ipl-logo

Samuel Barber Agio For Strings

584 Words3 Pages

Title: Adagio for Strings (1936)
Composer: Samuel Barber (1910-1981)
Summary: Short orchestral work taken from the second movement of his String Quartet, Opus. 11. Perhaps Barber’s greatest composition, leaving a significant impact on audiences around the world after its debut.

Background information: This piece was composed in 1936 during Barber’s vacation in Europe. The second movement comes after a chaotic first movement and was inspired primarily by Virgil’s Georgics. The slow second movement exemplifies Barber’s propensity towards composing long melodic lines. The piece began to gain recognition during World War II as an homage to the many fallen soldiers in the United States. This solemn piece serves as an exemplification of the shift from early modern to late modern music. Originally composed in 1936, a completed orchestral version was not performed until 1938 by Arturo Toscanini. After the initial debut, Adagio’s popularity took off as it was performed all over the world and quickly gained recognition through multiple public performances. Overall, the piece was received with strongly positive reviews. …show more content…

It is because of this that his piece became famous during times of stress and why its prominence in media and classical music is still strong. Furthermore, Larson also argues that the intimacy of this piece creates a sense of truth and resolution within listeners. At the same time, by the end of the piece and by the end of Adagio’s emotional phrases, one still wrestles with what this truth means. For Larson, the true beauty of this piece lies in its ability to uncover “undiscovered feelings” and make listeners feel the need to grieve unexplained

Show More
Related
366 Words | 2 Pages

Each tune attempts to paint a scene whose variable natures are somehow connected. Sturdy and concise, the 6/8 “A & R Italian Eatery” relies on precise unisons and

Read More
471 Words | 2 Pages

I feel that Ronald Lo Presti was able to capture all four categories of judgment all in one go. The emotion I felt while listening to the composition showed his sincerity when it came to the death of John F. Kennedy and the magnitude or impacted it had on the United States of America. The feelings the Mr. Presti was able to express is something that can be connected with anyone that has lost something or someone. His craftsmanship with the composition is evident with how strongly he was able to express such an intense feeling in his music. This composition was able to bring me back it time to the shocking event of the assassination of John F.

Read More
818 Words | 4 Pages

Winton creates powerful vivid images in order to convey his ideas through a variety of techniques in his stories. The composer Tim Winton presents us with distinctive images in the stories “Aquifer’ and “Big World” to accentuate the ideas maturity, friendship, guilt and freedom and independence, Throughout the story the protagonist begins to mature and becomes leery and skeptical. The protagonist suffered from guilt his entire life and has been psychologically affected and traumatised by the fact that the protagonist witnessed the death of Alan Mannering..

Read More
303 Words | 2 Pages

"Fanfare for the Common Man" by Arron Copland was composed in 1942, and was written during World War 2. The contrast between the loud, bright, assertive tones and the soft, slightly mysterious tones that you hear within the music is quite unique. The spirit and form of this piece gives it that almost inspiring and patriotic feel. This piece is orchestrated from various trumpets, horns, trombones, tubas, timpanis, bass drums, and gongs.

Read More
746 Words | 3 Pages

This fourth instance of the A melody is otherwise played the same as in “The Raiders March” until the last two bars, where it immediately jumps into what was the coda of the original piece (1:53). Here, the coda acts as a musical break between the A melody and a new C melody, which is really just the A melody of “Marion’s Theme”. As the strings transition between the two parts at (2:05), one can notice that this version of “Marion’s Theme” differs significantly than the original, most notably in its instrumentation. Here, the horn plays the melody while string ensemble plays harmony for the first six bars (2:09).

Read More
503 Words | 3 Pages

Patrick Moore, Cello with guest artist Rodney Waters, Piano performed at Cullen Recital Hall on August 28, 2015 at 7:30pm. The pieces that were performed, “Schelomo: Rhapsody Hébraïque” by Ernest Bloch, “Cello Sonata, Op.65” that included 5 pieces by Benjamin Britten, and “Le Grande Tango” by Astor Piazzolla. “Cello Sonata, Op.65” included the Dialogo, Scherzo Pizzicato, Elegia, Marcia, and Molto Perpetuo. Patrick Moore and Rodney Waters started the concert with the “Schelomo: Rhapsody Hébraïque”. The piece started with a softness on the cello with the piano playing along as well.

