Friday, December 02, 2022

Fanfare For The Common Man



Aaron Copland wrote "Fanfare For The Common Man" in 1942, in response to America's entry into World War II. The title was inspired by vice president Henry A. Wallace's speech about the "century of the common man." I could have sworn this song was used at the theme for the Olympics at one time or another, but I was wrong. It has been used for quite a few sports events. Copland wrote the music for a 14-piece orchestra, but Emerson, Lake, and Palmer only needed three musicians.


4 comments:

Bicycle Bill said...

Can't help but get a Mannheim Steamroller vibe when I hear this.  In fact, even though I was around when ELP did this, if I were to here that opening today my mind would go immediately to Chip Davis.

-"BB"-

Debra She Who Seeks said...

Well, they're playing in the Olympic Stadium in Montreal -- so there's that angle. I recognized it as once. It's one of the most famous arenas in Canada.

xoxoxoBruce said...

And it was well below freezing which is apropos for that stadium. LoL
I saw them play this in a much warmer Philadelphia and it had me shivering in the best way. A remarkable piece of music and a remarkable group, even Aaron Copland loved this version.

SnowMan said...

Ah, yes, thumbs up! I did not listen to ELP much at the time, but I should pull some of their music up now. (Also makes me think of the music of Eumir Deodato, and Isao Tomita.) But I have a feeling that there was a connection to the Olympics. Maybe one of the major TV networks used the Fanfare as introductory music.