Old American Songs are two sets of songs arranged by Aaron Copland in 1950 and 1952 respectively, after research in the Sheet Music Collection of the Harris Collection of American Poetry and Plays, in the John Hay Library at Brown University. Originally scored for voice and piano, they were reworked for baritone (or mezzo-soprano) and orchestra. Set 1 was first performed by Peter Pears (tenor) and Benjamin Britten (piano) on June 17, 1950, at Aldeburgh. The version of Set 1 for baritone and orchestra was premiered on January 7, 1955, by William Warfield and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Alfred Wallenstein. Set 2 was first performed by William Warfield and Aaron Copland (piano) on 24 July 1953 in Ipswich, Massachusetts, and later, in its orchestral form, by Grace Bumbry (mezzo-soprano) and the Ojai Festival Orchestra, conducted by the composer, in Ojai, California on 25 May 1958. Set 2 was recorded by Warfield and Copland on August 18, 1953, for Columbia Records. Set 1 The Boatman's Dance (minstrel song from 1843) The Dodger (campaign song) Long Time Ago (ballad) Simple Gifts (Shaker song) I Bought Me a Cat (children's song, Roud Folk Song Index No. 544) Set 2 The Little Horses (lullaby) Zion’s Walls (revivalist song) The Golden Willow Tree (Anglo-American ballad) At the River (hymn tune) Ching-A-Ring Chaw (minstrel song) Both sets are published by Boosey & Hawkes. The voice and piano versions are easily transposed to any register; the orchestral sets can also be transposed but are usually sung in their original keys by either a baritone or a mezzo-soprano. Old American Songs have been recorded by many singers, notably mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne and the baritones Sherill Milnes, Thomas Hampson, Bryn Terfel, and Thomas Quasthoff. William Warfield's recording is with the composer himself at the piano. The songs have also been arranged for chorus: by Irving Fine (Set 1: songs 1, 3, and 5; Set 2: song 5), David L. Brunner (Set 1: songs 2 and 4; Set 2: song 1), Glenn Koponen (Set 2: song 2), Gregory Rose (Set 2: song 3), and Raymond Wilding-White (Set 2: song 4). These transcriptions went unrecorded until 1985, when a CD featuring the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Utah Symphony Orchestra conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas was released.

Aaron Copland ( KOHP-lənd; November 14, 1900 – December 2, 1990) was an American composer, critic, writer, teacher, pianist, and conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as the "Dean of American Music". The open, slowly changing harmonies in much of his music are typical of what many consider the sound of American music, evoking the vast American landscape and pioneer spirit. He is best known for the works he wrote in the 1930s and 1940s in a deliberately accessible style often referred to as "populist" and which he called his "vernacular" style. Works in this vein include the ballets Appalachian Spring, Billy the Kid and Rodeo, his Fanfare for the Common Man and Third Symphony. In addition to his ballets and orchestral works, he produced music in many other genres, including chamber music, vocal works, opera, and film scores. After some initial studies with composer Rubin Goldmark, Copland traveled to Paris, where he first studied with Isidor Philipp and Paul Vidal, then with noted pedagogue Nadia Boulanger. He studied three years with Boulanger, whose eclectic approach to music inspired his own broad taste. Determined upon his return to the U.S. to make his way as a full-time composer, Copland gave lecture-recitals, wrote works on commission and did some teaching and writing. But he found that composing orchestral music in a modernist style, which he had adopted while studying abroad, was unprofitable, particularly in light of the Great Depression. He shifted in the mid-1930s to a more accessible musical style that mirrored the German idea of Gebrauchsmusik ("music for use"), music that could serve utilitarian and artistic purposes. During the Depression years, he traveled extensively to Europe, Africa, and Mexico, formed an important friendship with Mexican composer Carlos Chávez, and began composing his signature works. During the late 1940s, Copland became aware that Stravinsky and other fellow composers had begun to study Arnold Schoenberg's use of twelve-tone (serial) techniques. After he had been exposed to the works of French composer Pierre Boulez, he incorporated serial techniques into his Piano Quartet (1950), Piano Fantasy (1957), Connotations for orchestra (1961), and Inscape for orchestra (1967). Unlike Schoenberg, Copland used his tone rows in much the same fashion as his tonal material—as sources for melodies and harmonies, rather than as complete statements in their own right, except for crucial events from a structural point of view. From the 1960s onward, Copland's activities turned more from composing to conducting. He became a frequent guest conductor of orchestras in the U.S. and the UK and made a series of recordings of his music, primarily for Columbia Records.

Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson is a song cycle for medium voice, played in piano by the American composer Aaron Copland. Completed in 1950 and lasting for under half an hour only, it represents Copland's longest work for solo voice. He assigned the first line of each poem as the song title, since Emily Dickinson had not written a title for any of the pieces. The exception is "The Chariot," which was Dickinson's original published title. Each song is dedicated to a composer friend. The sequence, with dedicatees, is: Nature, the Gentlest Mother (David Diamond) There Came a Wind Like a Bugle (Elliott Carter) Why Do They Shut Me Out of Heaven? (Ingolf Dahl) The World Feels Dusty (Alexei Haieff) Heart, We Will Forget Him! (Marcelle de Manziarly) Dear March, Come In! (Juan Orrego-Salas) Sleep Is Supposed to Be (Irving Fine) When They Come Back (Harold Shapero) I Felt a Funeral in My Brain (Camargo Guarnieri) I've Heard an Organ Talk Sometimes (Alberto Ginastera) Going to Heaven! (Lukas Foss) The Chariot (Arthur Berger) Copland himself acknowledged that many have heard the influence of Charles Ives, Gustav Mahler, and Gabriel Fauré in the songs. In his own memoirs, he made the link between Dickinson's and Mahler's preoccupation with death. However, he stated that he recognized no direct musical influence. Nonetheless, writers have frequently cited the fifth song in particular, "Heart, We Will Forget Him!" as being Copland at his most Mahlerian. This is perhaps even more evident in the arrangement he composed for orchestral setting, which he began in 1958 and completed in 1970; Eight Poems of Emily Dickinson for small orchestra omits songs 3, 8, 9 and 10 from the original sequence. The original version was premiered at Columbia University on 18 May 1950, with soloist Alice Howland accompanied by the composer. It was not especially well received by critics, prompting Copland to note wryly to Leonard Bernstein "that I decided I must have written a better cycle than I had realized." The first recording was made by Copland and Martha Lipton for Columbia Masterworks Records in 1950-2 and issued in 1956. The premiere of the orchestration was given on 14 November 1970 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, with soloist Gwendolyn Killebrew and the Juilliard Orchestra conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas. The orchestral arrangement was first recorded by Marni Nixon and the Pacific Symphony Orchestra under Keith Clark for Varese Sarabande in 1985. Tilson Thomas subsequently recorded the cycle for EMI with Barbara Hendricks and the London Symphony Orchestra in 1995. Both versions have been recorded many times since their respective premieres.

The Muslim conquests on the Indian subcontinent mainly took place between the 13th and the 18th centuries, establishing the Indo-Muslim period. Earlier Muslim conquests on the Indian subcontinent include the invasions which started in the northwestern Indian subcontinent (modern-day Pakistan), especially the Umayyad campaigns in India during the 8th century. Mahmud of Ghazni, sultan of the Ghaznavid Empire, invaded vast parts of Punjab and Gujarat during the 11th century. After the capture of Lahore and the end of the Ghaznavids, the Ghurid ruler Muhammad of Ghor laid the foundation of Muslim rule in India in 1192. In 1202, Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji led the Muslim conquest of Bengal, marking the easternmost expansion of Islam at the time. Some historians have called these conquests "the bloodiest story in history," with massacres, mass conversions, and the destruction and desecration of mandirs being commonplace. The Ghurid Empire soon evolved into the Delhi Sultanate in 1206, ruled by Qutb ud-Din Aibak, the founder of the Mamluk dynasty. With the Delhi Sultanate established, Islam was spread across most parts of the Indian subcontinent. In the 14th century, the Khalji dynasty under Alauddin Khalji, extended Muslim rule southwards to Gujarat, Rajasthan, and the Deccan. The successor Tughlaq dynasty temporarily expanded its territorial reach to Tamil Nadu. The disintegration of the Delhi Sultanate, capped by Timur's invasion in 1398, caused several Muslim sultanates and dynasties to emerge across the Indian subcontinent, such as the Gujarat Sultanate, Malwa Sultanate, Bahmani Sultanate, Jaunpur Sultanate, Madurai Sultanate, and the Bengal Sultanate. Some of these, however, were followed by Hindu reconquests and resistance from the native powers and states, such as the Telugu Nayakas, Vijayanagara, and Rajput states under the Kingdom of Mewar. The Delhi Sultanate was replaced by the Mughal Empire in 1526, which was one of the three gunpowder empires. Emperor Akbar gradually enlarged the Mughal Empire to include a large portion of the subcontinent. Under Akbar, who stressed the importance of religious tolerance and winning over the goodwill of the subjects, a multicultural empire came into being with various non-Muslim subjects being actively integrated into the Mughal Empire's bureaucracy and military machinery. The economic and territorial zenith of the Mughals was reached at the end of the 17th century, when under the reign of emperor Aurangzeb the empire witnessed the full establishment of Islamic Sharia through the Fatawa al-Alamgir. The Mughals went into a sudden decline immediately after achieving their peak following the death of Aurangzeb in 1707, due to a lack of competent and effective rulers among Aurangzeb's successors. Other factors included the expensive and bloody Mughal-Rajput Wars and the Mughal–Maratha Wars. The Afsharid ruler Nader Shah's invasion in 1739 was an unexpected attack which demonstrated the weakness of the Mughal Empire. This provided opportunities for various regional states such as Rajput states, Mysore Kingdom, Sind State, Nawabs of Bengal and Murshidabad, Maratha Empire, Sikh Empire, and Nizams of Hyderabad to declare their independence and exercising control over large regions of the Indian subcontinent further accelerating the geopolitical disintegration of the Indian subcontinent. The Maratha Empire replaced Mughals as the dominant power of the subcontinent from 1720 to 1818. The Muslim conquests in Indian subcontinent came to a halt after the Battle of Plassey (1757), the Battle of Buxar (1764), Anglo-Mysore Wars (1767–1799), Anglo-Maratha Wars (1775–1818), Anglo-Sind War (1843) and Anglo-Sikh Wars (1845–1848) as the British East India Company seized control of much of the Indian subcontinent up till 1857. Throughout the 18th century, European powers continued to exert a large amount of political influence over the Indian subcontinent, and by the end of the 19th century most of the Indian subcontinent came under European colonial domination, most notably the British Raj until 1947.

