Appalachian Spring

Appalachian Spring, ballet by Aaron Copland, first performed in Washington, D.C., on October 30, 1944. The ballet, which won the Pulitzer Prize for music in 1945, contains some of the composer’s most familiar music, particularly his set of variations on the Shaker hymn “Simple Gifts.” Appalachian Spring was commissioned in 1942 by the American patron of the arts Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, who requested a new ballet for the dancer and choreographer Martha Graham.

The ballet depicts the day of a wedding celebration at a Pennsylvania farmhouse in the early 20th century. It opens at dawn with a gentle theme for strings and winds. The characters are introduced: the revivalist preacher, the pioneer woman, the young couple to be married, and the preacher’s followers. There is a lively general dance, then a prayer scene, and then a pas de deux danced by the young couple.

The sweet interlude erupts into joyous dancing as the wedding is celebrated. Still, the couple remain apprehensive about their new life, and the music carries a sombre undertone. Only the strength of their older neighbours and the faith of a revivalist meeting (conveyed by Copland’s direct quotation of the hymn “Simple Gifts”) provide reassurance. At last, taking courage from those around them, the bride and groom stand in their new home. Copland’s score concludes as serenely as it began, ending the day with the same chords with which dawn was evoked.