- Title
- Music for the Theatre
- Subtitle
- Suite in Five Parts for Small Orchestra
- For
- chamber orchestra
- Year Composed
- 1925
- Scoring
- 1(=picc).1(=corA).1(=Eb).1-0.2.1.0-perc:glsp/xyl/cyms/wdbl/BD/SD- pft-strings
- ARCO Number(s)
- 10
- Category
- Orchestral
- Duration
- 22'
- Movements
- I. Prologue
- II. Dance
- III. Interlude
- IV. Burlesque
- V. Epilogue
- Premiere
- World: Boston, November 20th, 1925 (Boston Symphony Orchestra players, cond. Serge Koussevitzky)
- Commission Info
- Claire Reis and the League of Composers
- Dedication
- to Serge Koussevitzky
- Publisher
- Boosey & Hawkes
- Publishing Status
- Published
Buying Options
Boosey & HawkesProgram Note
Determined to find an American sound in music, Copland incorporated jazz idioms into his first orchestral pieces, causing scandal in concert halls in the twenties. These pieces continue to project the energetic rhythms and catchy melodies of jazz in the Roaring Twenties. Music for the Theatre was written for small orchestra with no specific play in mind, but as Copland pointed out, "The music seemed to suggest a certain theatrical atmosphere, so after developing the idea into five short movements, I chose the title."
- Author
- Vivian Perlis
- Year
- 1998
