Which composer is credited with Appalachian Spring?

Which composer is credited with Appalachian Spring?

• A. Copland
• B. Rossini
• C. Elgar
• D. Vivaldi

Answer: (A)

Appalachian Spring is a ballet score by Aaron Copland composed in 1944 for Martha Graham. Copland crafted an unmistakably American sound—clear tunes, open harmonies, and rhythms that evoke rural American life—so the music feels both approachable and expansive. He even quotes the Shaker tune Simple Gifts in the finale, anchoring the piece in a distinctly American folk tradition. The music was later issued as a concert suite, also called Appalachian Spring, and it earned Copland the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1944. Other composers listed—Rossini, Elgar, and Vivaldi—are from different eras and traditions and aren’t connected with this ballet, making Copland the correct fit for Appalachian Spring.

Appalachian Spring is a ballet score by Aaron Copland composed in 1944 for Martha Graham. Copland crafted an unmistakably American sound—clear tunes, open harmonies, and rhythms that evoke rural American life—so the music feels both approachable and expansive. He even quotes the Shaker tune Simple Gifts in the finale, anchoring the piece in a distinctly American folk tradition. The music was later issued as a concert suite, also called Appalachian Spring, and it earned Copland the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1944. Other composers listed—Rossini, Elgar, and Vivaldi—are from different eras and traditions and aren’t connected with this ballet, making Copland the correct fit for Appalachian Spring.