An American composer worth discovering: His life, his music, his time. Throughout his life, the American composer Aaron Copland (1900-1990) worked tirelessly to develop an American style: he aimed to write "Music for the common man," music whose simplicity— in the best sense of the word— would grant broad segments of the population access to contemporary art music. It was therefore only logical that he drew inspiration from American folk music and jazz, wrote soundtracks for several major Hollywood films, and composed numerous ballets. Copland also dedicated himself as a conductor and pianist, as a festival organizer and writer, to promoting new American music. His efforts for the music scene in the USA were crowned by an Oscar and the Pulitzer Prize. Vienna's music historians Christian Glanz and Manfred Permoser contributed two profound essays for this book, in which they present the life and work of Aaron Copland as well as his historical context. In the second part of the book, the authors analyze selected works by the composer. A chronological biography and photographs complement the volume.