It is probably safe to contend that the reception history of Adagio for Strings (1934) by American composer Samuel Barber (1910-1981) is unmatched. It has, of course, achieved canonical status in the three versions prepared by its composer--for string quartet, string orchestra, and mixed chorus. In addition, its broad appeal to classical music lovers as well as to members of the general public has resulted in an array of transcriptions and arrangements. But what becomes ultimately compelling is the spectrum of social contexts where this music is heard and been enthusiastically embraced: in the discotheque and on the modern dance stage, at the movie theater and on television, during memorial services and demonstrations of patriotism, at rock concerts and the circus, in therapy sessions and scientific research, at figure-skating competitions and other sporting events, at weddings and funerals, and on the Internet. In 2011 over 29,000 hits for Adagio for Strings could be found on YouTube alone. There are fascinating connections to poetry and fiction, paintings and sculpture, ring tones and crossword puzzles. Wayne Wentzel's study of this beloved work represents the most exhaustive consideration to date. He not only provides a well documented account of its birth and infancy but its adolescence--when it moved beyond the expected concert setting--and its maturity--when it became a pervasive feature of Western culture in both its cultivated and popular realms. Musical analysis and references to a host of testimonials and assessments are bolstered by discographical and bibliographical reports. Professor Wentzel concludes the volume with thoughtful speculation on the meaning of Barber's masterpiece and wrestles with inevitable and yet controversial questions: Is it American? Is it sad? Is it gay? And, after more that seventy-five years, is it trite?--Publisher description.
"Whenever the American dream suffers a catastrophic setback, Barber’s Adagio plays on the radio.” —Alex Ross, author of The Rest is Noise In the first book ever to explore Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings, music and literary ...
29 Dover Beach gained recognition from Ralph Vaughan Williams, who heard it in 1932 when he lectured at Bryn Mawr College. Shortly after Barber completed the final version of the work, he visited the British composer and sang the song ...
Zimbalist's stepmother was Mary Curtis Bok, who had encouraged Barber through much of his early career. See also Viles's dissertation, Item 774. Keeler, James W. “Progam Notes: Fourth Faculty Commemorative Series Honoring Samuel Barber ...
Esther Hinds was Cleopatra, Jeffrey Wells played Antony, and Christian Badea conducted the orchestra. Four performances taped during the festivals were ... Example 17.2 (facing) Antony and Cleopatra, act I, scene 2 (G. Schirmer, 1976).
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2 (“Flight Symphony”), Op. 19, xxv, 246–50, 459 Szell, George, 251 Taylor, Deems, 56, 110 Tcherkassky, Marianna, 385 Teatro Caio Melisso, Spoleto, Italy, 372 Te Kanawa, Kiri, 353 Temple University Chorus, 452 Tennyson, Alfred, Lord, 41, ...
Samuel Barber: Adagio for Strings Arranged for Flute Quartet (score and Parts).
Study Score
Compulsively readable interviews with the great American composer and his friends and colleagues, including Aaron Copland, Virgil Thomson, and Leontyne Price.
... 112 , 535 , 539 , 552 Dobrin , Peter 41 Dolph , Heather Marie 359 Donovan , Richard 66 Downes , Edward 319 Downes ... Donald R. 448 Chotzinoff , Samuel 471 Christ , Judith 16 Chung , Ok Jo 485 Clark , Robert 578 Clough , Francis F.