The year was 1942, and the United States had recently entered World War II. The attacks on Pearl Harbor had shocked the nation, and Eugene Goossens, the conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra at the time, decided to reprise an idea he came up with in England during World War I to raise the spirits of the concert-going public. During the years encompassing the “Great War”, Goossens opened concerts with a fanfare, all written by British composers, to honor those fighting in the conflict in Europe. Since the United States now found itself in a similar position, Goossens commissioned Aaron Copland (along with many others) to compose a concert opener
“… for Soldiers, or for Airmen or Sailors” that would serve as
“stirring and significant contributions to the war effort”, and his intention was to have the commissioned works played at the beginning of each and every concert during the 1942-1943 season. In total, eighteen fanfares were written, and Copland’s work was to serve as the premiere piece to start the season. The fanfare would have to be quintessentially American, and it was also intended to be patriotic and uplifting so as to boost the morale of the public. Quite the challenge as you might expect, and Copland wrote of the difficulty,
“The challenge was to compose a traditional fanfare, direct and powerful, yet with a contemporary sound.” Even though Copland didn’t complete the work in time for the premiere, he did get to preview it to Goossens in March of the following year.

The exact date of the preview was March 12, 1943 (just three days before Income Taxes were due), and the only thing that was found to be odd was the title itself; Copland had entitled the short work for brass and percussion, “Fanfare for the Common Man”. Goossens thoroughly enjoyed the Fanfare, and the work was well-received by the public as well. Copland’s choice of title likely was inspired by a speech made by then Vice President, Henry A. Wallace. The speech was entitled, “The Four Duties Pursuant to the Four Freedoms” and was delivered on May 8th, 1942. In the earlier sketches of the Fanfare, Copland wrote down a few possible titles all inspired by aspects of Wallace’s speech:
“Fanfare for a Solemn Ceremony” and “Fanfare for Four Freedoms” were a couple possibilities that were jotted down.

Here is an excerpt from Wallace’s speech:

“Some have spoken of the “American Century.” I say that the century on which we are entering — The century which will come out of this war — can be and must be the century of the common man. Perhaps it will be America’s opportunity to suggest that Freedoms and duties by which the common man must live. Everywhere the common man must learn to build his own industries with his own hands in a practical fashion. Everywhere the common man must learn to increase his productivity so that he and his children can eventually pay to the world community all that they have received. No nation will have the God-given right to exploit other nations. Older nations will have the privilege to help younger nations get started on the path to industrialization, but there must be neither military nor economic imperialism. The methods of the nineteenth century will not work in the people’s century which is now about to begin. India, China, and Latin America have a tremendous stake in the people’s century. As their masses learn to read and write, and as they become productive mechanics, their standard of living will double and triple. Modern science, when devoted whole-heartedly to the general welfare, has in it potentialities of which we do not yet dream….”

Copland later wrote, “Since that occasion [The public preview just before Income Taxes were due on March 15th, 1943], ‘Fanfare’ has been played by many and varied ensembles, ranging from the U.S. Air Force Band to the popular Emerson, Lake, and Palmer group … I confess that I prefer ‘Fanfare’ in the original version, and I later used it in the final movement of my Third Symphony.”

The work continues to be popular to this day, and it has made many appearances through film and television. If you listen closely to John Williams’ score for the 1978 film, Superman, you will notice a clear similarity to the Fanfare, and based on my research, it would appear that the Fanfare was indeed an influence.

Some other interesting facts about the Fanfare:
The anthem’s popularity endured far beyond the war, adding notes of drama and triumph to sporting events like the 2012 Olympic Games in London, and introducing concerts from Bob Dylan to the Rolling Stones. In 2014, the New York Philharmonic also performed it at the dedication of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in Manhattan.

In 2008, this served as the wake-up music for the crew of the space shuttle Endeavor, chosen by mission pilot Eric Boe, and again in 2011 for the Atlantis crew embarking on the final Space Shuttle mission.

In 1944, a year after the immense success of the Fanfare, Copland was commissioned by conductor Serge Koussevitsky and the Boston Symphony Orchestra to write a Symphony that hearkened back to the grand symphonic works of the late Romantic Period which ended in 1900. In Copland’s own words, the work would “reflect the euphoric spirit of the country at the time”. While the work was certainly nationalist in its initial concept, Koussevitsky was more interested in “music in the grand manner” and without departing from his own signature style, I believe that Copland achieved just that.

Here is the Fourth Movement (featuring the Fanfare as the theme), performed by the New York Philharmonic under the direction of Leonard Bernstein: Copland’s Symphony No. 3, Mvmt. 4