7 Aaron Copland 7

For the better part of four decades, as composer (of

operas, ballets, orchestral music, band music, chamber

music, choral music, and film scores), teacher, writer of

books and articles on music, organizer of musical events,

and a much sought-after conductor, Copland expressed

“the deepest reactions of the American consciousness to

the American scene.” He received more than 30 honorary

degrees and many additional awards. He also wrote a

number of books on music.

A private man not given to making public statements

about his personal life, Copland nonetheless made no

efforts to hide his homosexuality, traveling openly with

younger lovers. And though blacklisted during the

McCarthy era, the government-led censure had no lasting

effect on Copland’s work and career.

Louis Armstrong

(b. Aug. 4, 1901, New Orleans, La., U.S.—d. July 6, 1971, New York, N.Y.)

L

ouis Armstrong, or Satchmo (a truncation of “Satchel

Mouth”), was the leading trumpeter and one of the

most influential artists in jazz history.

Armstrong grew up in dire poverty in New Orleans,

La., when jazz was very young. As a child he worked at odd

jobs and sang in a boys’ quartet. In 1913 he was sent to the

Colored Waifs Home as a juvenile delinquent. There he

learned to play cornet in the home’s band, and playing

music quickly became a passion. Armstrong developed

rapidly: he played in marching and jazz bands, becoming

skillful enough to replace New Orleans jazz cornetist

King Oliver in the important Kid Ory band in about 1918,

and in the early 1920s he played in Mississippi riverboat

dance bands.

Fame beckoned in 1922 when Oliver, then leading a

band in Chicago, sent for Armstrong to play second