Aaron Copland Trivia Questions

He was a founding faculty member in 1940 and led the composition program there, mentoring many prominent American composers.

It was scored for brass and percussion, commissioned during WWII as a patriotic piece; no violin solo exists in the original.

Copland was Boulanger's first American student; she became a lifelong mentor and champion of his work, shaping his neoclassical style.

It was commissioned for 13 instruments (chamber ensemble) and later expanded; the full-orchestra version is an adaptation.

De Mille commissioned and choreographed 'Rodeo' with Copland's music; it premiered to great success in 1942.

Though better known for ballets, his dramatic score for the 1949 film earned him the Oscar for Best Original Score.

He owned a cabin but wrote much of his music in New York and Mexico; the Adirondacks myth exaggerates his isolation.

Copland was gay but private; he had a long relationship with Kraft, though he never publicly came out during his lifetime.