Secret Stories Behind The Greatest Classical Compositions: Copland’s Fanfare For The Common Man

You've probably heard Fanfare for the Common Man a thousand times in some variation - from film and television to rockers Emerson, Lake & Palmer's styled rendition.  But where and how did this renowned musical composition originate?  Let's find out.

Fanfare for the Common Man was written by American composer Aaron Copland (1900 - 1990), often referred to as "The Dean of American Composers." Copland's music evokes images of the American landscape and the pioneers of the West, in a vernacular style heard in such renowned works as Billy the Kid, Rodeo, and Appalachian Spring. 

Copland was commissioned to write a fanfare (a majestic blend of trumpets, brass, and drums usually played to announce the arrival of an important person, such as a king or queen) in 1942 by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of conductor Eugene Goossens. The commission came during America's entrance into World War II at the end of 1941. 

In his biography, Copeland wrote: "Goossens had written to me at the end of August about an idea he wanted to put into action for the 1942-43 concert season. During World War I, he had asked British composers for a fanfare to begin each orchestral concert. It had been so successful that he thought to repeat the procedure in World War II with American composers." 

The inspiration for Fanfare came from then Vice President of the United States Henry A. Wallace's famous speech of early 1942 when he proclaimed the dawning of the "Century of the Common Man." 

Coming up with a title

Goossens suggested titles to Copeland such as Fanfare for Soldiers, or sailors, or airmen, and he wrote, "It is my idea to make these fanfares stirring and significant contributions to the war effort." Copland considered several titles such as Fanfare for a Solemn Ceremony and Fanfare for Four Freedoms, but ultimately titled the piece Fanfare for the Common Man. 

Although most of the fanfares by Goossens’ symphony had military themes, Copland took a different approach. "I sort of remember how I got the idea of writing Fanfare for the Common Man," he recalled later, "­It was the common man, after all, who was doing all the dirty work in the war and the army. He deserved a fanfare." 

Upon hearing the final work, Goossens wrote to Copland, "Its title is as original as its music, and I think it is so telling that it deserves a special occasion for its performance. If it is agreeable to you, we will premiere March 12, 1943, at income tax time." 

A total of eighteen fanfares were written at Goossens' bequest over the years, but Copland's Fanfare is the only one which remains in the standard repertoire to this day. The stirring patriotic feelings that the work inspires was best summed up by Sean McCollum in an article for the Kennedy Center, "Unlike most fanfares, Copland's is slow and majestic. It starts with percussive drums, gong, and timpani, rumbling like a distant battle. Then the clear, clarion call of three trumpets, playing in unison, establishes the main theme. French horns join the trumpets, building support and harmony. Finally, the growls of trombones and tuba emerge from below as the fanfare builds to its climax — the brass ensemble establishing a powerful wall of sound. Fanfare for the Common Man seems to capture in music the notion of people bravely joining forces to stand against danger." 

Uses of the Fanfare

Copland later used Fanfare as the main theme of the fourth movement of his Third Symphony composed between 1944 and 1946. Over the years alternative versions have been made, and fragments of the work have appeared in musical scores of films, such as Jimmy King's theme in Ready to Rumble and the Bollywood film Parinda. John Williams' main themes for the 1978 film Superman and his score for Saving Private Ryan, both draw heavily on Copland's piece. 

Other trivia tidbits include Fanfare being played at the Los Angeles Airport as the space shuttle Endeavor touched down after its final flight on September 21, 2012. It was played by the New York Philharmonic at the dedication of the 9/11 Museum in lower Manhattan on May 15, 2014.  It was also played at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on September 26, 2015, as Pope Francis appeared to make a speech on religious freedom, delivered from the lectern used by Abraham Lincoln to deliver the Gettysburg Address. 

Take a listen to the New York Philharmonic, conducted by James Levine, play the Fanfare.  How does the music make you feel?

 Published by StringOvation Team on February 07, 2018

Top photo of Aaron Copland from the CBS television/New York Philharmonic "Young Peoples' Concerts" series, circ. 1970s. Courtesy of Wiki Commons.

The 5 Key Roles in an Orchestra That You Never Heard of

When young string musicians envision a future in the orchestra, they most likely think of themselves as professional musicians or the conductor. Yet it takes far more than the players and the conductor to keep a large orchestra together, rehearsing, and putting on multiple performances each year, especially if they partner with a dance or theater group.

If you are interested in a musical career, it’s important to expose yourself to the wide range of options out there. Not everyone will make the cut and get to play in a symphony or orchestra — it’s a highly competitive career after all. And not everyone who loves playing or even listening to music wants the pressure of being a professional performer. Even if these other options aren’t your first choice, being hired in one area or field of interest often paves the way and forges the connections required to open the door to a more preferred position.

Behind the Scenes of the Professional Orchestra Cast

Here are five orchestra roles you may not have heard of in the past. And, who knows? Perhaps one of them has your name on it. Don’t forget that landing an internship in an orchestra is one of the best ways to get a first-row seat to the inner workings of orchestras and the range of jobs available to you there.

1. General Manager (Also called the Managing Director)

In the corporate world, the orchestra manager would be the CEO. Just as the neck, tuning pegs, and tailpiece keep your strings together on the body of your instrument, the orchestra’s general manager works to keep all of the moving administrative, functional, and personnel components together within the orchestra family. 

