Editing Appalachian Spring (section)

== History ==

=== Background ===
During the late 1920s and early 1930s, [[Aaron Copland]] spent much of his time promoting American composers and music.{{Sfn|Philip|2018|p=182}} Copland's compositions during this time turned jazzy and dissonant,{{Sfn|Ross|2007|pp=292–293}}{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=113}} a style that interested few.{{Sfn|Philip|2018|p=182}} During the [[Great Depression]], his [[left-wing political stances]] strengthened, motivated by addressing the concerns of ordinary people.{{Sfn|Pollack|2013|loc=1. Life}}{{Sfn|Philip|2018|p=182}}{{Sfn|Ross|2007|p=297}} This initiated the idea of music that was simple and accessible enough to be liked by the general public,{{Sfn|Philip|2018|p=182}}{{Sfn|Crist|2005|p=23}} a concept pioneered in his opera for children ''[[The Second Hurricane]]'' (1937) and his greatly successful ballet ''[[El Salón México]]'' (1936).{{Sfn|Philip|2018|p=182}}{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|pp=302–303}}{{Sfn|Copland|Perlis|1984|p=245}} This "ordinary music" idea is present in ''Appalachian Spring''; Copland remarked in a 1980 interview that the music was "plain, singing, comparatively uncomplicated and slightly folksy. Direct and approachable".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dickinson |first=Peter |title=Peter Dickinson: Words and Music |publisher=Boydell & Brewer |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-78204-666-0 |edition=1 |pages=80 |chapter=Charles Ives and Aaron Copland |doi=10.1017/9781782046660.006 |access-date=August 14, 2023 |chapter-url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/peter-dickinson-words-and-music/charles-ives-and-aaron-copland/CBDA2499EA4CC7BFFD52B0BABC64051B}}</ref> The composer solidified his [[Populism|populist]] and [[Americana (music)|Americana]] style with ballets like ''[[Billy the Kid (ballet)|Billy the Kid]]'' (1938) and ''[[Rodeo (ballet)|Rodeo]]'' (1942),{{Sfn|Ross|2007|p=300}}{{Sfn|Oja|Tick|2005|p=94}} both of which used [[cowboy songs]] and fit with the popular stereotypes about the [[Wild West]].{{Sfn|Oja|Tick|2005|p=94}}{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|pp=320, 322}} In addition, ''[[Lincoln Portrait]]'' (1942) and ''[[Fanfare for the Common Man]]'' (1942) received widespread acclaim for their American themes, distinguishing Copland's versatility as a composer.{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=362}}

[[Martha Graham]] was a modern dancer and choreographer best known for creating the "[[Graham technique]]" of dance.{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=389}}<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Teachout |first=Terry |date=June 8, 1998 |title=The Dancer Martha Graham |url=https://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,988513,00.html |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |language=en-US |access-date=August 10, 2023}}</ref> The [[Martha Graham Dance Company]] originally consisted of only women due to Graham's feminism; this played a key role in productions like ''[[American Document]]'' (1938), which mixed important moments in [[History of the United States|American history]] with [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] themes and [[American Folklore|American folklore]].{{Sfn|Rutkoff|Scott|1995|p=214}} In the 1930s, she began commissioning scores from various composers; the scenarios often involved American history and [[Culture of the United States|culture]].{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=389}}

=== Commission and writing ===
In 1941, Graham proposed to Copland a dark ballet about the Greek mythology figure [[Medea]]; despite being a great admirer of Graham, he declined.{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=391}} The following year, [[Erick Hawkins]], the chief male dancer in Graham's dance company, convinced the music patron [[Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge]] to commission a ballet from Copland for Graham's company; Copland happily accepted the offer.{{Sfn|Rutkoff|Scott|1995|p=215}} Graham first proposed a scenario titled "[[La hija de Cólquide|Daughter of Colchis]]", which was inspired by the story of Medea but set in 19th-century [[New England]]. Copland found it "too severe", and the idea was given to another Coolidge commissionee, [[Carlos Chávez]].{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=391}} In May 1943, Graham sent Copland a scenario titled "House of Victory", about a newlywed couple in a small 19th-century [[Pennsylvania]] settlement. Copland revised the scenario before composing the music, though his occupation with the score for ''[[The North Star (1943 film)|The North Star]]'' caused the beginning of his work to be delayed.{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=391}}{{Sfn|Philip|2018|p=183}}{{Sfn|Fauser|2017|pp=40–41}}

