Aaron Copland

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write ". . .truly American music." He traveled throughout America,
getting a taste of what the "common man" was listening to. During these travels
he strayed into Mexico, and wrote the highly successful El Salon Mexico. A quote
from the fall of 1932 sums up his intentions in writing this piece: "Any
composer who goes outside his native land wants to return bearing musical
souvenirs." This is exactly what he did. The piece is a lively adaptation of
Frances Toor's Cancionero Mexicano, with a very loose tempo, and heavy use of
the horn section.
It was after the success of El Salon Mexico that Copland proceeded to
produce what is now considered the epitome of "American" music. He combined his
neo-classical schooling with jazz-like syncopation and a new, more "open" use of
old chordal progressions. He created Billy The Kid in 1938, producing the
first "Western" musical. The score achieved a remarkable balance between
outright humor and pathos, and oftentimes bordered on tragic. ...

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