Samuel Barber

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Biography

Born: 1910   Died: 1981   Country: USA   Period: 20th Century
An open-hearted yet tough romantic, Samuel Barber was one of the few twentieth century American composers to fight for the primacy of lyricism. In his last decades he seemed to be losing the battle, but by the end of the century Barber had posthumously become one of America's most widely performed and recorded composers. In particular, his emotive Violin Concerto and Adagio for Strings have gained a popularity exceeded only by certain works of Read more Aaron Copland.

Barber entered the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia in 1924, where he met future opera composer Gian Carlo Menotti; the two would become lifelong lovers. Barber was an able pianist and a baritone of some talent, but he was an even more precocious composer. His 1933 Curtis graduation piece, the spirited School for Scandal Overture, has become a beloved concert opener.

Barber developed into America's most enduring composer of art songs; most popular is his tender setting for soprano and chamber orchestra of James Agee's Knoxville: Summer of 1915. Barber had unerring taste in texts, and his literary interests led him to compose some allusive short orchestral pieces. Yet he was particularly adept at writing abstract works, such as Music for a Scene from Shelley. Many of these are in large forms: two symphonies, one string quartet (from which was drawn the Adagio for Strings, first popularized by Arturo Toscanini), an ambitious piano sonata, and one concerto each for violin, cello, and piano. While following traditional formats, they are propelled by a dramatic expressivity that hadn't been fashionable since Sibelius. Equally direct in their emotional content are his three Essays for Orchestra, the second being the best crafted and most acclaimed.

Barber would have seemed an ideal composer for the stage, but he had limited success in that realm. Medea, a 1947 dance score for Martha Graham, has found greater longevity in orchestral excerpts. His 1958 Vanessa garnered him the first of two Pulitzer Prizes (the second was for his Piano Concerto), but, like most other American operas, it quickly dropped out of sight. Barber wrote Anthony and Cleopatra to open the new Metropolitan Opera House in 1966, but critical reaction was so hostile that he produced very little during his remaining 15 years. Barber was too conservative to be fashionable; his harmony could be astringent, but his tonality remained secure, his rhythms were strong and clear, and he was not above writing a good melody. Read less

Featured Samuel Barber CDs & DVDs:

Vaughan Williams, Barber, Grainger, Fauré / Slatkin, St Louis So
Vaughan Williams, Barber, Grainger, Fauré / Slatkin, St Louis So
Release Date: 10/25/1990   Label: Telarc  
Catalog: 80059   Number of Discs: 1
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Samuel Barber - An American Romantic / Johnson, Conspirare
Samuel Barber - An American Romantic / Johnson, Conspirare
Release Date: 09/12/2012   Label: Harmonia Mundi  
Catalog: 807522   Number of Discs: 1
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Sibelius: Violin Concerto; Barber: Violin Concerto; Ben-haim; Three Songs Without Words
Sibelius: Violin Concerto; Barber: Violin Concerto; Ben-haim; Three Songs Without Words
Release Date: 10/08/2013   Label: Msr  
Catalog: 1459   Number of Discs: 1
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Menotti, Barber: Violin Concerti / Ricci, Clark, Pacific Sym
Menotti, Barber: Violin Concerti / Ricci, Clark, Pacific Sym
Release Date: 12/17/1993   Label: Reference Recordings  
Catalog: 45   Number of Discs: 1
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Barber: Agnus Dei / The Sixteen
Barber: Agnus Dei / The Sixteen
Release Date: 04/19/2005   Label: Coro  
Catalog: 16031   Number of Discs: 1
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Work: Adagio for Strings, Op. 11

