the lively scherzo into action.
<< \new Staff \relative c' \new RhythmicStaff >>

The whirling second movement (Allegro molto) features a dashing, boisterous theme, settling into gentler, pastoral segment but ending exuberantly. \relative c

The third movement (Andantino quasi allegretto) opens slowly and contemplatively, featuring Copland's typically sparse and almost ambiguous harmonies. It digresses into a frisky dance-like passage, vaguely Latin American in tone, before transitioning uninterrupted into the finale (Molto deliberato – Allegro risoluto), where we hear a pianissimo version of the Fanfare for the Common Man, and then the fanfare in its full glory. \relative c

The duration of this movement is spent primarily with the development and recapitulation of the Fanfare melody: Copland gives it a dazzling contrapuntal treatment while at the same time managing to introduce an entirely new theme. The symphony closes majestically with a final reprise of both the Fanfare and the symphony's opening motif.

In 1947 Leonard Bernstein, while performing the work in Israel, removed some 10 bars from the fourth movement without Copland's consent. Later on, the composer agreed to these cuts, which were incorporated in the 1966 edition published by Boosey & Hawkes. However, in June 2015, Boosey & Hawkes published a new performing edition in which the cuts have been restored to conform with the original 1946 manuscript. The overall tone of the work is one of heroism and dignity, and it leaves an appropriately stirring impression.

Note that the Fanfare in the fourth movement is not a direct copy of the stand-alone work Fanfare for the Common Man. There are numerous subtle changes, including a new introduction (a woodwind duet begins the fourth movement), two key changes, and different percussion parts.

Instrumentation

The symphony is scored for a large orchestra, comprising piccolo, 3 flutes (3rd doubling 2nd piccolo), 3 oboes (3rd doubling cor anglais), 2 clarinets in B-flat, E-flat clarinet, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns in F, 4 trumpets in B-flat, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, cymbals, bass drum, tenor drum, snare drum, triangle, tamtam, glockenspiel, xylophone, anvil, claves, ratchet, whip, tubular bells, wood block, piano, celesta, 2 harps, and strings.

Discography

YearConductorOrchestraLabelNotes
1947George SzellNew York PhilharmonicClassical RootsRadio broadcast (18 December 1947)
1953Antal DorátiMinneapolis Symphony OrchestraMercury Records[3] Premiere recording
1959Aaron CoplandLondon Symphony OrchestraEverest Records[4]
1966Leonard BernsteinNew York PhilharmonicColumbia Masterworks[5]
1970Aaron CoplandBerlin PhilharmonicTestament[6] Recorded live in 1970, released on CD in 2017
1978Aaron CoplandPhilharmonia OrchestraColumbia Masterworks[7]
1986Leonard BernsteinNew York PhilharmonicDeutsche Grammophon[8]
1986Eduardo MataDallas Symphony OrchestraAngel Records (EMI)[9]
1989Yoel LeviAtlanta Symphony OrchestraTelarc[10]
1990Leonard SlatkinSt. Louis Symphony OrchestraRCA Victor Red Seal[11]
1996Neeme JärviDetroit Symphony OrchestraChandos Records[12]
2000Eiji OueMinnesota OrchestraReference Recordings[13]
2002James JuddNew Zealand Symphony OrchestraNaxos Records[14]
2010Leon BotsteinAmerican Symphony OrchestraDigital release by the ASO[15] Premiere orchestral recording of the original 1946 version
2014Lt. Col. Jason FettigUnited States Marine BandAltissimo Recordings[16] Final movement only; 1946 version as transcription for wind band
2015Carlos KalmarOregon SymphonyPentatone[17] 1966 published version (with finale cuts)
2017Leonard SlatkinDetroit Symphony OrchestraNaxos Records[18] Second orchestral recording of the original 1946 version
2018John WilsonBBC PhilharmonicChandos Records [19] Third orchestral recording of the original 1946 version
2019Carlos Miguel PrietoThe Orchestra of the AmericasLinn Records[20] Fourth orchestral recording of the original 1946 version
2020Michael Tilson ThomasSan Francisco SymphonySFS Media [21] 1966 published version (with finale cuts)

Notes and References

  1. [Peter Jona Korn]
  2. Anthony Burton (in The BBC Proms Guide to Great Symphonies, edited by Nicholas Kenyon, Faber & Faber, 2003) notes "its intervals ... permeate the thematic material of the entire symphony."
  3. Crist . Elizabeth Bergman . 2001 . Aaron Copland's Third Symphony from Sketch to Score . . 18 . 3 . 399, footnote 63 . 10.1525/jm.2001.18.3.377 . 10.1525/jm.2001.18.3.377 .
  4. Web site: Aaron Copland – the London Symphony Orchestra – Third Symphony. Discogs.
  5. Web site: Bernstein* Conducts Copland*, New York Philharmonic* – Third Symphony. Discogs.
  6. Web site: Aaron Copland conducts the Berliner Philharmoniker.
  7. Web site: Aaron Copland Conducts Philharmonia Orchestra – Copland Conducts Copland: Symphony No. 3. Discogs.
  8. Web site: Aaron Copland – New York Philharmonic*, Leonard Bernstein – Symphony No. 3, Quiet City. Discogs.
  9. Web site: Copland*, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Eduardo Mata – Symphony No.3 / Danzón Cubano / El Salón México. Discogs.
  10. Web site: Aaron Copland, Yoel Levi, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra – Third Symphony / Music for the Theatre. Discogs.
  11. Web site: Copland*, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin – Symphony No. 3 – Music for a Great City. Discogs.
  12. Web site: Achenbach . Andrew . Copland Symphony 3/Harris Symphony 3 . . November 1996 . November 14, 2015.
  13. Web site: Dickinson . Peter . Copland Symphony No. 3; Appalachian Spring Suite . . 2000 . November 14, 2015.
  14. Web site: Aaron Copland, James Judd, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra* – Symphony No. 3 / Billy the Kid (Suite). Discogs.
  15. Web site: Presto Classical product page.
  16. Web site: Be Glad then America.
  17. Web site: George Antheil, Walter Piston, Aaron Copland – Spirit of the American Range.
  18. Web site: COPLAND, A.: Symphony No. 3 / 3 Latin American Sketches (Detroit Symphony, Slatkin) - 8.559844.
  19. Web site: Copland: Symphonies, Vol.3 Orchestral & Concertos Chandos.
  20. Web site: Amazon Listing. Amazon. 2019.
  21. Web site: SFS Media Page.