{"id":2633,"date":"2017-11-06T23:14:26","date_gmt":"2017-11-07T05:14:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/?p=2633"},"modified":"2017-11-06T23:14:26","modified_gmt":"2017-11-07T05:14:26","slug":"coplands-inspiration-and-fears-for-el-salon-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/2017\/11\/06\/coplands-inspiration-and-fears-for-el-salon-mexico\/","title":{"rendered":"Copland’s Inspiration and Fears for El Sal\u00f3n M\u00e9xico"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Schaal,<\/a>

Copland and Ch\u00e1vez<\/p><\/div>\n

In a letter to Mexican composer\/conductor Charlos Ch\u00e1vez, Copland wrote \u201cI am terribly afraid of what <\/span>you<\/span> will say of the Salon Mexico–perhaps it is not Mexican at all and I would look so foolish,\u201d which shows his concern regarding appropriation. He may have gone ahead with orchestrating and publishing the piece, but he was well-meaning in the same way that Dvorak was with his New World Symphony. Some differences here are that Copland interacted mostly as a tourist in Mexican culture and drew on more accurate sources for Mexican folk melodies.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Copland’s October 1934 letter to Ch\u00e1vez<\/p><\/div>\n

In addition, Copland published <\/span>The Story Behind My El Sal\u00f3n M\u00e9xico<\/span><\/i> in the quarterly journal <\/span>Tempo<\/span><\/i>. He discusses that the music he heard during his two summers in Tlaxcala, isn\u2019t what inspired this piece as much as the spirit of Mexico, specifically regarding \u201ctheir humanity, their separate shyness, their dignity and unique charm.\u201d He, like many other composers writing in this style, relied on the use of folk melodies, but his goal was never to quote them directly, instead choosing to heighten without falsifying the natural simplicity of the songs. <\/span><\/p>\n

On the subject of whether this was good or bad appropriation, I would argue that this was good appropriation because of his genuine approach to the piece; Copland never claimed or exploited Mexican folk traditions. Additionally he was aware of his position as a white man composing in a Mexican style (even calling himself a gringo) and was completely taken aback by the support that he received from the Orquesta Sinf\u00f3nica de M\u00e9xico (who premiered the work with Ch\u00e1vez in 1937). The group viewed his composition as a foreigner finding their melodies as worthy in the world of Western repertoire which gave him affirmation regarding his fear that the piece would be perceived as a foolish attempt of claiming Mexican culture.<\/span><\/p>\n