Browse 1-25 of 221 Available Recordings
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  • 1.
    The Only Classical Album You Will Ever Need
    The Only Classical Album You Will Ever Need
    Label: Vanguard   Catalog: 6706 Release Date: 12/31/2025   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Tomaso Albinoni,  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Samuel Barber
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  • 2.
    Berlin Philharmonic - Centenary Edition
    Berlin Philharmonic - Centenary Edition
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 001923302 Release Date: 10/22/2013   Number of Discs: 50
    Composer:  Ludwig van Beethoven,  Hector Berlioz,  Richard Wagner,  Richard Strauss  ... 
    Performer:  Géza Anda,  Walter Berry,  Gundula Janowitz,  Hilde Rössl-Majdan  ... 
    Conductor:  Arthur Nikisch,  Alfred Hertz,  Richard Strauss,  Bruno Walter  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra,  Vienna Singverein,  Swedish Radio Chorus  ... 
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    CD: $99.99
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  • 3.
    Music Of Steel - Heroic Themes From The Movies
    Music Of Steel - Heroic Themes From The Movies
    Label: Decca   Catalog: 001871502 Release Date: 07/09/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  John Williams,  Gioachino Rossini,  Richard Strauss,  Richard Wagner  ... 
    Performer:  Helga Dernesch,  Claudia Hellmann,  Marilyn Tyler,  Brigitte Fassbaender  ... 
    Conductor:  Riccardo Chailly,  Sir Georg Solti,  Stanley Black,  Antal Doráti  ... 
    CD: $11.99
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  • 4.
    The Real... Classical
    Label: Sony   Catalog: 3710032 Release Date: 05/27/2013   Number of Discs: 3
    Composer:  Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky,  Samuel Barber,  Gioachino Rossini,  Ludwig van Beethoven  ... 
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  • 5.
    Clarinet Choir Classics
    Clarinet Choir Classics
    Label: Mark Custom Recording Service,   Catalog: 50193 Release Date: 03/26/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Felix Mendelssohn,  Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov,  Ralph Vaughan Williams,  Samuel Barber  ... 
    Performer:  Jenny Maclay,  Piccolo Clarinet] Patrick [Clarinet Sikes,  Michael Tran,  Basset Horn] Keith [Clarinet (Alto) Northover  ... 
    Conductor:  Mitchell Estrin,  David Waybright
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  University of Florida Clarinet Ensemble
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  • 6.
    Phoenix Rising / Margaret Lacy
    Phoenix Rising / Margaret Lacy
    Label: Acis Productions   Catalog: 89385 Release Date: 03/12/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Marcel Dupré,  Robert Elmore,  Roy Perry,  Johann Sebastian Bach  ... 
    Performer:  Margaret Lacy
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  • 7.
    Barber: Cello Concerto, Sonata, Adagio / Poltera, Stott, Litton
    Barber: Cello Concerto, Sonata, Adagio / Poltera, Stott, Litton
    Label: Bis   Catalog: 1827 Release Date: 01/22/2013   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Samuel Barber
    Performer:  Christian Poltera,  Kathryn Stott
    Conductor:  Andrew Litton
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
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  • 8.
    Essential 20th Century Classics
    Essential 20th Century Classics
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 234372 Release Date: 01/22/2013   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Sergei Prokofiev,  Joaquin Rodrigo,  Aram Khachaturian,  Sir Edward Elgar  ... 
    Performer:  Jacqueline Du Pré,  Cécile Ousset,  Peter Donohoe,  Stomu Yamashta  ... 
    Conductor:  André Previn,  Simon Rattle,  Yuri Temirkanov,  Sir John Barbirolli  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Ensemble Modern
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  • 9.
    Keep Calm And Carry On
    Label: Mood Media Entertainment   Catalog: 56931 Release Date: 01/01/2013   Number of Discs: 3
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Ludwig van Beethoven,  Johann Pachelbel  ... 
    Performer:  Jenö Jandó,  Balazs Szkolay,  Klára Körmendi,  Péter Nagy  ... 
    Conductor:  Jaroslav Dvorák,  András Ligeti,  Richard Edlinger,  Christian Pollack  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Capella Istropolitana,  Concentus Hungaricus,  Aradia Ensemble
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  • 10.
    50 Shades Of Classical
    50 Shades Of Classical
    Label: Cleopatra   Catalog: 159 Release Date: 11/27/2012   Number of Discs: 3
    Composer:  Ludwig van Beethoven,  Claude Debussy,  Gabriel Fauré,  Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky  ... 
    Performer:  Dubravka Tomsic,  Danielle Dechenne,  Marian Pivka,  Henrik Lagendaal  ... 
    Conductor:  Walter Langer,  Michael Raucheisen,  Ferdinand Lang,  Zdenek Chabala  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Caspar da Salo Quartett
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  • 11.
    Fifty Shades Of Emotions
    Fifty Shades Of Emotions
    Label: Belmondo   Catalog: 53 Release Date: 11/13/2012   Number of Discs: 3
    Composer:  Antonio Vivaldi,  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Samuel Barber,  Johann Sebastian Bach  ... 
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  • 12.
    Eugene Ormandy Conducts 20th Century Classics [12-CD Set]
    Eugene Ormandy Conducts 20th Century Classics [12-CD Set]
    Label: Sony   Catalog: 5417202 Release Date: 11/06/2012   Number of Discs: 12
    Composer:  Gustav Holst,  Claude Debussy,  Maurice Ravel,  Modest Mussorgsky  ... 
    Performer:  John Williams,  Vladimir Ashkenazy,  Van Cliburn,  Isaac Stern  ... 
    Conductor:  Eugene Ormandy
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Philadelphia Orchestra,  Mendelssohn Club Chorus Philadelphia,  Rutgers University Chorus
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  • 13.
    Essential Film Classics
    Essential Film Classics
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 5134 Release Date: 10/09/2012   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Richard Strauss,  Richard Wagner,  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Ludwig van Beethoven  ... 
