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Appalachian Spring was a ballet composed for the Modernist dancer Martha Graham by the American composer Aaron Copland, but its reputation has grown beyond the artists at its center. The ballet’s story revolves around a young couple in western Pennsylvania in the early 19th century, but for many it has come to symbolize the American spirit. Appalachian’s Spring’s radical simplicity and openness resonates with America’s idealized conception of itself and accounts for the ballet’s enduring popularity to this day. Fall in - it’s time to explore Appalachian Spring!
By analyzing questions, you can see patterns emerge, patterns that will help you answer questions. Qwiz5 is all about those patterns. In each installment of Qwiz5, we take an answer line and look at its five most common clues. Here we explore five clues that will help you answer a tossup on Appalachian Spring.
MARTHA GRAHAM
In 1942 philanthropist Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge commissioned Copland to compose a ballet for Martha Graham. Graham had been creating several ballets with a uniquely American flavor: “Frontier,” “American Document,” and “American Provincial.” Graham initially wanted a ballet set during the American Civil War, and her correspondence with Copland fleshed out this idea.
HART CRANE POEM
Copland did not give the ballet its title. Instead, Martha Graham found inspiration in “The Dance,” a section from Modernist poet Hart Crane’s longer epic, “The Bridge.” Hart’s speaker ecstatically cries “O Appalachian Spring!” in the section detailing the story of Pocahontas.
SMALL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
Appalachian Spring was originally scored for a thirteen-member chamber orchestra. This small orchestra consisted only of woodwinds, strings, and percussion in the form of a piano. The piece was later re-scored for an orchestra, and Copland added in additional instrumentation, including brass and percussion.
THE REVIVALIST
Religion is central to the husbandman and bride who play the most prominent roles in Appalachian Spring. The character of The Revivalist returns throughout the ballet. The Revivalist preacher and his followers dance during the “Wedding Day” episode of the ballet. In the next episode, “Fear in the Night,” the Revivalist is more somber, removing his hat to signal to the couple that the husbandman must leave their home, presumably to serve in the Civil War. In the final episode of the ballet, “The Lord’s Day,” the Revivalist is also there to help welcome the husbandman home.
“SIMPLE GIFTS”
Simplicity is one of the hallmarks of Appalachian Spring. The main theme of the ballet is drawn from a Shaker hymn known as “Simple Gifts.” Copland first introduces the theme via clarinet in the Interlude section of the ballet and goes on to present four additional variations on the theme throughout the remainder of the score. The ballet opens with a simple A Major triad (a three-note chord) and sustains the A note even as Copland adds slight dissonance by “stacking” an E Major chord on top of it.
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Quizbowl is about learning, not rote memorization, so we encourage you to use this as a springboard for further reading rather than as an endpoint. Here are a few things to check out:
Appalachian Spring is remembered for Copland’s music and Graham’s dancing, but Isamu Noguchi’s set design is also worthy of attention.
Let’s take a minute to appreciate Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, the woman who commissioned Appalachian Spring in the first place.
Copland is the quintessential American composer. But what is it about his style that makes it so American?.
Wondering about who the Shakers referenced here were? Learn more about these folk here, and watch this video for an authentic example of Shaker music and dance.
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