This is a list of compositions by Aaron Copland (1900–1990) in chronological order of composition:

In the Beginning is a 1947 choral work by Aaron Copland setting Genesis 1:1 to 2:7. The 15–20 minute long work is for mixed four-part chorus a capella and soprano or mezzo-soprano solo. The work is evocative of the Hebrew davening and shows the influence of polytonality with references to jazz and blues. In the Beginning was composed for Harvard University's Symposium on Music Criticism in May 1947. The premiere was performed by the Collegiate Chorale at the Harvard Memorial Church, Cambridge on May 2 of that year, conducted by Robert Shaw.

This is a list of compositions by Aaron Copland (1900–1990) in chronological order of composition:

The Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance has been awarded since 1961. There have been several minor changes to the name of the award over this time: In 1961 the award was known as Best Classical Performance - Choral (including oratorio) From 1962 to 1964 it was awarded as Best Classical Performance - Choral (other than opera) In 1965, 1969, 1971, 1977 to 1978 and 1982 to 1991 it was awarded as Best Choral Performance (other than opera) From 1966 to 1968 it was awarded as Best Classical Choral Performance (other than opera) In 1970, 1973 to 1976 and 1979 to 1981 it was awarded as Best Choral Performance, Classical (other than opera) In 1972 it was awarded as Best Choral Performance - Classical From 1992 to 1994 it was awarded as Best Performance of a Choral Work 1995 to the present the award has been known as Best Choral Performance Prior to 1961 the awards for opera and choral performances were combined into a single award for Best Classical Performance, Operatic or Choral. The award goes to the Conductor, and to the Choral Director and/or Chorus Master where applicable and to the Choral Organization/Ensemble. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were presented, for works released in the previous year. Performers who were not eligible for an award (such as orchestras, soloists or choirs) are mentioned between brackets. From 2017, the choral organization/ensemble does receive an Award.

Old American Songs are two sets of songs arranged by Aaron Copland in 1950 and 1952 respectively, after research in the Sheet Music Collection of the Harris Collection of American Poetry and Plays, in the John Hay Library at Brown University. Originally scored for voice and piano, they were reworked for baritone (or mezzo-soprano) and orchestra. Set 1 was first performed by Peter Pears (tenor) and Benjamin Britten (piano) on June 17, 1950, at Aldeburgh. The version of Set 1 for baritone and orchestra was premiered on January 7, 1955, by William Warfield and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Alfred Wallenstein. Set 2 was first performed by William Warfield and Aaron Copland (piano) on 24 July 1953 in Ipswich, Massachusetts, and later, in its orchestral form, by Grace Bumbry (mezzo-soprano) and the Ojai Festival Orchestra, conducted by the composer, in Ojai, California on 25 May 1958. Set 2 was recorded by Warfield and Copland on August 18, 1953, for Columbia Records. Set 1 The Boatman's Dance (minstrel song from 1843) The Dodger (campaign song) Long Time Ago (ballad) Simple Gifts (Shaker song) I Bought Me a Cat (children's song, Roud Folk Song Index No. 544) Set 2 The Little Horses (lullaby) Zion’s Walls (revivalist song) The Golden Willow Tree (Anglo-American ballad) At the River (hymn tune) Ching-A-Ring Chaw (minstrel song) Both sets are published by Boosey & Hawkes. The voice and piano versions are easily transposed to any register; the orchestral sets can also be transposed but are usually sung in their original keys by either a baritone or a mezzo-soprano. Old American Songs have been recorded by many singers, notably mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne and the baritones Sherill Milnes, Thomas Hampson, Bryn Terfel, and Thomas Quasthoff. William Warfield's recording is with the composer himself at the piano. The songs have also been arranged for chorus: by Irving Fine (Set 1: songs 1, 3, and 5; Set 2: song 5), David L. Brunner (Set 1: songs 2 and 4; Set 2: song 1), Glenn Koponen (Set 2: song 2), Gregory Rose (Set 2: song 3), and Raymond Wilding-White (Set 2: song 4). These transcriptions went unrecorded until 1985, when a CD featuring the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Utah Symphony Orchestra conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas was released.

