The 100 Greatest Brooklynites of All Time: 10 to 6
Born in Prospect Heights, Copland would go to become America’s most important composer, crafting the sound that now we just call American music: a blend of folk, religious and concert hall styles that evoke the vastness of the American West and its pioneer settlers, reinforcing a mythos through sound. We dare you to listen to Appalachian Spring and not feel immensely proud to be an American. YOU CAN’T DO IT. (Bonus points, he’s beloved by two other great Brooklynites, Woody Allen and Spike Lee.)