Welcome to Copland's Old American Songs!
Hello and welcome to your revision notes for Unit A2 3: Secular Vocal Music, 1600 to the Present Day. In this chapter, we explore two contrasting 20th-century American art songs arranged by Aaron Copland: Simple Gifts and I Bought Me a Cat from his famous collection Old American Songs (Set 1).
Whether you are confident with score analysis or find vocal music a bit daunting, don't worry! We will break down each song step by step, covering background, musical features, text setting, and accompaniment.
---1. Context and Historical Background
Before diving into the notes on the page, let's understand why and how Copland created these pieces.
- Composer: Aaron Copland (1900–1990), one of America’s most celebrated composers.
- Collection: Old American Songs (Set 1).
- Date of Composition: 1950 (originally scored for solo voice and piano; later orchestrated by Copland in 1954/1957).
- Premiere: 17 June 1950 at the Aldeburgh Festival in the UK. It was performed by English tenor Peter Pears with composer Benjamin Britten at the piano! (The US premiere took place in January 1951 with baritone William Warfield and Copland at the piano).
- Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes.
- Genre / Style: 20th-century American art song / folk song arrangement (often referred to as Americana).
What is an Art Song Arrangement?
An art song is a formal composition for solo voice and piano. Copland did not write the original melodies or lyrics himself; instead, he took 19th-century traditional American songs and reimagined them using sophisticated 20th-century classical techniques, rich harmonies, and evocative piano accompaniments.
Quick Exam Tip: Never claim Copland wrote the lyrics or the original tunes! He is the arranger who transformed traditional folk material into classical concert art songs.
Key Takeaway: Copland's Old American Songs (1950) are refined 20th-century art-song settings for voice and piano based on authentic 19th-century American folk traditions.
---2. Song Study 1: Simple Gifts
A. Background and Origins
- Origin: A traditional 1848 Shaker dancing song written by Elder Joseph Brackett Jr.
- Context: The Shakers were a religious community who valued simplicity, community, and celibacy, using energetic dance in their worship. Copland famously used this same melody earlier in his 1944 ballet Appalachian Spring.
- Theme / Text: Simplicity, freedom, humility, and spiritual devotion ("'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free...").
B. Musical Characteristics
- Scoring: Solo voice (originally baritone/tenor) and piano.
- Key / Tonality: Starts in \( \text{A}\flat \) major.
- Meter and Tempo: Moderate tempo with a simple duple flow (\(2/4\) or \(4/4\) feel) giving a direct, gentle pastoral quality.
- Structure: Strophic / Modified Strophic (the basic tune repeats with subtle shifts in accompaniment and voicing).
- Melodic Setting: Predominantly syllabic (one note per syllable), maintaining the unpretentious directness of the original folk tune. Copland introduces subtle rhythmic smoothing to enhance lyrical phrasing.
C. Texture and Accompaniment
- Pandiatonicism & Open Spacing: Copland uses clean, open textures with widely spaced chords, bare octaves, perfect fourths, and perfect fifths. This creates an "open-air", spacious American pastoral sound without heavy Romantic clutter.
- Harmony: Diatonic functional harmony enriched with mild non-functional added notes, suspensions, and pedal points. This provides warmth and stillness while avoiding dense chromaticism.
Key Takeaway: Simple Gifts captures Shaker humility through clean pandiatonic piano textures, syllabic text setting, and an open \( \text{A}\flat \) major tonality.
---3. Song Study 2: I Bought Me a Cat
A. Background and Origins
- Origin: A traditional American children’s cumulative nonsense song / barnyard song (catalogued under Roud Folk Song Index No. 544).
- Scoring: Solo voice and piano.
- Structure: Cumulative verse structure. In each stanza, a new animal is purchased, and its call is added to a growing chain of animal refrains that cascades all the way back down to the cat!
B. The Cumulative Sequence of Animals
Notice how every verse adds an animal and recaps all previous ones:
- Cat: "fiddle-i-fee"
- Hen: "chimmy chuck, chimmy chuck"
- Duck: "quack, quack"
- Goose: "quaw, quaw"
- Pig: "oink, oink" (or "griffey, griffey")
- Cow: "moo, moo"
- Horse: "neigh, neigh"
C. Musical Features and Humour
- Key & Tonality: Centred around \( \text{F} \) major and \( \text{C} \) major, shifting tonal centres between verses to build momentum.
- Word-Painting & Instrumental Symbolism: The piano accompaniment is theatrical and illustrative:
- Hen: Rapid, pecking staccato semiquavers.
- Pig & Cow: Clumsy, heavy lower-register chords and grunts.
- Horse: High neighing grace notes and rapid trill figures.
- Rhythm, Meter & Comic Timing: Metric shifts, syncopation, dramatic silences, and sudden pauses before animal sounds mimic live storytelling and heighten comedic effect.
- Vocal Technique: Conversational, semi-theatrical delivery requiring clear diction and crisp rhythmic recitation.
Key Takeaway: I Bought Me a Cat uses cumulative structure, vivid onomatopoeic piano word-painting, and metric pauses to bring a traditional barnyard tale to life.
---4. Comparing the Two Songs: Summary Table
Here is a side-by-side comparison to help you structure your revision and essay paragraphs:
- Song: Simple Gifts
- Genre / Source: 1848 Shaker dance song.
- Mood: Reverent, peaceful, pastoral, sincere.
- Form: Strophic / Modified Strophic.
- Accompaniment Style: Open spacing, bare 4ths/5ths/octaves, pandiatonic clarity.
- Text Setting: Lyrical, syllabic, smooth flow.
- Song: I Bought Me a Cat
- Genre / Source: Traditional cumulative nonsense / barnyard song.
- Mood: Humorous, theatrical, witty, energetic.
- Form: Cumulative verse structure.
- Accompaniment Style: Descriptive word-painting (onomatopoeia), register shifts, comic pauses.
- Text Setting: Conversational, brisk rhythmic recitation, animal calls.
5. Common Pitfalls to Avoid in the Exam
- Focusing Only on the Vocal Line: In Unit A2 3 essays, examiners look for balanced analysis. Always explain how the piano accompaniment interacts with the voice, paints words, or establishes texture.
- Using the Wrong Version: Remember to refer to Copland's original 1950 voice and piano settings from Old American Songs (Set 1), not later choral arrangements (e.g., Irving Fine) or full orchestral arrangements, unless drawing an explicit contrast.
- Forgetting Specific Details: Be sure to name the specific animal refrains (e.g., "fiddle-i-fee", "chimmy chuck") and musical techniques (e.g., pandiatonicism, open fifths, staccato semiquavers).
Final Review Check: Can you explain how Copland uses open pandiatonic textures in Simple Gifts to reflect Shaker simplicity? Can you list the animal refrains and their piano representations in I Bought Me a Cat? If so, you are well prepared for questions on this topic!