Per Coolidge's commission, the orchestra was to be no bigger than twelve musicians.{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=391}} Copland originally planned to orchestrate it for double [[string quartet]] and piano, but later decided to add a double bass, flute, clarinet, and bassoon, a scoring similar to Chávez's work.{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=392}} During the 1940s, Copland spent much of his time on the [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]] scoring [[Hollywood films]]; as a result, he composed the music for ''Appalachian Spring'' far from Graham's [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]]-based work.{{Sfn|Graham|1991|p=226}}{{Sfn|Franko|2012|p=50}}<ref>{{cite Grove|last1=Lerner|first1=Neil|date=2018|title=Aaron Copland|doi=10.1093/omo/9781561592630.013.3000000119}} {{Subscription required}}</ref> Since he could not meet with Graham, he relied greatly on the various scenarios sent to him. In total, Copland was sent three scripts: the original "House of Victory", and two revisions titled "Name".{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=392}}{{Sfn|Crist|2005|p=167}} In composing the music, he drew from all three scripts to devise his own scenario, which Graham planned around as she received various drafts of the score.{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=393}} Copland used the working title "Ballet for Martha" during the composition process.{{Sfn|Oja|Tick|2005|p=140}}

The original scenario, "House of Victory", used characters based on common American [[Archetype|archetypes]] and was set during the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], but also drew from [[Greek mythology]] and [[French poetry]].{{Efn|In the final scenario, the exact time period is left ambiguous to the entire 19th century.{{sfn|Franko|2012|p=51}}}}{{Sfn|Ross|2007|p=329}}{{Sfn|Stodelle|1984|p=125}} Four main characters were present: the Mother, who represents the [[preindustrial]] American; the Daughter, a brave pioneer; the Citizen, a smart civil rights advocate who marries the Daughter; and the Fugitive, who embodies the [[Slavery during the American Civil War|slave in the Civil War]].{{Efn|The names of these characters were later changed (see {{section link||Production}}).|name=name}}{{Sfn|Ross|2007|p=329}}{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=394}}{{Sfn|Franko|2012|p=54}} Graham based some of the ballet on her own experiences. She grew up in small-town Pennsylvania, and later wrote that the Mother was based on her own grandmother.{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=394}}{{Sfn|Graham|1991|p=232}} Other characters include the Younger Sister, Two Children, and Neighbors.{{Sfn|Franko|2012|p=52}}{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=394}} In the later revisions, a new character was added: a [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] girl to represent the land, associated with the story of [[Pocahontas]]. The Native American girl was meant to act as a theatrical device, interacting with everyone in the ballet without being acknowledged, but the idea was scrapped in Copland's final composition.{{Sfn|Philip|2018|p=183}}{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=394}}{{Sfn|Franko|2012|p=56}} Additionally, Graham planned for the Mother to speak excerpts from the [[Book of Genesis]] throughout, "not in a religious sense so much as in a poetic sense";{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=395}} this too was cut by the premiere.{{Sfn|Crist|2005|p=171}}

The final scenario featured eight episodes:{{Efn|See {{harvtxt|Crist|2005|p=168}} for a table comparison of differences between the "Name" scripts and the final ''Appalachian Spring'' scenario.}}

# Prologue: Graham did not want this opening episode to be long; she wanted it to have "a sense of simple celebration". As the lights went up, the Mother observed her land.{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=395}}
# Eden Valley: The Daughter and the Citizen dance together in a "duet of courtship".{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=395}}
# Wedding Day: Graham divided this episode into two parts. The first opens with a dance between the Younger Sister and the Two Children. The Citizen exhibits his strength before carrying the Daughter into the couple's new home. In the second part, the Daughter and the Citizen dance a love scene in the home, while those outside celebrate in an "[[Charivari#North America|old fashion charivari]]".{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=395}}
# Interlude: This episode depicts daily life in the town during spring planting.{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=395}}
# Fear in the Night: The central conflict of the ballet begins in this episode. The Fugitive enters with an "awkward" and "tragic" solo, bringing forth the fear and suffering of the Civil War.{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=395}}{{Sfn|Ross|2007|pp=329–330}}
# Day of Wrath: This episode was intended to represent the tragedies of war, accompanied by music reminiscent of the Civil War. The Citizen dances a violent solo "reminiscent of [[John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry|Harper's Ferry and John Brown]]" while the Two Children play a war game.{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|pp=395–396}}{{Sfn|Philip|2018|p=184}}
# Moment of Crisis: The women of the town gather, their behavior suggesting "a barely suppressed hysteria".{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=396}}
# The Lord's Day: The final scene was intended to depict "[[Sabbath]] in a small town". The Daughter and the Citizen perform a love duet outside the home, and the rest of the community attends a [[revival meeting]].{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=396}}{{Sfn|Ross|2007|p=330}}

