The 1963 album Richard Wright called his foundation: “Safely stored in the memory”

Richard Wright identified Aaron Copland’s 1963 album *Appalachian Spring: Bernstein Conducts Copland* as a lasting musical foundation. The Pink Floyd keyboardist said he had been deeply affected by Copland’s melodies and harmonies, and believed the composer’s influence shaped his own work, including the music on *The Dark Side of the Moon*.

Wright discovered Copland while studying music at the Eric Gilder School of Music in the late 1960s, after hearing his work on the radio. He particularly valued the peaceful quality, chord progressions and melodic lines, and said the album remained “safely stored in the memory” despite not having played it for some time. The article connects Copland’s classical influence to the sophisticated harmonies and atmospheric arrangements Wright brought to Pink Floyd.