Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland (1900-90), US composer, pianist, and conductor. Born in New York to Russian-Jewish immigrants, Copland learned the piano from his sister. He later studied in Paris under Nadia Boulanger (1921-24) and developed an interest in the musical avant-garde. On his return to the US he composed a series of complex large-scale works including his Symphonic Ode (1929). During the 1930s and 1940s, however, he set out to develop a more accessible style, incorporating folk melodies and Latin-American rhythms into a number of his works. His best-known compositions include El Salon Mexico (1936) and the ballet scores Billy the Kid (1938) and Appalachian Spring (1944). He also wrote film music and numerous pieces for the piano. Copland was a tireless advocate of contemporary music who did much to encourage its appreciation by a wider public.
