In the Beginning (Copland)

Copland set the text of the creation narrative from the Book of Genesis, using the King James Version of the Bible. The text follows the six days of creation from the formation of light through the creation of humanity, narrated by a mezzo-soprano soloist with the chorus responding and amplifying the narrative.

The work is scored for a mezzo-soprano soloist and an unaccompanied mixed chorus, with no instrumental accompaniment whatsoever. This a cappella setting places extraordinary demands on the chorus, as it must sustain the harmonic structure and dramatic pacing entirely through voices alone across an extended work.

Copland composed the work in 1947, during a productive period in his career that followed his well-known ballet scores such as Appalachian Spring and Billy the Kid. It was commissioned for a choral performance context, and it stands as one of the most ambitious American choral works of the mid-twentieth century.

The work is an extended choral composition lasting roughly 30 minutes in performance, making it one of the most substantial a cappella choral works by an American composer. Its length and difficulty have made it a significant challenge for advanced choruses, and it is considered a major work in the American choral repertoire.