The "House of Victory" script included an extra episode after the "Interlude" presenting scenes from ''[[Uncle Tom's Cabin]]'', strengthening the ballet's connection to the Civil War; but, upon Copland's persuasion, Graham cut the episode from the revisions.{{Sfn|Franko|2012|p=52}}{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=396}} In addition, the original script used a different final scene, where the Daughter and the Citizen reunite in the home. The second script ended with "the town settling down for the night" and the Daughter standing at the fence just before the curtain falls. The third script put forth "The Lord's Day" as it would stand in the final scenario.{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=396}}

Graham received half of the score in January 1944 and began work on the choreography.{{Sfn|Fauser|2017|p=41}} Copland completed the [[condensed score]] in June 1944, and the orchestration was finished in August.{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=392}} The premiere was originally set to take place at the [[Library of Congress]] on October 30, 1943, which was Coolidge's birthday. By May 1943, Copland had not begun composing the ballet, and given the further problems introduced by World War II, the premiere was postponed to early 1944.{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=391}} Despite a new December 1943 deadline for the music, a completed score was still not in view, and the premiere was pushed to late 1944.{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=392}}

=== Production ===
[[File:Set of Appalachian Spring.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|[[Isamu Noguchi]]'s set|alt=A stage. People sit under the outline of a house on the left; a figure in a black cloak stands atop a stump]]
Shortly before the premiere, Graham decided upon the title "Appalachian Spring".{{Efn|Copland turned "Ballet for Martha" into the subtitle of the work.{{sfn|Oja|Tick|2005|p=140}}}} It was taken from the cycle of poems ''[[The Bridge (poem)|The Bridge]]''{{Efn|The bridge in question is the [[Brooklyn Bridge]] in New York.{{sfn|Rutkoff|Scott|1995|p=211}}}} by [[Hart Crane]], an American poet also seeking to create unique American art;{{Sfn|Ross|2007|p=330}}{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=401}} one of the poems, titled ''Powhatan's Daughter'', contained the line "O Appalachian Spring!"{{Sfn|Ross|2007|p=330}}{{Sfn|Rutkoff|Scott|1995|pp=216–217}} Crane's work was a great inspiration to Graham while she wrote the various scripts.{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=401}}{{Sfn|Rutkoff|Scott|1995|p=216}}

To construct the set, Graham hired [[Isamu Noguchi]], a sculptor and common collaborator with the company. While planning, she took Noguchi to the [[Museum of Modern Art]] and showed him [[Alberto Giacometti]]'s sculpture ''The Palace at 4 a.m.''{{Efn|See a picture of the statue at the [https://www.moma.org/collection/works/80928 Museum of Modern Art's website].}} as a reference for what she wanted:{{Sfn|Graham|1991|p=223}} something depicting the inside and outside of a house without actually dividing it, a sort of blurred mix. Noguchi's use of an outline of a house served as a metaphor for the general idea of the work being about "the bone structure of a people's living".{{Sfn|Franko|2012|p=47}}{{Sfn|Thomas|1995|pp=154–155}} The set featured the outline of a house, part of a porch with a ledge, a rocking chair, a small fence, and a tree stump (serving as the Revivalist's [[pulpit]]).{{Sfn|Stodelle|1984|p=125}}{{Sfn|Stodelle|1984|pp=154–155}} Edythe Gilfond created the costumes and [[Jean Rosenthal]] designed the lighting.<ref name=":6">{{Cite encyclopedia |year=1998 |title=''Appalachian Spring'' |encyclopedia=International Encyclopedia of Dance |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York |url=https://archive.org/details/internationalenc0000unse_r8u1/mode/2up |access-date=August 17, 2023 |last=Jowitt |first=Deborah |author-link=Deborah Jowitt |editor-last=Cohen |editor-first=Selma Jeanne |editor-link=Selma Jeanne Cohen |volume=1 |pages=96–97 |isbn=978-0-19-512305-0}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Simmons |first=Patricia |date=January 24, 1945 |title=Second Concert of Season for Graham Group |pages=15 |work=[[The Washington Star|Evening Star]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-star-second-concert-of-season-fo/130755027/ |access-date=August 17, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=August 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230827201906/https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-star-second-concert-of-season-fo/130755027/ |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Sfn|Rutkoff|Scott|1995|p=221}}

