Fanfare for the Common Man

Fanfare for the Common Man is a 20th-century American classical music work by American composer Aaron Copland. The piece was written in 1942 for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra under conductor Eugene Goossens.

Instrumentation

A fanfare is a short piece scored for brass and percussion. The fanfare is written for the following instruments:

• four french horns (in F)
• three trumpets (in B♭)
• three trombones
• tuba
• timpani
• bass drum
• tamtam or gong

The Fanfare

Copland, in his autobiography, wrote of the request: "Eugene Goossens, conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, had written to me at the end of August about an idea he wanted to put into action for the 1942-43 concert season. During World War I he had asked British composers for a fanfare to begin each orchestral concert. It had been so successful that he thought to repeat the procedure in World War II with American composers". A total of eighteen fanfares^[1] were written at Goossens' behest, but Copland's is the only one which remains in the standard repertoire.

Goosens had suggested titles such as Fanfare for Soldiers, or sailors or airmen, and he wrote that "[i]t is my idea to make these fanfares stirring and significant contributions to the war effort...." Copland considered several titles including Fanfare for a Solemn Ceremony and Fanfare for Four Freedoms; to Goossens' surprise, however, Copland titled the piece Fanfare for the Common Man. Goossen wrote "Its title is as original as its music, and I think it is so telling that it deserves a special occasion for its performance. If it is agreeable to you, we will premiere it 12 March 1943 at income tax time". Copland's reply was "I [am] all for honoring the common man at income tax time".^[2]

The fanfare was used as the main theme of the fourth movement of Copland's Third Symphony.

Alternative versions

Copland's fanfare was reincarnated in 1977 by British rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer on the album Works Volume I. It became one of the band's biggest hits when an edited version was released as a single that year. Keith Emerson had long been an admirer of Copland's Americana style, previously using Copland's Hoedown on the band's Trilogy album in 1972.

An excerpt of Fanfare for the Common Man was used to open the Rolling Stones 1976 concert tour supporting their Black and Blue album.

The American rock band Styx has also used the Copland piece. Their 1972 self-titled debut album opens with a suite called Movement for the Common Man. The third section of the suite, titled Fanfare for the Common Man, is loosely based on the Copland original.

Additionally, the rock band Asia (which shares the drummer Carl Palmer from Emerson, Lake & Palmer) often plays a variation of "Fanfare" during their live shows. Different versions have appeared on various live Asia albums over the years as well.

The Woody Herman Orchestra was known for closing their performances with a jazz rendition of Fanfare for the Common Man.

Bob Dylan has also opened his shows with "Fanfare for the Common Man".

The Claudia Taylor Johnson High School Marching in San Antonio Texas used excerpts from :Fanfare for the Common Man" in their field show "Bloom! The Beggining of Always"

On television and other media

The fanfare has found much use as a theme for television programs. In the United States, Emerson, Lake and Palmer's arrangement of Fanfare for the Common Man was the opening theme song for the CBS Sports Spectacular. In Mexico, it was the main title theme of TV Azteca TV sport program DeporTV. In Scotland, the BBC used it as the theme to their main news program Reporting Scotland in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Australian television network Seven Network used it in the 1980s and early 1990s as the theme music for Seven Sport broadcasts, and continues to use a teaser version to this day. A late 1970s Canadian television series called "Titans" used Fanfare as its opening theme music.

In "Dead Putting Society", a 1990 episode of the animated television series The Simpsons, "Fanfare for the Common Man" plays as the minigolf course is being set up for the competition between Bart and Todd.

In the mid-1990s, the piece was used as background music in United States Navy recruitment advertisements.

David Gerrold references it in the last chapter of his science fiction novel The Middle of Nowhere (1995) as recognition sound of the Star Wolf. He also uses it for Lambda's funeral in the same book.

The You Are There series, produced in 1955, filmed a Cultural depictions of George Washington. It uses this piece as the theme introduction music on the DVD main menu selection for the episode of "The American Revolution and George Washington". Two different segment shows were produced: "Washington Crosses the Delaware" and "Washington's Farewell to His Officers".

Dan Cole, a radio talk show host on KFAN-AM, uses Buddy Rich's version of this piece as his opener. The piece is played in its entirety but is augmented by audio clips by celebrities such as Dennis Green, Bill Clinton and Mike Tice.

The piece was played to fireworks at the closing ceremonies of New York's Shea Stadium on September 28, 2008.

The piece is also played at Soldier Field in Chicago for Chicago Bears home games during the first time that the Bears' defense takes the field.

On November 19, 2008, it was played as the wake-up music for the shuttle crew STS-126, having been chosen by mission pilot Eric A. Boe.

On January 18, 2009, it was played at the beginning of We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial. It was also played at the beginning of "An American Reunion", the concert (also at the Lincoln Memorial) on the Saturday prior to the inauguration of Bill Clinton in 1992.

Several feature films employ the piece for dramatic effect. Saving Private Ryan features the piece prominently. The fanfare functioned as Jimmy King's theme in Ready to Rumble. The piece was also used in the opening of D2: The Mighty Ducks.

On October 9, 2004, it was played as the Queen Elizabeth II and her procession entered the debating chamber during the opening ceremony of the new Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh.

The last track on Enter Shikari's album Common Dreads is called "Fanfare For The Conscious Man".

Argentinian VHS and DVD publisher Gativideo has historically used this piece as its signature music over the logo.

14-Time World Darts Champion Phil Taylor uses an excerpt from the piece in his entrance routine, in which the initial fanfare is succeeded by The Power By Snap

Notes

References

• Copland 1900 Through 1942, by Aaron Copland and Vivian Perlis, St. Martin's Press, 1984, ISBN 0-312-16962-0

External links

• Manuscript score from U.S. Library of Congress.
• Goossens' Fanfares.
• Audio (mp3 and .ram) by U.S. Marine Corps Band.
• Audio sample (.wav) of ELP version.