Appalachian Spring
O Appalachian Spring! I gained the ledge;
Steep, inaccessible smile that eastward bends
And northward reaches in that violet wedge
Of Adirondacks!?
It was that opening line of Hart Crane's poem that eventually became the title of one of America's most beloved and evocative works--a piece known for most of its gestation as "Ballet for Martha." The aforementioned Martha was Martha Graham, who created the piece on a grant from the Coolidge Foundation. Although the ballet was set in rural Pennsylvania, Copland wrote it while in California and Mexico, putting the final touches on in Massachusetts. The first scoring was for a mere 13 instruments--the largest group that could fit in the pit--but Copland would later orchestrate it for a concert suite. It's that larger version that we listen to.
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