Many changes were made to the scenario after the score was finished. The Younger Sister, the Two Children, and the Neighbors were all cut, and the rest of the cast was renamed: the Daughter to the Bride; the Citizen to the Husbandman; the Mother to the Pioneer Woman; and the Fugitive to the [[Revivalist movement|Revivalist]].{{Efn|For the sake of consistency, this article will use these new names from now on.}}{{Sfn|Philip|2018|p=183}}{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=402}} Four Followers of the Revivalist were added to the cast for a total of nine dancers in the ballet.{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=402}} The choreography often deviated from both the final scenario and Copland's annotations in the score; for example, the closing love duet between the Bride and the Husbandman became a dance between the Revivalist and his four Followers.{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|pp=402–403}} Regardless, Copland was not irritated by this, later commenting, "That kind of decision is the choreographer's, and it doesn't bother me a bit, especially when it works."<ref>{{Harvtxt|Philip|2018|p=183}} quoting {{Harvtxt|Pollack|1999|p=393}}.</ref> The cast at the premiere starred Graham as the Bride, Hawkins as the Husbandman, [[May O'Donnell]] as the Pioneer Woman, and [[Merce Cunningham]] as the Revivalist.{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=404}} [[Yuriko (dancer)|Yuriko]], [[Pearl Lang]], Nina Fonaroff, and [[Marjorie Mazia]] danced the Revivalist's followers.{{Sfn|Oja|Tick|2005|p=137}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Simmons |first=Patricia |date=October 31, 1944 |title=Graham Group Dances Trio of New Works |pages=25 |work=[[The Washington Star|Evening Star]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-star-graham-group-dances-trio-of/130755195/ |url-status=live |access-date=August 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230815222623/https://www.newspapers.com/image/868074064/ |archive-date=August 15, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

Graham's performance was young and lively, which critics praised.{{Sfn|de Mille|1991|p=261}}<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Robinson |first=Emily |date=April 8, 2019 |title=When Autumn in D.C. Felt Like an Appalachian Spring |url=https://boundarystones.weta.org/2019/04/08/when-autumn-dc-felt-appalachian-spring |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230812214126/https://boundarystones.weta.org/2019/04/08/when-autumn-dc-felt-appalachian-spring |archive-date=August 12, 2023 |access-date=August 12, 2023 |website=Boundary Stones |publisher=WETA |language=en}}</ref> On the contrary, Hawkins was stiffer and exhibited the masculinity of the role, but later performers were more supple with movements. Cunningham, who choreographed his own solo during "Fear of the Night", was instructed to display great anger; Graham later described the role to a new dancer as being "ninety-nine percent sex and one percent religion: a real popular spellbinder, a magnetic man who had power over women."{{Sfn|de Mille|1991|p=261}} Graham's vision for the four Followers was spontaneity; they would remain perfectly still until their time came, and when they did dance, it would be with energy and focus. [[Agnes de Mille]], fellow choreographer and close friend of Graham's, pointed out that many subsequent productions featured cute and perky Followers, but that this was not Graham's original intention.{{Sfn|de Mille|1991|pp=262, 510}} Much of the contrast between female and male characters was intentional. While the female characters remained bouncy and light, the male characters were stiff and took up much space.{{Sfn|Franko|2012|pp=62–63}}

