Word: copland
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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Noted composer Aaron Copland ran afoul of the University of Colorado's fear of "controversial" personalities last year...
...Copland had been invited to deliver a series of guest lectures on music at the University during the past academic year. But disturbing facts began to come to the attention of University officials. It was learned that Copland had been accused of Communist associations and that one of his musical compositions had been withdrawn from the program of the Eisenhower inauguration because of the pretests of an Illinois congressman...
Faced with this information, University officials decided that discretion was perhaps the better part of valor, despite the fact that Copland had denied all Communist affiliations before a Congressional committee. The president of the University subsequently notified Copland that the lecturing invitation had been cancelled...
Philadelphia-born Arranger Kay offered some samples. Balanchine decided the first one sounded too much like Aaron Copland...
...wanted Copland, I would have asked him to write it"). The second was too complicated. But the third, consisting of simple tunes with skeletal, guitarlike accompaniments, rang the bell. Composer Kay scoured source books for western tunes, came up with twelve of them, from Old Taylor, Rye Whisky and Lolly-Too-Dum to Red River Valley (which he used as a unifying theme). Balanchine took the piano sketch to his rehearsal hall and roughed in dance movements with his company. When Balanchine & Co. got back from a successful West Coast tour last month, the score was ready. Last week...