Samuel Barber

1. Samuel Barber Biography

2. Early Life • Born: March 9, 1910 • He was the oldest of two children • He was raised in West Chester, New york • Parents: • Marguerite McLeod (Pianist) • Samuel Le Roy Barber (Physician) • Samuel was musically inclined from a very young age, and never had any desire to pursue any other paths.

3. Musical Training • After her initial reluctance, Samuel’s mother became his first teacher and laid the groundwork for his musical career. • William Hatton was his first formal teacher • He completed his first musical at the age of seven • Samuel was considered a child prodigy • Other influences included: • His Aunt, Louise Homer, sang at the Metropolitan Opera • His Uncle, Sydney Homer, was a composer.

4. Musical Training Continued… • At 14 years old Samuel enrolled at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia • He chose to study three disciplines initially: • Composition • Piano • Voice • www.curtis.edu • He was able to study under numerous renown musicians, furthering his education. • While attending school he was the recipient of numerous awards, allowing him to finance further education in Europe.

5. Early Career • Samuel’s career began as his studies in Philadelphia concluded • Initial successes included: • A radio show dedicated entirely to his music • The symphonic poem, “A Scene from Shelley” was a massive success at Carnegie Hall. • He became the recipient of a Pulitzer Prize Travelling Scholarship that allowed him to attend the American Academy of Rome.

6. American Academy of Rome • Works composed while in Rome: • “First Symphony” • “Sure on this Shining Night” • “String Quartet”

7. Significant Achievements • His compositions were performed by the following groups or individuals: • Vladimir Horowitz • Eleanor Steber • Raya Garbousova(more info in later slides) • John Browning • The Philadelphia Orchestra • NBC Symphony Orchestra

8. Famous Works • In 1938 he wrote his most famous work “Adagio for Strings” and the NBC Orchestra performed it under the direction of Arturo Toscanini; this was significant as Toscanini only occasionally performed works by American composers. • A highlight of his career was the commission he received to write a concerto for Raya Garbousova, a famous Russian Cellist. His “Cello Concerto” went on to be one of his best compositions, and a personal favorite

9. Later Life • A few years after his success with his “Cello Concerto” Samuel’s luck took a turn for the worse. In a short span his Father, little sister, and Aunt Louise passed away. • Adding to his grief was the negative reviews of his opera, “Antony and Cleopatra” • Samuel fell into depression and struggled with Alcoholism. • To his credit, Samuel continued to write music and never allowed morbidity to pass into his works. • In 1981 and the age of 70 Samuel Barber passed away after living a purpose filled life.

10. Cello Concerto • January 1945: • As a young corporal in the US Army Air Force Barber was commissioned by John Brown, on behalf of Raya Garbousova, to compose a cello concerto. • Garbousova was a well known cellists at the time. • While he was writing Samuel had Garbousova play every piece in her repertoire so he could better understand her style. • Eleven months later in November 1945 the work was completed • The composition was made up of three parts: • Allegro Moderato • Andante Sostenuto • Molto Allegro e Appassionato

11. Cello Concerto Continued… • It premiered on April 4, 1946 in Boston’s Symphony Hall. Although the premier was successful, it enjoyed greater acclaim while on tour at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Later that year the concerto received the Fifth Annual Award as “exceptional among orchestral compositions performed for the first time during the concert season.” • Serge Koussevitzky was allegedly quoted as saying that he thought Barber’s work would be to the 20th century what Brahms’ violin concerto was to the 19th.

12. Listening Guide to Samuel Barber’s“Cello Concerto”

13. Listening Guide: • 0:00 Introduction - This piece begins with great forte dynamics. The melody of this section seems to form an arch. Starting with the three notes, adding more notes with a faster tempo, and then ending with the same three notes it started with. • 0:07 - Here the volume decrescendos a little bit to a softer dynamic. The melody here starts to become clear. It creates a wave like image going from one note, jumping to a higher note, and then down to the first. • 0:19 - The music begins to have a darker fill to it. The pitch goes way down, the tempo is uneven with gaps between notes creating a feeling of suspense. • 0:28 Chorus - The wave like melody reappears along with the even and steady harmony. The rhythm is calming due to the notes being held longer on the strings. • 0:41 - The melody of this section is simple. It is four solid beats with the same low pitch. The harmony is the underlying strings going back and forth on two notes.

14. Listening Guide Continued… • 1:05 – The melody seems to be in a minor key. It has that sad tone to it. The harmony is only in the first 10 seconds of the clip. It sounds like one solid note for the entire 10 seconds. • 1:51 – This whole section has a forum repeating the notes of the melody in different keys, tempos, dynamics, and each time it is repeated a new instrument joins in. • 3:02 Chorus • 4:18 – This section shows a lot of similarities to 1:05. Its form is the same repetitive melody and rhythm. • 4:47 – The melody here follows the same pattern as section 1:51. It has the same flow and essence along with a few added surprises. The dynamics here change frequently using a lot of crescendos and decrescendos. • 5:39 – The melody here is not present until a few seconds in. The harmony starts and is very staccato. • 7:16 - The wave like melody reappears along with the even and steady harmony. The rhythm is calming due to the notes being held longer on the strings. Each note flows right into the other creating fluidity through this section.

15. Listening Guide Continued.. • 8:33 – The melody here is very soothing and relaxing. It is soft and very melodic. The rhythm is slow and even then changes to fast and unsteady. The Tempo changes to fast chopping then goes back to slow and smooth. • 10:24 Chorus • 12:32 Finale - The melody feels like a chase in harmony with the drums. The rhythm is fast and lively. The texture is homophonic with all the instruments playing at once. It switches back and forth between having the instruments play and then only have a few play.