Question 1

True or false: Copland taught composition at the Tanglewood Music Center for over 30 years.

Accepted Answer

False. Copland was head of composition at Tanglewood from 1940 to 1965, a tenure of 25 years, not over 30.

Question 2

True or false: Aaron Copland studied composition with Nadia Boulanger in Paris during the 1920s.

Accepted Answer

True. Copland studied with Boulanger in Paris from 1921 to 1924, a pivotal period that shaped his modernist and American style.

Question 3

True or false: Copland's 'Appalachian Spring' was originally written for a full symphony orchestra.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 4

True or false: Copland's 'Fanfare for the Common Man' was originally written for a solo violin.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 5

True or false: Copland's 'Rodeo' ballet was initially rejected by the choreographer Agnes de Mille.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 6

True or false: Copland won an Academy Award for his film score to 'The Heiress' in 1950.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 7

True or false: Copland composed all his major works while living in a remote cabin in the Adirondacks.

Accepted Answer

False. He owned a cabin in the Hudson Valley, not the Adirondacks, and composed many major works in New York City and Mexico, not in isolation.

Question 8

True or false: Aaron Copland's longtime partner was photographer Victor Kraft.

Accepted Answer

True. Victor Kraft, a photographer, was Copland's partner for decades. They shared a close personal and professional bond.

Aaron Copland Trivia Questions