The 20th century American composer Samuel Barber won two Pulitzer prizes; but he was too conservative to become popular and fashionable.
Barber, a generous man, was also a tough romantic. Unlike most of his contemporaries, he was a firm advocate of what seemed to be a lost cause - the primacy of lyricism. Ironically, he achieved posthumous acclaim as his creations ranked among America’s most widely performed and recorded, towards the end of the last century. Special mention should be made of his emotive Adagio for Strings and Violin Concerto, which are outranked in popularity only by some of the works of Aaron Copland.
In 1924, Barber entered Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music. His precocity as a composer outshone his considerable abilities as a pianist and his talent as a baritone. (He, and Gian Carlo Menotti, the future opera composer, whom he met at the Institute, subsequently became lifelong lovers.) The lively School for Scandal Overture, a dearly loved concert opener, is his composition for his graduation from Curtis in 1933.
For James Agee’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Barber’s composition, with its... show more

The 20th century American composer Samuel Barber won two Pulitzer prizes; but he was too conservative to become popular and fashionable.
Barber, a generous man, was also a tough romantic. Unlike most of his contemporaries, he was a firm advocate of what seemed to be a lost cause - the primacy of lyricism. Ironically, he achieved posthumous acclaim as his creations ranked among America’s most widely performed and recorded, towards the end of the last century. Special mention should be made of his emotive Adagio for Strings and Violin Concerto, which are outranked in popularity only by some of the works of Aaron Copland.
In 1924, Barber entered Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music. His precocity as a composer outshone his considerable abilities as a pianist and his talent as a baritone. (He, and Gian Carlo Menotti, the future opera composer, whom he met at the Institute, subsequently became lifelong lovers.) The lively School for Scandal Overture, a dearly loved concert opener, is his composition for his graduation from Curtis in 1933.
For James Agee’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Barber’s composition, with its tender setting for soprano and chamber orchestra, is the most popular among his art songs; and his art songs are more popular than those of any other American composer. Barber was skilful in writing both long and short orchestral pieces. Among his longer pieces are his three Essays for Orchestra, known for the directness of their emotional content; the second of these has been created with the most expertise, and has drawn wide acclaim. His abstract works, faithful to traditional formats, got their impetus from a dramatic expressivity which had dropped out of fashion since the time of Sibelius. Music for a Scene from Shelly is a good example. Other important works, in the category of large forms, are: an ambitious piano sonata, one concerto each for cello, piano, and violin; and two symphonies; from his string quartet was drawn the Adagio for Strings, which Arturo Toscanini had first popularized. Barber’s talent went beyond the abstract. His literary interests and his excellent choice of texts inspired him to compose some short allusive orchestral pieces. His tender setting for soprano and chamber orchestra of James Agee’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915, is perhaps his most popular work.
Barber’s stage compositions were moderately successful, though his Vanessa won a Pulitzer prize in 1958. (His Piano Concerto won the second.) But Vanessa, like many other American operas, was soon forgotten. The popularity of orchestral excerpts from Medea, created in 1947 as a dance score for Martha Graham, outlasted that of the main composition itself. Anthony and Cleopatra, written in 1966 for the inauguration of the new Metropolitan Opera House, was received with hostile criticism; deeply upset, Barber’s creations were few thereafter. He preferred conservativeness to fashion; his tonality continued to be secure, though his harmony was severe; he would write good melodies when he chose, and his work was characterized by strong and clear rhythms.
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