Samuel Osborne Barber (March 9, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was an American composer of classical music best known for his "Adagio for Strings" and "Medea's Dance of Vengeance."

He was innate inside West Chester, Pennsylvania and began to compose at the age of septenary.

He exposed at a Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia before becoming a fellow of the American Academy in Rome in 1935. A ensuing month he wrote his String quartette inside B shaver, a 2nd movement of which he would arrange for string orchestra when "Adagio for Strings."

He avoided a experimentalism of another Western composers of his generation, preferring comparatively traditional harmonies & forms. His act is lushly melodic and hwhen often been described as neo-romantic.

His songs, accompanied by piano or orchestra, are among a virtually all popular 20th century songs in the authoritative repertoire. It include the setting of Matthew Arnold's "Dover Beach," originally written for string quartet & baritone, a Hermit Songs on anon. Irish texts of the 8th to Thirteenth centuries, & Knoxville: Summer of 1915, written for the soprano Eleanor Steber and based on an autobiographical text by James Agee, the introductory part of his novel A Death in the Family. Barber possessed a good baritone voice and, awhile, considered becoming the office singer. He did produce two or three recordings, including his have Dover Beach.

Barber's Piano Sonatthe (1949), a piece accredited by Richard Rodgers and Irving Berlin, was first performed by Vladimir Horowitz. It was a 1st heavy-shell Our contries soft function to exist as premiered by such an internationally famous pianist.

Barber as well composed many operas. Vanessa, composed to the libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti (who was his lover), premiered at a Metropolitan Opera in New York City. It was the critical & popular profits, & Barber won the Pulitzer Prize for it. At the European premiere it met by using a chillier reception, nonetheless, & is at present little played there, although it remains popular around Usa.

Barber produced trinity concertos for solo instruments & orchestra, of these for fiddle, a single for violoncello, & 1 for piano (composed for, & premiered in September 2 dozen, 1962, by piano player John Browning, sustaining Leinsdorf and a Boston Symphony Orchestra at Lincoln Center, Future York). A New York Philharmonic commissioned an oboe concerto, however Barber just managed to complete a slow central Canzonetta prior to his demise.

Among his strictly orchestral works there are Two Symphonies (1936; 1944), a Overture A School for Scandal (1932), threesome Essays for orchestra (1938; 1942; 1978) & a late Fadograph in the Yestern Scene (1973). There are as well heavy-shell choral works, including a Prayers of Kierkegaard (1954) & A Lovers (1971). Prayers of Kierkegaard is depending upon a writings of Søren Kierkegaard, the Danish experiential theologizer.

His soft works include a Piano Sonata (Op. Xxvi), Excursions (Op. Xx), 3 Sketches, Souvenirs, & various more only pieces.

Although never a prolific composer, Barber wrote great deal less fallowing the flop of his opera Antony & Cleopatra (using the libretto by film & opera director Franco Zeffirelli) in 1966.

He died withinside Just released York City in 1981.