Letter from Home

Aaron Copland

Aaron Copland (arr. Brian Belski)

General Info

Year: 1944 / 2017
Duration: c. 6:50
Difficulty: IV (see Ratings for explanation)
Original Medium: Orchestra
Publisher: Hal Leonard
Cost: Score and Parts - $85.00

Instrumentation

Full Score
Flute I-II
Oboe
Bassoon
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
B-flat Bass Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Saxophone
E-flat Alto Saxophone
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III
Horn in F I-II
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Piano
Harp
Timpani Percussion II, including:

Bass Drum
Glockenspiel
Suspended Cymbal
Tam-Tam
Triangle

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

Commissioned by Paul Whiteman and the American Broadcasting Company for a radio performance, Letter From Home was composed in late 1944 while Copland was in Tepoztlán, Morelos, Mexico and was often written by candlelight as there was no electricity in the small town. Over the course of his extended trip, he had received a series of letters from his sister, Laurine, with news of the sudden death of their mother (whose funeral Copland missed because of the delay in receiving the letter), their father’s decline into senility, and also stories of close family members serving in the armed forces during World War II.

In letters written on this trip to Leonard Bernstein and Arthur Berger, Copland said that he felt depressed, alone, and homesick. It is easy to understand how these feeling and events influenced Copland as he composed this piece.

The result was a seven-minute-long essay for small orchestra that possessed moments of subtle beauty and simple charm. It is a portrayal of the melancholy and pleasant nostalgia that one might feel upon receiving a distant communication from one’s family, sentiments with a timely and obvious relevance to the scores of American servicemen then stationed in distant lands. As the piece builds to its climax, one can experience the anguish that would accompany the disconnected realities of pleasant stories and well-wishes from the home front and the very tragic realities of war that would surround a soldier as he takes a break from the action to read his mail.

The very real pain that Copland was feeling following reading of his mother’s death, combined with his fond, sweet memories of her, lead to a true feeling of tragic loss and feeling of helplessness in the build to the climax. After a thoughtful pause, the anguish is gone and Copland’s return to using simple folk-ish melodies conveys a sense of wistfulness and reflection

- Program Note from University of Texas Symphony Band concert program, 2 May 2018

Media

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State Ratings

Louisiana: V
Texas: V

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Marshall University (Huntington, W. Va.) Wind Symphony (Christopher J. Schletter, conductor) - 20 April 2023
Fresno State University (Calif.) Wind Orchestra (Gary P. Gilroy, conductor) - 6 October 2022
Metropolitan Wind Symphony (Lexington, Mass.) (Matthew Westgate, conductor) – 1 March 2020
University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA) Wind Ensemble (Janet Kim, conductor) – 5 February 2020
Montclair (N.J.) State University Wind Ensemble (Thomas McCauley, conductor) – 21 February 2019 (CBDNA 2019 National Conference, Tempe, Ariz.)
Northshore Concert Band (Evanston, Ill.) (Mallory Thompson, conductor) - 4 November 2018
University of Texas (Austin) Symphony Band (Ryan Kelly, conductor) – 2 May 2018
Central Michigan University (Mount Pleasant) Wind Symphony (James Batcheller, conductor) – 19 April 2018
University of California, Irvine Wind Ensemble (Kevin McKeown, conductor) - 26 February 2018
California State University Long Beach Wind Symphony (John Alan Carnahan, conductor) - 7 March 2017
Santa Monica (Calif.) High School Wind Ensemble (Travis Cross, conductor) - 12 February 2016 (2016 CASMEC Conference, San Jose)
Shoreline Symphonic Winds (Long Beach, Calif.) (Greg Flores, conductor) – 17 October 2013
San Dieguito Unified High School District Honor Band (San Diego, Calif.) (Brian Belski, conductor) - 10 February 2013

Works for Winds by This Composer

Appalachian Spring (arr. Morita) (1944)
Appalachian Spring (arr. Patterson) (1944)
Buckaroo Holiday from "Rodeo" (tr. Megan) (1941/2000)
Buckaroo Holiday from "Rodeo" (tr. Sudduth) (1941)
Canticle of Freedom (arr. Duffy) (2000)
Celebration (arr. Lang) (1938/1945)
Ceremonial Fanfare
A Copland Portrait (arr. Grundman) (1986)
A Copland Tribute (arr. Grundman) (1986)
Danzón Cubano (tr. Rogers) (1949/2000)
The Dodger (arr. Knox) (c. 1880/1950/)
The Dodger. See also: Old American Songs I
Down a Country Lane (tr. Patterson) (1962/1991)
El Salón México (tr. Hindsley) (1939/1972)
Emblems (1964)
Excerpts from "Appalachian Spring" (arr. Longfield) (1944)
Fanfare for the Common Man (1942/1944)
Fanfare for the Common Man (arr. Longfield) (1942/1944/2007)
Finale from "Symphony No. 3" (trans. Patterson) (1946/)
Hoe Down from "Rodeo" (arr. Moss)
Hoe Down from "Rodeo" (tr. Rogers)
Inaugural Fanfare
Laurie's Song (tr. Martin) (1954/ )
Laurie's Song (arr. Silbert and Buchanan) (1954/ )
Letter from Home (arr. Belski) (1944)
A Lincoln Portrait (tr. Beeler) (1942/1951)
Old American Songs (arr. Moss) (1950/2006)
Old American Songs I (arr. Silvester) (1950/2001)
Old American Songs II (arr. Duffy) (1952/2001)
Our Town (arr. Singleton)
An Outdoor Overture (1938/1948)
Preamble for a Solemn Occasion (1949/1974)
The Promise of Living (arr. Curnow) (1954/2012)
The Promise of Living (tr. Duffy) (1954/2000)
The Promise of Living (tr. Hile) (1954)
The Promise of Living (tr. Singleton) (1954/2002)
Quiet City (arr. Hunsberger) (1941/1992)
The Red Pony (1969)
Scenes from "Billy the Kid" (arr. Hilliard) (1941/2000)
Stomp Your Foot (tr. Duffy) (1954/1956/2000)
Symphony No. 3. See: Finale from "Symphony No. 3"
Themes from "An Outdoor Overture" (arr. Curnow) (1938/2014)
Three Excerpts from "Our Town" and "Simple Gifts" (arr. Cohen)
Three Latin American Sketches (arr. Mikkelson) (1972/2021)
Variations on a Shaker Melody (1960)
Waltz and Celebration (arr. Lang) (1944/1972)

Resources

Letter from Home (Copland), Wikipedia Accessed 1 March 2016