It was born in Cincinnati. But belongs to the world.
To royals and rock stars. Superheroes and sports idols. The common – and the anything but. Disc Type Horn
Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man" is not just the song we recognize, the notes we know. It's a melody we feel.
So we keep playing it and listening to it. In the decades since the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra debuted the masterpiece, "Fanfare for the Common Man" has become what history sounds like.
That gong crash is a rallying cry, rousing fans to their feet at United Center when the Chicago Blackhawks first hit the ice. In 1975, that melody meant the Rolling Stones were about to rock.
That French horn harmony was applause honoring both President Reagan's 1981 and President Obama's 2009 inaugurations. Pope Francis's speech in Philadelphia last year. The final flight of the Space Shuttle Endeavour.
It was an alarm clock for the Space Shuttle Atlantis, too.
It honored Olympic champions in London. The fastest horse at the Aintree Grand National Steeplechase.
But it also can be a hymn and a solemn tribute. The New York Philharmonic dedicated the 9/11 Museum with it. And golf game-changer Arnold Palmer was buried to its magnificent strains.
Of course, "Fanfare for the Common Man" inspired others. British progressive rock legends Emerson Lake & Palmer made it a pop hit in 1977.
But Copland's style also echoes throughout other well-known compositions.
Listen closely to opening melody of John Williams' main theme for the World War II epic "Saving Private Ryan." With the snare drums marching in the horizon, the song's crisp trumpet blast is a clear Copland descendant.
Or the first movement of Williams' theme for "Superman." A similar horn melody signals the swelling symphony is about to take flight.
Rain X Wiper Blades In Montreal, "Fanfare for the Commom Man" moves us in one more way: A trio of borrowed notes means the metro train doors are about to open.