    Performer:  David Bell,  Cécile Ousset,  Steve Morse,  Manuel Barrueco  ... 
    Conductor:  Klaus Tennstedt,  Mariss Jansons,  Richard Hickox,  Wolfgang Sawallisch  ... 
    CD: $12.99
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  • 14.
    The Greatest Classical Music Ever!: The Best Classical Music In The Movies Ever!
    The Greatest Classical Music Ever!: The Best Classical Music In The Movies Ever!
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 04105 Release Date: 09/18/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  John Williams,  Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky,  Edvard Grieg,  Stanley Myers  ... 
    Performer:  Steve Morse,  Manuel Barrueco,  James Horner,  David Abel  ... 
    Conductor:  Geoff Love,  André Previn,  Sir Thomas Beecham,  Riccardo Muti  ... 
    CD: $8.99
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  • 15.
    Neeme Jarvi - Highlights From A Remarkable 30 Year Recording Career
    Neeme Jarvi - Highlights From A Remarkable 30 Year Recording Career
    Label: Chandos   Catalog: 24144 Release Date: 07/31/2012   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Antonín Dvorák,  Johan Halvorsen,  Gustav Mahler,  Franz von Suppé  ... 
    Performer:  Melina Madozzi,  Linda Finnie,  Laurence Kaptain,  Felicity Lott  ... 
    Conductor:  Neeme Järvi
    CD: $18.99
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  • 16.
    Copland: Fanfare For The Common Man; Barber: Adagio
    Copland: Fanfare For The Common Man; Barber: Adagio
    Label: Decca   Catalog: 001706402 Release Date: 07/24/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Aaron Copland,  Samuel Barber
    Conductor:  Zubin Mehta,  David Zinman
    CD: $8.99
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  • 17.
    Arturo Toscanini - The Complete RCA Collection [84 CDs + DVD]
    Arturo Toscanini - The Complete RCA Collection [84 CDs + DVD]
    Label: Rca   Catalog: 791631 Release Date: 07/10/2012   Number of Discs: 85
    Composer:  Ludwig van Beethoven,  Johannes Brahms,  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Franz Joseph Haydn  ... 
    Performer:  Eileen Farrell,  Nan Merriman,  Jan Peerce,  Norman Scott  ... 
    Conductor:  Arturo Toscanini
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  NBC Symphony Orchestra,  Robert Shaw Chorale,  NBC Symphony Chorus  ... 
    On sale! $149.98
    CD: $103.99
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  • 18.
    Essential American Classics
    Essential American Classics
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 27851 Release Date: 06/05/2012   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Louis M. Gottschalk,  Stephen Foster,  Edward MacDowell,  John Philip Sousa  ... 
    Performer:  Leonard Pennario,  Salli Terri,  Evan Stover,  Jay Ungar  ... 
    Conductor:  Timothy Foley,  Simon Rattle,  Leonard Slatkin,  Felix Slatkin  ... 
    CD: $12.99
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  • 19.
    Amstel Tracks Now! / Amstel Quartet
    Amstel Tracks Now! / Amstel Quartet
    Label: Challenge   Catalog: 72534 Release Date: 04/10/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Guillermo Lago,  Johannes Brahms,  Michael Nyman  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Amstel Quartet
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  • 20.
    American Stringbook / Dogma Chamber Orchestra
    American Stringbook / Dogma Chamber Orchestra
    Label: Audiomax   Catalog: 9121717 Release Date: 03/13/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  David Diamond,  Samuel Barber,  Arthur Foote,  William Schuman
    Conductor:  Matthew Gurewitsch
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Do.gma Chamber Orchestra
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  • 21.
    Masterworks
    Masterworks
    Label: Inner Knot   Catalog: 677787 Release Date: 03/13/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Ludwig van Beethoven,  Samuel Barber,  Gioachino Rossini  ... 
    Performer:  Tony Levin,  California Guitar Trio,  Fareed Haque
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  California Guitar Trio
    CD: $14.99
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  • 22.
    Piping Hot - Organ Works From Lichfield Cathedral
    Piping Hot - Organ Works From Lichfield Cathedral
    Label: Regent   Catalog: 210 Release Date: 03/13/2012  
    Composer:  Charles Ives,  Joseph Bonnet,  César Franck,  Louis Vierne  ... 
    Performer:  Philip Scriven
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  • 23.
    Classical Hits Of The Cinema
    Classical Hits Of The Cinema
    Label: Virgin Classics   Catalog: 30756 Release Date: 01/24/2012   Number of Discs: 5
    Composer:  Alfred Newman,  Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky,  Gustav Mahler,  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart  ... 
    Performer:  Frank Peter Zimmermann,  Piotr Anderszewski,  Christian Zacharias
    Conductor:  Paul Bateman,  Lorin Maazel,  Andrew Litton,  Piotr Anderszewski  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra,  Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra,  Royal Philharmonic Orchestra  ... 
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  • 24.
    The Most Essential Classical Music In Movies
    The Most Essential Classical Music In Movies
    Label: X5   Catalog: 111 Release Date: 11/15/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Richard Strauss,  Ludwig van Beethoven,  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,  Claude Debussy  ... 
    Performer:  Henrik Mawe,  Klemens Schnorr,  Jose Perez
    Conductor:  Ferdinand Leitner,  David Parry,  Heribert Beissel,  Hanspeter Gmür
    CD: $9.99
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  • 25.
    Two Souls - Barber, Khachaturian / Mikhail Simonyan, Kristjan Jarvi
    Two Souls - Barber, Khachaturian / Mikhail Simonyan, Kristjan Jarvi
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 001617002 Release Date: 11/01/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Aram Khachaturian,  Samuel Barber
    Performer:  Mikhail Simonyan
    Conductor:  Kristjan Järvi
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  London Symphony Orchestra
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