Read More
650 Words | 3 Pages

Although the stage and costumes are seemingly more saturated with decorative props than the stark, almost empty surroundings of the Beijing Opera, there is a subdued dimness that allows the audience to put full attention to the male vocalist and his muse. The singing lines in the Beijing Opera were performed within a limited range, at a very high octave with a limited range. Similar to screeching, the notes were carried high in her throat, and produced with a certain harshness. On the contrary, the big, powerful “bel canto” operatic voice of the male singer in the Italian Opera, resonates with rich, full sounds throughout his voice range. The male performer’s voice and the message of love to the woman present with him, is obviously the main focal point of the piece.

Read More
411 Words | 2 Pages

This piece has three movements, Allegro moderato, Adagio di molto, and Allegro ma non tanto. This piece starts off with a slow and expressive solo by the soloist, Alexi Kenney. The change in dynamics, the use of vibrato, and other techniques enhanced his solo. The orchestra then plays with a homophonic texture with some tempo changes. A few fast solos and a few slow ones followed.

Read More
775 Words | 4 Pages

Music has been around since the beginning of time. People use it for entertainment, expression, and a form of art. When thinking about classical music (and music in general) the one person that comes to mind is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. This paper will go into depth of the cultural significance and meaning of one of Mozart’s most famous pieces, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. Mozart’s music was considered to be commercial theatrical and a form of cinematic exploitation, bringing different elements to music that the people have never heard before in the classical era.

Read More
974 Words | 4 Pages

The stringed instruments were the accompaniment; therefor, they began with harmonics, chromatics, and tremolo for various measures rather than having a moving part. The melody was given to the flutes and soloist, Sami Junnonen, who was also very talented. The song was about 22 minutes long and he had the whole piece memorized. It sounded very sad, but soothing simultaneously. There were visuals around the theater, which made it easier to understand and visualize what Lopez was trying to describe when writing the song.

Read More
698 Words | 3 Pages

Keria Thadison Mr. Patt 4th Block Music Theory 1 March 2017 Composer Sameul Barber Samuel Barber's path to a successful career in composition began in his childhood when he first expressed an interest in music. From then on out, he flourished, going out from studying music to eventually making music of his own. The music that Samuel composed was interesting due to the fact that he didn't try to conform it into the popular styles of composition; instead he focused on expressing his own voice. Although his career ended on a sour note, Sameul Barber has lived an astounding life in music writing.

Read More
947 Words | 4 Pages

There were many musical elements heard throughout these pieces and it was interesting to hear how they varied in each song and suite. In Intermezzo, it began with a quieter violin solo melody creating a monophonic texture. Soon after, it became accompanied by the other violins and cellos, then the full ensemble came in creating a moderate, flowing melody at about mezzo forte and switching to a polyphonic texture. Next, there was a harp solo at forte with many crescendos and decrescendos. The full ensemble enters again raising the dynamics to forte before decrescendoing and slowing down to end with a held note and final tone.

Read More
590 Words | 3 Pages

This orchestral composition is a skillful combination of these elements that makes this classical piece one of my favorites. The instrumentation

Read More
905 Words | 4 Pages

The performance was repeated the next day for the Composers’ Union, and the first Moscow performance took on 9 October, same year. The work gave an extraordinary impact, The composer Heinrich Neuhaus attended the premiere and later said: “It’s music of absolute genius! I was shaken and cried.”

Read More
1266 Words | 6 Pages

It features two main themes, plus many melodic episodes. The structure - in A-B-A form - is clearly identifiable through the themes that mark each of the sections: the lyrical melody that opens the work, the exciting piu animato that ends with a demanding cadenza, and the final recapitulation that is followed by a cheeky and vivacious codetta that brings the work to a dramatic close. Possessing a memorable melodic theme, the piece tests the performer through the unending phrases, virtuosic c and the resultant nimble fingerwork required. It has remained one of the great standards amongst the

Read More

More about Samuel Barber Agio For Strings

Related Topics

Open Document