They oversee every aspect of the orchestra’s function, from administration and hiring procedures to contractual agreements with the musicians, as well as scheduling personnel and overseeing the production calendar. 

Other examples of an orchestra general manager’s tasks include:

Connecting with and recruiting musicians and conductors

Commissioning new works

Creating schedules for rehearsals and performances

Negotiating contracts and fees

Getting clearance for music rights

Overseeing the management of the orchestra library (see below)

Securing and preparing venues for rehearsals and performances

Being the liaison between various orchestra departments

Traveling as necessary when the orchestra is on tour

In smaller orchestras, the general manager may be akin to a “one-person orchestra.” In larger orchestras, they oversee and delegate to staff. You will make a great general orchestra manager if you have an equal love of music and musicianship paired with a head for music or theater business, finances, and management. 

2. Personnel Director

In larger orchestras, the General Manager has the luxury of a Personnel Director. The Orchestra Personnel Director is the human resources manager of the orchestra. Among other duties, they oversee the hiring of the musicians and other personnel, negotiate contracts within the parameters set by the Managing Director, and prepare the payroll.

As the Personnel Director, you would also handle or facilitate:

Any personnel issues that arise

Hiring substitute or extra musicians

Managing the personnel budget

Coordinating recruiting, applications, and auditions processes

Serving as the liaison among the Music Director, musicians, staff, guest artists, and administration

In addition to a bachelor’s degree in music, administration or HR experience is a bonus, and most orchestras will also want to see some experience in orchestral administration. Your people skills and personal integrity are also essential because of the legal and confidential nature of your responsibilities.

3. Stage Manager

An orchestra concert is a performance. Those performances can be simple such as the orchestra performing a single symphonic work. Or they can be very complex such as an opera, ballet, or musical theater performance. As with traditional theaters, orchestras employ Stage Managers, who work under the general manager and in partnership with the Music and Artistic Director(s), to handle all of the stage aspects of rehearsals and performances.

The Orchestra Stage Manager is responsible for all of the technical, production, and general stage management aspects associated with any performance, which are all planned well in advance and executed on-site. This includes:

Setting up and striking shows

Determining and organizing all equipment required

Working with Personnel Director as needed to bring on additional technical staff and performers

Negotiating all technical needs

Creating a safe working environment for everyone involved, both on and off stage

Coordinate logistical arrangements in support of development, marketing, education, public relations, and special events.

And the list goes on.

This is a very intense position and requires the right education (typically a degree in music or arts management), prior working experience in the field, and extreme attention to detail.

4. Orchestrator

This is not to be confused with a music arranger. While arrangers reinvent a complete work of music, Orchestrators pick up where a composer left off. As a string player, you’re used to seeing a complete music score, with all parts intact and with pre-printed markings for tempo, dynamics, etc. However, what you may not realize, is that the original composer may have only composed the melody and some sparse harmonics and passed it on to the Orchestrator.

From there, the Orchestrator collaborates with the composer or simply works through experience and intuition to develop the piece fully. In the 21st century, most Orchestrators work in the film or TV industries or with pieces of music that were commissioned for a particular event or performance or to honor a certain theme.

From the skeletal composition, it’s the Orchestrator’s job to:

Create or develop harmonies and chords

Assigning instrument parts

Create tempo and dynamic instructions

Work in collaboration with the composer, director/composer, and other Orchestrators

Transpose works into different keys or adjusts them to suit a guest soloist’s preferences, range, and abilities

In addition to being music composers in their own right, most Orchestrators begin working as music assistants to other Orchestrators to gain experience and a name for themselves. Getting an internship in a TV, film, or symphony orchestra is also a smart way to gain desirable work experience and connections.

5. Orchestra Librarian

Do you love to spend your days looking at amazing musical scores? Has music history been a favorite part of your musical education experience? Are you highly organized and love the idea of working in an orchestra but have no desire to stand out as a performer or conductor? If so, Orchestra Librarian may be the perfect career fit for you. 

The Orchestra Librarian plays an essential role in the orchestra. They work closely with the Music and Artistic Director(s) as well as all of the musicians but enjoy their acclaim outside of the limelight. In addition to maintaining the orchestra’s own archives of music, and managing rentals and check-outs of these resources by staff and other personnel, the Orchestra Librarian also:

Arranges the purchase or rental of music from other sources

Procures and disseminates music scores well in advance, so there is time for the Music Director and/or Concertmaster to assign bowing 

Checks in/out and reviews all incoming and outgoing music scores (and, potentially, equipment or other archived materials) for quality, replacing damaged or aged copies as needed

Accurately transcribes all bowings and music notations from the Director and Concertmaster into the collection

Erases all previous notations from prior musicians when music is returned

Assembles and arranges music in orchestra folders

Attends all rehearsals (arriving at least an hour early) and performances to take notes of any changes or mistakes and to amend those on musicians’ copies

Organize and track reference materials

Manage orchestra library staff

Most Orchestra Librarians have a college degree, music and/or library science preferred, and have some level of experience working with an orchestra. The ability to expertly read music is essential, as is a love of classical and orchestral music.What do you think? Each of these five key roles in an orchestra can be a wonderful way to enjoy a career in music while also celebrating and honoring your other interests and gifts. Any of them appeal to you? If you want to learn more about them, why not reach out to your local orchestra or symphony and see if you can interview the folks in these roles?

Published by StringOvation Team on June 08, 2021