The Cat and the Mouse
Encyclopedia
The Cat and The Mouse is a composition by the American classical music
composer Aaron Copland
. The first of his works to be published, it was written shortly before he began his schooling in Paris, France in 1921. It was based on Jean de la Fontaine
's fable of The Old Cat and the Young Mouse
and bears a resemblance to the slightly earlier O gato e o rato by Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos
.
American classical music
American classical music is music written in the United States but in the European classical music tradition. In many cases, beginning in the 18th century, it has been influenced by American folk music styles; and from the 20th century to the present day it has often been influenced by folk, jazz,...
composer Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later in his career a conductor of his own and other American music. He was instrumental in forging a distinctly American style of composition, and is often referred to as "the Dean of American Composers"...
. The first of his works to be published, it was written shortly before he began his schooling in Paris, France in 1921. It was based on Jean de la Fontaine
Jean de La Fontaine
Jean de La Fontaine was the most famous French fabulist and one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century. He is known above all for his Fables, which provided a model for subsequent fabulists across Europe and numerous alternative versions in France, and in French regional...
's fable of The Old Cat and the Young Mouse
The Old Cat and the Young Mouse
The Old Cat and the Young Mouse is a late fable by Jean de la Fontaine . Written towards the end of his life, its grim conclusion is that 'Youth thinks its every wish will gain success; Old age is pitiless.'...
and bears a resemblance to the slightly earlier O gato e o rato by Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos
Heitor Villa-Lobos
Heitor Villa-Lobos was a Brazilian composer, described as "the single most significant creative figure in 20th-century Brazilian art music". Villa-Lobos has become the best-known and most significant Latin American composer to date. He wrote numerous orchestral, chamber, instrumental and vocal works...
.