“The challenge was to compose a traditional fanfare, direct and powerful, yet with a contemporary sound. . . . The music was not terribly difficult to compose, but working slowly as was my custom, I did not have the fanfare ready to send to Goossens until November. The piece has been Fanfare for the Common Man for so long that it is surprising to see on my sketches that other titles were considered: Fanfare for a Solemn Ceremony, for the Day of Victory, for Our Heroes, for the Rebirth of Lidice, for the Spirit of Democracy, for the Paratroops, for Four Freedoms.
After I decided on Fanfare for the Common Man and sent the score to Goossens, I think he was rather puzzled by the title. He wrote, ‘Its title is as original as its music, and I think it is so telling that it deserves a special occasion for its performance. If it is agreeable to you, we will premiere it 14 March [sic] 1943 at income tax time. . . .’ [The income tax deadline was changed to April after the War.] I was all for honoring the common man at income tax time. “Since that occasion, 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.”-- aaron copland
seeing how today is tax day...
HA! Good Fun!