On the Influence of Jazz Rhythm in the Music of Aaron Copland

Abstract

Existing studies of the music of Aaron Copland almost invariably make reference at some point to the composer's invocation of jazz.1 By every account (including Copland's own) certain of his earlier works do use associated with jazz;2 these compositions include Music for the Theatre, the Piano Concerto, and Four Piano Blues. Among those techniques commonly cited in these and other pieces are the use of blue notes (chromatically lowered scale degrees in close proximity to their diatonic versions), emphasis of certain timbres such as drum-kit-like percussion and brass with various styles of mutes, and the use of rhythmic materials common to jazz music. This last element is the focus of the present study. There seems to be a general consensus about the presence of a jazz-indebted rhythmic approach in a substantial portion of Copland's output. However, less work has been done to describe the details of this approach or, for that matter, the ways in which this approach is related to jazz.3 Furthermore, some pieces may not exhibit these details, making comparisons to jazz rhythmic problematic. What does it mean to say that the rhythmic makeup of a Copland work is influenced by jazz? To explore that question, it is appropriate to survey contemporary scholarly views of jazz's rhythmic and metrical structure in the 1920s (at the outset of Copland's career), fo-