The press described the choreography as simple and precise.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":7">{{Cite news |last=Evans |first=Lee |date=May 20, 1945 |title=Vivid Impressions Are Made By Latest Graham Dances |pages=35 |work=[[The Cincinnati Enquirer]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-cincinnati-enquirer-vivid-impression/130755522/ |access-date=August 17, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=August 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230827201817/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-cincinnati-enquirer-vivid-impression/130755522/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":9">{{Cite news |last=Martin |first=John |date=May 15, 1941 |title=Graham Dancers Open at National: ''Appalachian Spring'' Premiere Feature of First of Seven Programs by Troupe |pages=23 |work=[[The New York Times]] |id={{ProQuest|107299477}}}}</ref> Despite being set during such a scenario, the choreography does not explicitly depict a wedding; rather, the dance expresses the emotions of individual characters.<ref name=":6" /> This non-literal plot allowed for free emotional interpretation by the audience.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kastendieck |first=Miles |date=May 15, 1945 |title=Martha Graham Introduces ''Appalachian Spring'' in Opening at the National |pages=15 |work=[[The Brooklyn Daily Eagle]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-martha-graham-i/130755593/ |access-date=August 17, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=August 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230827201817/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-martha-graham-i/130755593/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The Bride's movements featured quick patterns that stayed within an imaginary box around her. This contrasted with the Revivalist's strict posture and the flowing movements of the Pioneer Woman.<ref>{{Cite news |last=W. |first=P. |date=January 28, 1945 |title=The Dance |pages=12 |work=[[The Boston Globe]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-the-dance/130755655/ |access-date=August 17, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=August 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230827201832/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-the-dance/130755655/ |url-status=live }}</ref> One reviewer pointed out the solitude of the characters and its manifestation in their movements, writing, "The separateness of still figures... which their poses emphasize, suggests that people who live in these hills are accustomed to spending much of their time alone."<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 10, 1945 |title=Martha Graham in New Triumphs in New York |pages=8 |work=[[Santa Barbara News-Press]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/santa-barbara-news-press-martha-graham-i/130755743/ |access-date=August 17, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=August 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230827202346/https://www.newspapers.com/article/santa-barbara-news-press-martha-graham-i/130755743/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Initial run and reception ===
''Appalachian Spring'' premiered on October 30, 1944, at the [[Coolidge Auditorium]], conducted by [[Louis Horst]], the music director of the company.{{Efn|''Appalachian Spring'' premiered alongside two other Coolidge commissions: ''[[Hérodiade (ballet)|Hérodiade]]'', set to music by Hindemith, and ''[[Imagined Wing]]'', set to music titled ''Jeux de Printemps'' by [[Milhaud]].<ref name="loc1"></ref>}}{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|pp=391, 404}}{{Sfn|Stodelle|1984|p=129}} The premiere was the closing concert of a four-day chamber music festival honoring Coolidge's 80th birthday.{{Sfn|Copland|Crist|Shirley|2008|p=164}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Martin |first=J. |date=October 8, 1944 |title=Announcement of a Performance of Martha Graham's Commission by the Coolidge Foundation |work=[[The New York Times]] |type=PDF |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200153490/ |url-status=live |access-date=August 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230812215624/https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200153490/ |archive-date=August 12, 2023 |via=[[Library of Congress]]}}</ref> Copland had not attended any of the rehearsals at Graham's request, first seeing the full performance a day before the premiere.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Lunden |first=Jeff |date=November 13, 2000 |title=''Appalachian Spring'' |work=[[All Things Considered]] |publisher=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/2000/11/13/1113916/npr-100-i-appalachian-spring-i |access-date=August 13, 2023 |archive-date=August 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230813125641/https://www.npr.org/2000/11/13/1113916/npr-100-i-appalachian-spring-i |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=393}} The ballet was well-received by critics and the public.{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=404}}<ref name="loc1">{{Cite web |title=''Appalachian Spring'' |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200154833/ |access-date=August 12, 2023 |website=[[Library of Congress]] |archive-date=February 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230221230428/https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200154833 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Sfn|Stodelle|1984|p=130}} ''[[The New York Times]]'' critic [[John Martin (dance critic)|John Martin]] wrote of the music, "Aaron Copland has written a score of fresh and singing beauty. It is, on its surface, a piece of early Americana, but in reality it is a celebration of the human spirit."<ref name=":8">{{Cite news |last=Martin |first=John |date=November 1, 1944 |title=Graham Dancers in Festival Finale: Repeat Earlier Performance of Three New Works on the Library of Congress Stage |pages=19 |work=[[The New York Times]] |id={{ProQuest|106763600}}}}</ref> The ''Dance Observer'' critic Robert Sabin wrote of the story, "''Appalachian Spring'' works outward into the basic experiences of people living together, love, religious belief, marriage, children, work and human society."<ref name="loc1" /> The dance was also praised; Martin continued, "There is throughout the work a very moving sense of the future, of the fine and simple idealism which animates the highest human motives."<ref name=":8" /> The dance critic Walter Terry praised Graham in particular, writing in 1953, "Miss Graham brought to the role a wonderful radiance which dominated the entire ballet."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Terry |first=Walter |url=https://archive.org/details/iwasthereselecte0000terr/mode/2up |title=I Was There: Selected Dance Reviews and Articles, 1936-1976 |publisher=Marcel Dekker |year=1978 |isbn=978-0-8247-6524-8 |editor-last=Wentink |editor-first=Andrew Mark |series=The Dance Program |location=New York |pages=275 |url-access=limited}}</ref> The group of dancers was commended for being well-trained and enthusiastic.<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |last=Cochrane |first=Robert B. |date=November 1, 1944 |title=Festival of Chamber Music |pages=12 |work=[[The Baltimore Sun]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun-festival-of-chamber-mu/130755361/ |access-date=August 17, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=August 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230827202348/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun-festival-of-chamber-mu/130755361/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Copland's idea for ordinary music continued to be popular; one reviewer commented that it was "comprehensible even to the bored businessman".{{Sfn|Franko|2012|p=52}} Copland himself had a modest opinion of the premiere; a week later, he wrote in a letter: "People seemed to like it so I guess it was all right."{{Sfn|Copland|Crist|Shirley|2008|p=170}}

