![]() Nevertheless, Copland's evocation of banjo playing marvelously captures the folk sensibility of the original. The latter satirizes a political candidate, preacher, and lover, while stanzas about the lawyer, doctor, merchant, and farmer were omitted. As always, he refashioned these tunes as he saw fit, whether by altering a few notes to smooth out the melody in "Simple Gifts," or condensing the number of stanzas in "The Dodger" from seven to three. Copland's personal stamp is apparent in the comic minstrel song "The Boatmen's Dance," (wherein he rewrote portions of the black dialect to avoid offensive racial implications) the sentimental love song "Long Time Ago" the Shaker tune "Simple Gifts" the topical song "The Dodger" and the children's song "I Bought Me a Cat" (complete with barnyard sounds in the accompaniment). The five songs in the first set feature predominantly major modes, diatonic harmonies, and a certain directness in character. Varied in inspiration, these take on themes - political and religious, folk and theatrical - presenting a diversified portrait of America itself, linked by the unity of Copland's style. ![]() Copland's interests in American vernacular traditions were most fully realized in his song arrangements for voice and piano.
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