Copland’s and Birmel’s Jazz Compositions

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Aaron Copland and His “Piano Concerto”

Aaron Copland was one of the American composers whose creativity was strongly influenced by jazz at the beginning of the 20^th century. His compositions which saw the world in the early 1920s reflected those modernist attitudes which were quite common among the intellectuals of those times who considered themselves as leaders clearing the way for the masses that would only with time appreciate their efforts. At this time Copland organized the Young Composer’s group which consisted of young promising musicians. Copland himself guided the group, taught the musicians, and inspired them to compose their first masterpieces.

“The Piano Concerto” was composed by Aaron Copland in 1926. It was one of his first jazz-influenced works followed by “Clarinet Concerto” and other two short pieces which the composer arranged into “Four Piano Blues”. The composition was first played on January 4, 1931. Aaron Copland himself was performing it in New York at a League of Composers. The composer played brilliantly and his play produced a lasting impression on the listeners. It evoked a number of feedbacks published later in the New York Herald Tribune. The composer had to repeat the performance at the First Festival of Contemporary American Music which took place at Yaddo in April 1932. A year later he performed it in Amsterdam during the International Society of Contemporary Music’s festival. “The Piano Concerto” is able to set any listener in high spirits due to its lively character and melodiousness. The composition appealed to me and produced an unforgettable impression on me.

Copland did not perform jazz music for long for it only partly influenced his creativity. Closer to 1935 he started writing and performing absolute music. This period of his creative work may be referred to as the abstract period because the works composed during it consisted mostly of non-vocal compositions.

Derek Birmel and His “Soul Garden”

Derek Birmel is an American composer who works with different genres of music. His compositions incorporate jazz, funk, and world music. This is due to the fact that his creative work was influenced by the works of other composers. He studied with William Bolcom at the University of Michigan and the focus of his studies was the traditional music of Africa and Israel. The composer himself believes that his principal influences were the composer Gyorgy Ligeti and the jazz pianist Thelonius Monk. Birmel’s “Soul Garden” is a musical piece for cello, viola, and string quartet. The roots of this piece do not originate from traditional classical performance; it is rather that they have gospel and jazz origins.

“Soul Garden” was first performed on January 26, 2002, by Derek Bermel at The Shadow Lounge (he played clarinet). Other musicians who took part in the performing of the composition were Fred Sherry (cellist), Christopher Taylor (pianist), Paul Neubauer (violist), the Borromeo String Quartet, and others. The musicians played without any noticeable mistakes; the performance was an absolute success which brought the musicians fame and respect. I liked the composition very much; I’ve noticed some incompleteness in it but it seems that namely this incompleteness makes the composition unique.

David Birmel received a number of significant awards, such as, for instance, the 2001 Rome Prize, several ASCAP rewards, Guggenheim and Fulbright Fellowships, etc. Birmel was commissioned by Birmingham Royal Ballet, American Composers Orchestra, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, New York International Fringe Festival, Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, and others. His “Soul garden” is believed to be one of the best chamber works which produce an unbelievable impression on the listeners. It is smart, clean, and unique music that makes the listener feel like the musician makes the musical instruments talk and sing.

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Copland’s and Birmel’s Jazz Compositions

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