75
Celebrating the 75th Anniversary
of the premiere of
Appalachian Spring
October 30, 1944
T
he WEDDING DAY has the qualities that are present
in a small town, a new town celebration. It should have
the feeling of a party, that something special is about
to happen. It has some of the COUNTRY FAIR some of the
REVIVAL MEETING, some of the PICNIC and the stage has the
feeling of quicksilver.
The CITIZEN sweeps the DAUGHTER across the doorsill of the
house as though he were carrying his bride over the threshold for the
first time. At once there is a feeling of change. There is a breathless
moment, a suspense, a curiosity, a sense of the secretive whisper
that travels in the eyes of people at a country wedding.
– Martha Graham to Aaron Copland
Photo credit: Martha Graham and Erick Hawkins in Appalachian Spring. With (left to right): May O'Donnell, Marjorie Mazia, Yurkio, Nina Fonaroff. Photograph by Arnold Eagle, 1944. Courtesy of Martha Graham Resources.