The great demand for tickets caused a repeat of the October 30 program to occur the following evening.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 26, 1944 |title=Graham Program To Be Repeated |pages=34 |work=[[The Washington Star|Evening Star]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-star-graham-program-to-be-repeat/130755823/ |url-status=live |access-date=August 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230815222624/https://www.newspapers.com/image/868073282/?terms=%22appalachian%20spring%22%20copland&match=1 |archive-date=August 15, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Shortly after the premiere, the Graham Company took ''Appalachian Spring'' on tour across the United States with the same cast. The debut show of the tour took place in [[Washington, D.C.]], on January 23, 1945.{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=404}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Martin |first=John |date=January 14, 1945 |title=The Dance; American Trio – Other Events |pages=X4 |work=[[The New York Times]] |id={{ProQuest|107354492}}}}</ref> The New York premiere of the ballet occurred days after [[Victory in Europe Day]]; the ballet's American populist themes, combined with Copland winning the [[Pulitzer Prize for Music]] in the same week, caused this show to be even more successful.{{Sfn|Pollack|1999|p=404}}{{sfn|Oja|Tick|2005|p=135}}{{Sfn|Ross|2007|p=404}} After every performance sold out, the New York run was extended by one night.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Martin |first=John |date=May 17, 1945 |title=Graham Dancers Offer a Novelty: ''John Brown'' Seen at National, With Erick Hawkins and Will Hare in the Cast |pages=15 |work=[[The New York Times]] |id={{ProQuest|107238616}}}}</ref>

