Aaron Copland: Music in the 20's (review)

In 1965, National Educational Television—a precursor of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)—produced a 12-part series entitled Aaron Copland: Music in the 20's. It is essentially a music appreciation course taught by the so-called "Dean of American Composers" on Western art music of the 1920s. The 3 DVD release of this six-hour program was made possible by a grant from the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, but the retail price remains quite high ($69.99).

In the introductory episode, Copland argues that the 1920s was a significant decade for Western art music because: (1) there was an extraordinary desire to be groundbreaking and original, and (2) recent developments in Western art music can be traced to innovations that originated in the '20s. In the next seven episodes, Copland argues that most major composers of the 1920s responded to the Stravinsky/ Schoenberg (tonal/atonal, non-German/ German) dichotomy that had emerged in the early 1910s. In these lectures, he proceeds geographically from Paris (Poulenc, Honegger, Milhaud, Stravinsky, de Falla) to Germany/Austria (Berg, Webern, Weill, Hindemith), and from Eastern Europe (Bartók) to the Americas (Villa-Lobos, Copland). The last four episodes examine composers who seem less affected by this dichotomy, with an emphasis on those associated with the American maverick tradition (Hindemith, Prokofiev, Harris, Thomson, Ives, Ruggles, Ornstein, Cowell, Varèse).

The most valuable feature of this series is the performances on every episode. Highlights include Bethany Beardslee's rendition of Schoenberg's Pierrot lunaire, Paul Jacobs's performance of Honegger's Piano Concertino, the Juilliard String Quartet's interpretation of Berg's Lyric Suite, David Tudor's presentation of Cowell piano works, and a full production of Hindemith's Hin und Zurück starring Beverly Sills. Also worth noting is the fact that each performance occurs on a set that is specifically designed to match the work that is being played. Copland's commentary about the music is geared towards the general public, and does not assume the ability to read music or knowledge of technical terms. He generally begins each episode by providing an overview of a geographic area or concept, and goes to discuss a composer's background and then deliver a brief program note before the work is played. Although the commentary is rarely surprising, Copland does liven things up by inserting personal anecdotes about the places he has lived and the composers he knows.

Viewing the series also provides many insights into Copland's aesthetic preferences. Although he emphasizes the importance of the Schoenberg/Stravinsky dichotomy and the tremendous influence of Webern on post-WWII composers, there is surprisingly little 12-tone music in the series. Moreover, composers who might be broadly considered neo-romantic, such as Vaughan Williams and Richard Strauss, do not receive any detailed attention. At the same time, his love of neo-classical (or at least anti-romantic) music is clear, and he chose to include several obscure works in this vein, such as Falla's Harpsichord Concerto, Honegger's Piano Concertino, and Villa-Lobos's Suite for Voice and Violin.

Not surprisingly, several aspects of this documentary immediately strike viewers today as dated. Most significantly, it is clear that this documentary was made before interactive teaching became the norm. Here, Copland is the single authority figure who presents all of the information. There is no interviewer who might challenge him when he makes controversial statements, and certainly no room for a second expert with a different view of music history. It should also be noted that, despite the tremendous number of great performers in the series, the camera work is often clunky. Finally, Copland is no natural in front of the camera, and viewers might find his awkwardness distracting.

Given the vast array of internet and multimedia resources currently available, this series is unlikely to be the first source of information for those seeking to learn about Western art music of the 1920s music. More over, given its...