Down a Country Lane

Aaron Copland

General Info

Year: 1962 / 1991
Duration: 3:15
Difficulty: III (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes, Inc.
Cost: Score and Parts - $60.00 | Score - $10.95

Instrumentation

Full Score
Flute I-II-III
Oboe I-II
Bassoon I-II
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
E-flat Alto Clarinet (optional)
B-flat Bass Clarinet
B-flat Contrabass Clarinet (optional)
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Cornet I-II-III
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III
Horn in F I-II
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Percussion, including:

Vibraphone

Errata

In Parts:

Trombone II-III, 7th measure of C: The flat is missing on the G-flat.

Program Notes

On June 29, 1962, Life Magazine featured Aaron Copland's composition Down a Country Lane. The piece was commissioned by Life in hopes of making quality music available to the common pianist and student. The work was featured along with an article title "Our Bumper Crop of Beginning Piano Players". The article explains, "Down a Country Lane fills a musical gap: It is among the few modern pieces specially written for young piano students by a major composer." Copland is quoted in the article of saying "Even third-year students will have to practice before trying it in public." Copland then explains the title: "The music is descriptive only in an imaginative, not a literal sense. I didn't think of the title until the piece was finished -- Down a Country Lane just happened to fit its flowing quality."

Copland is very descriptive in his directions on how the piece should be played. The piece begins with instructions to play "gently flowing in a pastoral mood"; a brief midsection is slightly dissonant and to be played "a trifle faster"; and the ending returns to the previous lyrical mood. Down a Country Lane was orchestrated for inclusion in a youth orchestra series and premiered on November 20, 1965, by the London Junior Orchestra. The band arrangement was completed by Merlin Patterson in 1988. Patterson specialized in Copland transcriptions. Copland himself spoke of Patterson's excellent work upon the completion of Down a Country Lane, saying that he produced "a careful, sensitive, and most satisfying extension of the mood and content of the original."

- Program notes from Down a Country Lane

Media

Spotify: U.S. Army Field Band (Finley R. Hamilton, conductor)

State Ratings

Florida: III
Texas: III

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Lone Star Symphonic Band (Katy, Tx.) (Bob Bryant, conductor) - 8 October 2023
Bemidji (Minn.) Area Community Band (Ryan Webber, conductor) - 2 July 2023
Buchanan High School (Clovis, Calif.) Wind Symphony (John Lack, conductor) - 24 March 2023 (2023 Sutherland Wind Festival (Fresno, Calif.)
University of Florida (Gainesville) Symphonic Band (John M. Watkins, Jr., conductor) - 9 February 2023
College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University (Collegeville, Minn.) Wind Ensemble (Justin T. Zanchuk, conductor) - 12 December 2022
University of Hawai'i West Oahu (Pearl City) University Band (Gabriel Choy, conductor) - 27 November 2022
University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg) Concert Band (Travis Higa, conductor) - 4 October 2022
Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts (Murfreesboro) Wind Ensemble (Denny Hawkins, conductor) – 18 June 2022
Middle Tennessee State University (Murfreesboro) Symphonic Band (Denny Hawkins, conductor) - 21 April 2022
Luther College (Decorah, Iowa) Symphonic Band (Cory Near, conductor) - 13 April 2022
University of Louisiana Monroe Wind Ensemble (Derle R. Long, conductor) - 4 May 2021
Andrews University (Berrien Springs, Mich.) Wind Symphony (Byron Graves, conductor) - 24 April 2021
Central College (Pella, Iowa) Honor Band (Eileen McGonigal, conductor) - 25 February 2021
Purdue University (West Lafayette, Ind.) Symphonic Band (Matt Conaway, conductor) - 22 February 2020
La Sierra University (Riverside, Calif.) Wind Ensemble (David Brennan, conductor) – 15 February 2020
Indiana University (Bloomington) All-Campus Band (Daniel Johnson, conductor) - 10 December 2019
Rowan University (Glassboro, N.J.) Symphonic Band (Joseph Higgins, conductor) – 9 December 2019
University of Wisconsin-Madison Wednesday University Band (Allison Jaeger, conductor) – 8 December 2019
Truman State University (Kirksville, Mo.) Concert Band (Curran Prendergast, conductor) – 4 December 2019
University of Charleston (S.C.) Symphonic Wind Ensemble (John Christian, conductor) - 27 October 2019

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/)
Four Dance Episodes from "Rodeo" (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)
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

Miles, Richard B., and Larry Blocher. (2010). Teaching Music through Performance in Band. Volume 1. Chicago: GIA Publications. pp. 134-140.