Re: "authentic" American music

[TROMBAEDU <TROMBAEDU...>]

In a message dated 3/7/00 4:25:39 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
goobietheg (at) hotmail(dot)com writes:

<< At one of this past weekend's BAM seminars in re Kurt Weill (and THE 
 >ETERNAL
 > >
 > >ROAD), Leon Botstein, I think, remarked that Brooklyn Jewish boy Copland
 > >
 > >wrote the quintessential open-spaces Americana (I actually can't remember
 > >
 > >which piece he's referring to) that became (sadly) the Marboro Man music.
 > >
 > >He definitely saw it as specifically growing out of his marginality, or
 > >
 > >sense of marginality. -- Robert Cohen >>

I think Botstien  is barking up the wrong tree. There was a wide circle of 
Composers, Artists, Actors, Musicians, who could be classified as on the left 
of the political spectrum. I think it is likely that Copland was among them, 
although I am not 100% certain. Many were from NY, and many were Jewish. One 
of the hallmarks of their style was "Americanism," whereby they identified 
their left wing views with a kind of American sound, or art. Maybe the WPA 
paintings could be considered part of that as well.  (Not such a bad idea at 
that. I aspire to Red Diaperhood, but my parents were already out of the 
movement by then. But I digress) Coplands American sounding music could 
definitely be considered coming from that school of thought. Other artists 
who were Americanists would be Woody and Pete. 
I know this is only semi coherent, but I am on my way out to a gig. Check out 
"If I  Had a Hammer," by Maurice Isserman.

Jordan       

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