which composer] popularized the clarinet
Then, the clarinet, played by the African-American musician Anthony McGill of the Metropolitan Opera orchestra, interjects with a familiar tune. It's Simple Gifts, written in the mid-1800s by a Shaker composer and popularized by Aaron Copland in his 1944 ballet Appalachian Spring.. In the face of the awesome tasks facing Obama, Williams' arrangement of the song conveys a joyous romp filled with confidence and hope.