Old American Songs are two sets of songs arranged by Aaron Copland in 1950 and 1952 respectively, after research in the Sheet Music Collection of the Harris Collection of American Poetry and Plays, in the John Hay Library at Brown University. Originally scored for voice and piano, they were reworked for baritone (or mezzo-soprano) and orchestra. Set 1 was first performed by Peter Pears (tenor) and Benjamin Britten (piano) on June 17, 1950, at Aldeburgh. The version of Set 1 for baritone and orchestra was premiered on January 7, 1955, by William Warfield and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Alfred Wallenstein. Set 2 was first performed by William Warfield and Aaron Copland (piano) on 24 July 1953 in Ipswich, Massachusetts, and later, in its orchestral form, by Grace Bumbry (mezzo-soprano) and the Ojai Festival Orchestra, conducted by the composer, in Ojai, California on 25 May 1958. Set 2 was recorded by Warfield and Copland on August 18, 1953, for Columbia Records. Set 1 The Boatman's Dance (minstrel song from 1843) The Dodger (campaign song) Long Time Ago (ballad) Simple Gifts (Shaker song) I Bought Me a Cat (children's song, Roud Folk Song Index No. 544) Set 2 The Little Horses (lullaby) Zion’s Walls (revivalist song) The Golden Willow Tree (Anglo-American ballad) At the River (hymn tune) Ching-A-Ring Chaw (minstrel song) Both sets are published by Boosey & Hawkes. The voice and piano versions are easily transposed to any register; the orchestral sets can also be transposed but are usually sung in their original keys by either a baritone or a mezzo-soprano. Old American Songs have been recorded by many singers, notably mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne and the baritones Sherill Milnes, Thomas Hampson, Bryn Terfel, and Thomas Quasthoff. William Warfield's recording is with the composer himself at the piano. The songs have also been arranged for chorus: by Irving Fine (Set 1: songs 1, 3, and 5; Set 2: song 5), David L. Brunner (Set 1: songs 2 and 4; Set 2: song 1), Glenn Koponen (Set 2: song 2), Gregory Rose (Set 2: song 3), and Raymond Wilding-White (Set 2: song 4). These transcriptions went unrecorded until 1985, when a CD featuring the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Utah Symphony Orchestra conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas was released.

This is a list of compositions by Aaron Copland (1900–1990) in chronological order of composition:

This is a list of compositions by Aaron Copland (1900–1990) in chronological order of composition:

Achille Claude Debussy (French pronunciation: [aʃil klod dəbysi]; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born to a family of modest means and little cultural involvement, Debussy showed enough musical talent to be admitted at the age of ten to France's leading music college, the Conservatoire de Paris. He originally studied the piano, but found his vocation in innovative composition, despite the disapproval of the Conservatoire's conservative professors. He took many years to develop his mature style, and was nearly 40 when he achieved international fame in 1902 with the only opera he completed, Pelléas et Mélisande. Debussy's orchestral works include Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894), Nocturnes (1897–1899) and Images (1905–1912). His music was to a considerable extent a reaction against Wagner and the German musical tradition. He regarded the classical symphony as obsolete and sought an alternative in his "symphonic sketches", La mer (1903–1905). His piano works include sets of 24 Préludes and 12 Études. Throughout his career he wrote mélodies based on a wide variety of poetry, including his own. He was greatly influenced by the Symbolist poetic movement of the later 19th century. A small number of works, including the early La Damoiselle élue and the late Le Martyre de saint Sébastien have important parts for chorus. In his final years, he focused on chamber music, completing three of six planned sonatas for different combinations of instruments. With early influences including Russian and Far Eastern music and works by Chopin, Debussy developed his own style of harmony and orchestral colouring, derided – and unsuccessfully resisted – by much of the musical establishment of the day. His works have strongly influenced a wide range of composers including Béla Bartók, Igor Stravinsky, George Gershwin, Olivier Messiaen, George Benjamin, and the jazz pianist and composer Bill Evans. Debussy died from cancer at his home in Paris at the age of 55 after a composing career of a little more than 30 years.