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Samuel Barber, b. West Chester, Pa., Mar.
9, 1910, d. Jan. 23, 1981, was a prominent modern American
composer. After studying at the Curtis Institute of Music
in Philadelphia, he attracted notice in 1933 with his overture
to The School for Scandal. In 1935 his Symphony no. 1 (in
one movement) was performed in Rome and at the Salzburg Festival
(the first work by an American to be played there). Arturo
Toscanini conducted Barber's Adagio for Strings (based on
the slow movement of his String Quartet) and First Essay for
Orchestra with the NBC Symphony in 1938. In 1958, Barber won
a Pulitzer Prize in music for his opera Vanessa (premiere
by the Metropolitan Opera, New York City) and again in 1963
for his Piano Concerto. His major works include Capricorn
Concerto (1944), Knoxville: Summer of 1915 (1948) for soprano
and orchestra, and Prayers of Kierkegaard (1954) for soprano,
chorus, and orchestra. He also wrote the opera Antony and
Cleopatra for the opening of the new Metropolitan Opera at
Lincoln Center in 1966. Barber's music is characterized by
full-blooded lyricism, rich orchestration, and idiomatic writing
for voices and instruments.
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