Here is a book celebrating the contribution of a composer who has been described as one who "blazed bright and savage paths for American music."

Aaron Copland was first taught piano by an older sister in the parlor of their Brooklyn home. He was swiftly caught up in the music that has filled his life. Today his compositions are performed throughout the world.

Arnold Dobrin traces Mr. Copland's development from the first stirrings of his talent to the apex of his brilliant career as composer, conductor, lecturer, and author. There are glimpses of the multiethnic neighborhood in which Copland grew up, and of his student years in New York and Paris. Quickly recognized by men like Serge Koussevitzky, Copland's music was gradually accepted by concert audiences. His enthusiasm for jazz rhythms found echo in his work of the twenties, and in his Third Symphony he showed his mastery of big forms. Music written for movies, radio, theater, and ballet brought him an ever-widening audience.

Readers will follow Copland on his many journeys to Europe and South America as guest conductor and cultural ambassador. They will see him in his role as teacher and director at the Berkshire Music Festival at Tanglewood in Massachusetts. They will find discussion of the rich use Copland has made of American themes—in such works as the "Lincoln Portrait," "Appalachian Spring," and "Billy the Kid"; and they will be reminded of the composer's special feeling for young people as expressed in his "Outdoor Overture," "Second Hurricane," and other works written for them.

For those already familiar with the work of Aaron Copland, this lively survey will provide a background of his life and times. For other readers the book may serve as a stimulating introduction.

From the dust jacket