=== Later performances ===
''Appalachian Spring'' remains an essential production in the [[Martha Graham Dance Company]] repertoire.<ref name=":6" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Allen |first=Erin |date=October 9, 2014 |title=Documenting Dance: The Making of {{'}}''Appalachian Spring''{{'}} |url=https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2014/10/documenting-dance-the-making-of-appalachian-spring/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230827202350/https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2014/10/documenting-dance-the-making-of-appalachian-spring/ |archive-date=August 27, 2023 |access-date=August 17, 2023 |website=[[Library of Congress]]}}</ref> Due to the high cost of licensing, the ballet was not performed by another company until 1998, when the [[Colorado Ballet]] staged it led by artistic director Martin Fredmann.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Spiegel |first=Jan Ellen |date=October 11, 1998 |title=Dance; ''Appalachian Spring'' Finds Renewal in the Rockies |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/11/arts/dance-appalachian-spring-finds-renewal-in-the-rockies.html |url-status=live |access-date=August 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230818030028/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/11/arts/dance-appalachian-spring-finds-renewal-in-the-rockies.html |archive-date=August 18, 2023}}</ref> In 2013, the [[Baltimore School for the Arts]] put on a production for the "Appalachian Spring Festival" in association with the Graham Company, which featured a complete performance of the ballet and various art exhibits. It marked the first time a non-professional company was granted permission from the [[Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance|Martha Graham Center]] to perform the ballet.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Tim |date=April 7, 2013 |title={{'}}''Appalachian Spring''{{'}} Training |pages=E1, E7 |work=[[The Baltimore Sun]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun-appalachian-spring-t/130755939/ |url-status=live |access-date=August 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230827202354/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun-appalachian-spring-t/130755939/ |archive-date=August 27, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> ''Appalachian Spring'' has been performed by numerous dance companies since, including the Onium Ballet Project in Hawaii,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mark |first=Steven |date=February 25, 2011 |title=Copland Revisited: A New Choreography of {{'}}''Appalachian Spring''{{'}} Has the Ballet in a New Milieu |pages=79 |work=[[Honolulu Star-Advertiser]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/honolulu-star-advertiser-copland-revisit/130756040/ |url-status=live |access-date=August 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230827202015/https://www.newspapers.com/article/honolulu-star-advertiser-copland-revisit/130756040/ |archive-date=August 27, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> the [[Nashville Ballet]] in Tennessee,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stumpfl |first=Amy |date=March 6, 2016 |title=Nashville Ballet Season Includes Fresh Looks at Familiar Stories |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/life/arts/2016/03/06/nashville-ballet-season-includes-fresh-looks-familiar-stories/81217310/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230827201553/https://www.tennessean.com/story/life/arts/2016/03/06/nashville-ballet-season-includes-fresh-looks-familiar-stories/81217310/ |archive-date=August 27, 2023 |access-date=August 18, 2023 |website=[[The Tennessean]] |language=en-US}}</ref> Dance Kaleidoscope in Indiana,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bongiovanni |first=Domenica |date=May 31, 2018 |title=Indy Dancers Are Presenting {{'}}''Appalachian Spring''{{'}} |pages=A18 |work=[[The Indianapolis Star]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-indianapolis-star-indy-dancers-are-p/130756170/ |access-date=August 18, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> and the [[Sarasota Ballet]] in Florida.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=October 7, 2021 |title=The Sarasota Ballet Returns With New World |url=https://www.balletherald.com/the-sarasota-ballet-returns-with-new-world/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230818121905/https://www.balletherald.com/the-sarasota-ballet-returns-with-new-world/ |archive-date=August 18, 2023 |access-date=August 18, 2023 |website=The Ballet Herald |language=en-US}}</ref>

Many consider ''Appalachian Spring'' one of Copland's best works;<ref name=":1" />{{Sfn|Crist|2005|p=176}} it holds equal notability in the Graham company's repertoire.{{Sfn|de Mille|1991|p=262}}{{Sfn|Robertson|1999|p=8}} The critic [[Terry Teachout]] wrote, "It is probably the greatest piece of classical music composed by an American. Certainly the greatest dance score composed by an American, completely comparable in quality to the great ballets of [[Tchaikovsky]] or [[Stravinsky]]. All that is best about mid-century American music is in this piece."<ref name=":1" /> In addition, the ballet was essential to the development of modern American ballet;{{Sfn|Rutkoff|Scott|1995|pp=210–211}} it and Copland's other Americana works represent the leftist national ideals important to the postwar era,{{Sfn|Oja|Tick|2005|pp=140–141}} but use traditional themes, steering away from the outwardly political works of many New York artists at the time.{{Sfn|Rutkoff|Scott|1995|p=210}} Lynn Garafola compared Copland and Graham's collaboration to that of Stravinsky and [[Diaghilev]]; whereas Stravinsky composed purely Russian scores for Diaghilev's [[Ballets Russes]], Copland composed American music for Graham's company, helping define American dance.{{Sfn|Oja|Tick|p=141|2005}}