Appalachian Spring
- Program
- Appalachian Spring
- Producing Organization
- WQED (Television station : Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- WQED (Television station : Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- WQED (Television station : Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- Contributing Organization
- WQED (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
- Library of Congress (Washington, District of Columbia)
- AAPB ID
- cpb-aacip/120-76rxwn6x
- NOLA Code
- APSP
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- Description
- Program Description
- This film of Martha Graham's ballet set to Aaron Copland's music has won a first prize in the television category at the Venice Festival of Documentaries and Short Subjects. It is only full-length ballet by Martha Graham on film and the music on which the ballet is based won a Pulitzer Prize in 1945. "Appalachian Spring" is a folk tale set in the Appalachian wilderness of Pennsylvania during the pioneer period of American history. Its characters are a young pioneer, his bride (Martha Graham), a pioneer woman, a wandering preacher and his small band of followers. The dance tells of the young couple's wedding day, the building of their house, their celebration, the preacher's dire sermon, the pioneer woman's gentle blessing, and the day's end as they start life together. The film was a result of a question asked of Martha Graham at WQED, Pittsburgh, in 1956, following the premiere of the NETRC show, "A Dancer's World." She answered that if any ballet of hers was filmed, it should be "Appalachian Spring." The filming took place during the summer of 1958. Produced for the Center by WQED, in cooperation with Chatham College, the world premiere of the film was held at the college chapel January 14, 1959. The film was produced by Nathan Kroll, and directed by Peter Glushanok. Martha Graham was born in Pittsburgh and at the age of ten moved to Santa Barbara, California with her father, a physician. She did not study dancing until she was in her third year of high school. She studied at the Denishawn School in Los Angeles. She became a teacher there and later a soloist with the Denishawn Concert Company. During 1924-25, she taught at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY and made her debut in recital in 1926. In 1932 the Guggenheim Foundation gave her the first scholarship it had awarded to a dancer. Since 1939 she has toured the United States extensively, and in 1954 she and her company spent four months in Europe. In 1955-56, they toured the Far East under the International Exchange program. Aaron Copland has become identified with music that is typically American in spirit. He is a prolific composer for orchestra, piano, organ, voice, and violin. His Third Symphony was described by Serge Koussevitzky as the greatest American symphony. In 1950, his musical score of the motion picture "the Heiress," won him an Oscar. He also composed music for "Of Mice and Men," and "Our Town." His repertoire of compositions and his devotion to the development of young creative talent and musical organizations have earned him the title of dean of contemporary American composers. Isamu Noguchi, who designed the sets for the film, has studied in New York, Paris, Peking, and Kyoto. He has been exhibiting since 1929. In 1952, he designed the Peace Park bridges in Hiroshima. He executed the relief sculpture on the Associated Press Building in New York City. (Description adapted from documents in the NET Microfiche)
- Broadcast Date
- 1960-06-00
- Asset type
- Program
- Genres
- Performance
- Topics
- Performing Arts
- Dance
- Media type
- Moving Image
- Credits
-
-
Choreographer: Graham, Martha
Composer: Copland, Aaron, 1900-1990
Director: Glushanok, Peter
Performer: Graham, Martha
Performer: Graham, Martha
Producer: Kroll, Nathan
Producer: Kroll, Nathan
Producing Organization: WQED (Television station : Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Producing Organization: WQED (Television station : Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Producing Organization: WQED (Television station : Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Set Designer: Noguchi, Isamu
- AAPB Contributor Holdings
-
WQED-TV
Identifier: 3718 (WQED)
Format: 16mm film
-
Library of Congress
Identifier: 2411872-1 (MAVIS Item ID)
Format: 16mm film
Generation: Copy: Access
Color: B&W
-
Indiana University Libraries Moving Image Archive
Identifier: [request film based on title] (Indiana University)
Format: 16mm film
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- Citations
- Chicago: “Appalachian Spring,” 1960-06-00, WQED, Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed April 29, 2025, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-120-76rxwn6x.
- MLA: “Appalachian Spring.” 1960-06-00. WQED, Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. April 29, 2025. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-120-76rxwn6x>.
- APA: Appalachian Spring. Boston, MA: WQED, Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-120-76rxwn6x