Musical Excerpts
Musical excerpts in this chapter, performed by Adam Matlock. In most instances, Adam plays the excerpt twice, the first time at reduced tempo. Page numbers refer to the recommended edition.
How to use excerpts: As you encounter each short musical score in the chapter, stop reading and listen to the excerpt using the videos on this page. Listen more than once if you do not recognize, in the music, the idea that Copland is presenting. Then continue reading.
Excerpts for Chapter 11
Page 118
Score for above; click to enlarge.
Page 119
Score for above; click to enlarge.
Page 120
Score for above; click to enlarge.
Page 121
Score for above; click to enlarge.
Page 123
Score for above; click to enlarge.
Page 126
Score for above; click to enlarge.
In order to have an understandable set of examples of thematic variation, Copland wrote a set of variations of the most common types, all based on the simple tune, "Ach! du lieber Augustin".
Copland's Musical Recommendations for Chapter 11 (variation form)
1) Sibelius—Piano Music, Pastorale
2) Purcell—Dido and Aeneas, Dido's Lament, Jessye Norman
3) Stravinsky—The Soldier’s Tale (The Soldier's Violin at 1:45)
4) Bach—Passacaglia for Organ with score
(The version that Copland liked best, by Marie-Claire Alain)
5) Copland—Passacaglia for Piano
6) Copland—Piano Variations
7) Mozart—Piano Sonata in A, K. 331
Additional, for Chapter 11 (variation form)
• J. S. Bach -- The Musical Offering, Canon 1 á 2 Example of cancrizans, or crab movement in a canon. Types of musical variations include playing the same score backwards, upside down, and both. This video depicts the movement through the score as a trip on a möbius strip, the result of cutting a strip of paper, twisting one end one-half a turn, then joining the ends. The resulting closed circular paper has one surface surface and one continuous edge. In the video, the two halves of the canon are printed on opposite sides of a strip, the strip is then made möbius, and then the canon is played by traveling along its single surface.
• Ravel, Trio for violin, cello, and piano, or with score HERE. Use links below each version to find the passacaglia movement. Listen to the bass line in the piano at first, but don't try to follow it slavishly -- it is varied quite freely. If you find that you are susceptible to this kind of music, you should try other chamber music by Ravel.
• Brahms, Symphony 4, 4th movement. Recognizing that following the chaconne here is not straightforward, but it's rewarding to listen particularly to the melodic lines in the bass throughout this movement, until it goes into an extended coda, when all bets are off.
• Buxtehude, Chaconne in E minor. The excerpt on page 126 is the beginning of this early organ piece.
• E. Elgar, Enigma Variations. Navigation provided (click SHOW MORE) to help you know where you are in this extended set extended set variations on an unstated theme. Read the story, somewhat apocryphal maybe, about its origins. Perhaps the clearest statement of the enigmatic theme is the variation called "Nimrod". The whole piece is decidedly English, and so sweet that it could be poured over a waffle. After all, Elgar wrote the Pomp and Circumstance marches. How much more English can you get?
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