Piano Fantasy.

COPLAND, Aaron.

Item Number: 96243

New York: Boosey and Hawkes, 1957.

First edition of this score of Copland’s Piano Fantasy, commissioned by the Julliard School of Music on the occasion of its fiftieth anniversary celebration. Quarto, original wrappers as issued. Presentation copy, inscribed by the composer on the title page, “For Betty and the Baby Love Aaron Oct. 1957.” In near fine condition.

Referred to by his peers and critics as "the Dean of American Composers", American composer and conductor Aaron Copland is best known for the works he wrote in the 1930s and 1940s which came to encompass the vast American landscape and pioneer spirit. While Copland's earliest musical influences included Chopin, Verdi, and Debussy, his later work employed the use of "jazzy elements" as well as experimentation with Schönberg's twelve-tone system, resulting in two major works, the Piano Quartet (1950) and the Piano Fantasy (1957).