joan tower
fanfair for the uncommon woman, #1DIVE IN!
American composer Joan Tower, born in 1938, began writing music in the 1960s during a time when composition standards were still being set in a male dominated field and when American composers were still hewing closely to European styles. She is widely known and credited for paving the path for American composers to create their own styles and use their own creative voices to do so. Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman is an excellent example of Tower’s canny respectful way of honoring the spirit of the past, acknowledging the present, and looking to the future.
RESOURCES:A direct comparison of Joan Tower’s Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman, #1 and Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, under the direction of Marin Alsop. Joan Tower’s Fanfare begins at 3’30”.HIGHLIGHTS:
Joan Tower wrote Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman in 1986 when she was 48 years old.
Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman was commissioned by the Houston Symphony and premiered in 1987.
Joan Tower composed 5 additional fanfares between 1989 and 2016, to make a set of six. All of them can be performed as a set, lasting 25 minutes.
In her composer note, Joan Tower writes about the first fanfare “it is dedicated to women who take risks and who are adventurous”. Each of them are dedicated to an inspiring woman in music. Fanfare for Uncommon Woman, #1 is dedicated to Marin Alsop.
Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman, #1 was inspired by American composer Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man. It is scored similarly, for heavy brass and percussion, but adds glockenspiel, marimba, chimes, and drums. It lasts just under 3 minutes.
The first five fanfares were recorded by the Colorado Symphony in 1999. In 2015 the recording was added to the collection at the National Library of Congress in the category of “culturally, historically, or aesthetically important.”
jessie montgomery
Rounds, for piano and orchestraDIVE IN!
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GUSTAV MAHLER
SYMPHONY #5DIVE IN!
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READY TO LISTEN!
Listen to the Colorado Symphony performance of Joan Tower’s Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman and again via recording if possible. Take note of what you hear and how it relates to the title. What makes this a “fanfare”? What about this music supports “uncommon” or “woman”? As a listener, how might you be affected by this music if you didn’t know the title prior to hearing it?
Please share your experience with me – [email protected]!
I’d love to hear about it or see any of your activities, journaling, or creations!
I’d love to hear about it or see any of your activities, journaling, or creations!