Samuel Barber

Books about Samuel Barber and his music

Barbara B. Heyman Samuel Barber: The Composer and His Music Oxford University Press, 1994; ISBN 0195090586; 608 pages Samuel Barber (1910-1981) was one of the most important and honored American composers of the twentieth century. Writing in a great variety of musical forms--symphonies, concertos, operas, vocal music, chamber music--he infused his works with poetic lyricism and gave tonal language and forms new vitality. His rich legacy includes such famous compositions as the Adagio for Strings, the orchestral song Knoxville: Summer of 1915, three concertos, and his two operas, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Vanessa and Antony and Cleopatra, a commissioned work that opened the new Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center. Generously documented by letters, sketchbooks, original musical manuscripts, and interviews with friends, colleagues and performers with whom he worked, this is the first book to cover Barber's entire career and all of his compositions. The biographical material on Barber is closely interspersed with a discussion of his music, displaying Barber's creative processes at work from his early student compostions to his mature masterpieces. Heyman also provides the social context in which this major composer grew: his education, how he built his career, the evolving musical tastes of American audiences, his relationship to musical giants like Serge Koussevitzky, and the role of radio in the promotion of his music. A testament to the significance of the new Romanticism, Samuel Barber stands as a model biography of an important American musical figure. Price indication: $ 35.00

Daniel Felsenfeld Samuel Barber and Benjamin Britten - A Listener's Guide : Their Lives and Their Music Amadeus Press, 2005; ISBN 1574671081; 180 pages The second title in the Amadeus Press Parallel Lives series, this volume examines the lives and work of two giants of 20th century music. Both composers influenced countless others, and their works are performed often in today's concert and opera houses. Price indication: $ 15.61

Nathan Broder Samuel Barber Greenwood Press Reprint, 1985; ISBN 0313249849; 130 pages Price indication: $ 69.95

Wayne C. Wentzel Samuel Barber : A Guide to Research (Composer Resource Manuals) Routledge, 2001; ISBN 0815334966; 350 pages This work offers an annotated reference guide to the life and works of this important American composer. Wentzel opens the book by discussing Barber's life (1910-1981) and achievements. He then offers a chronology placing Barber's works in the context of his time. The book proceeds with an annotated bibliography focussing on biographical and critical works on Barber, and also includes select discographical information. This is an important resource for the study of the 20th century music of America. Price indication: $ 104.95

Peter Dickinson Samuel Barber Remembered: A Centenary Tribute (Eastman Studies in Music) University of Rochester Press, 2010-04-01; ISBN 1580463509; 214 pages Samuel Barber is one of America's most popular classical composers. His widely beloved works include Adagio for Strings and Knoxville: Summer of 1915. The main source for Samuel Barber Remembered: A Centenary Tribute is a panoply of vivid and eminently readable interviews by Peter Dickinson for a BBC Radio 3 documentary in 1981. The interviewees include Barber's friends, fellow composers, and performers, notably Gian Carlo Menotti, Aaron Copland, William Schuman, Virgil Thomson, soprano Leontyne Price, and pianist John Browning. The book also includes three of the very few interviews extant with Barber himself. Dickinson contributes substantial chapters on Barber's early life and on Barber's reception in England. The book has a foreword by the distinguished composer and admirer of Barber, John Corigliano. Peter Dickinson, British composer and pianist, has written or edited numerous books about twentieth-century music, including CageTalk: Dialogues with and about John Cage (University of Rochester Press) and three books published by Boydell Press: The Music of Lennox Berkeley; Copland Connotations; and Lord Berners: Composer, Writer, Painter. Price indication: $ 32.97

Marcia Dangerfield The Narrated Life History of the Americans: John Philip Sousa, George Gershwin, Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber: Part V: 20th Century (Classical Genius Composer) Novus LLC, 2007-11; ISBN 1934488186 Price indication: $ 100.00

Don A. Hennessee Samuel Barber: A Bio-Bibliography (Bio-Bibliographies in Music) Greenwood Press, 1985; ISBN 0313240264; 404 pages Hennessee provides a biographical overview of the life of Samuel Barber, one of America's foremost composers, as well as comprehensive bibliographical information about his complete oeuvre. The volume consists of four main sections: a brief biography, a complete list of works and performances, a discography, and an annotated bibliography. A complete index of personal and corporate names and titles concludes the volume. Price indication: $ 109.95

Sheet music, libretti, etc.

10 Early Songs (Guitar Recorded Versions) - G. Schirmer, Inc.
Previously unpublished songs for voice and piano, dating from 1925 to 1937. Of interest to practically everyone, these fresh, youthful compositions reveal a master in the making. Original keys, primarily for medium voice. Contents: Beggar's Song * In the Dark Pinewood * Love at the Door * Love's Caution * Night Wanderers * Of That So Sweet Imprisonment * Serenader * A Slumber Song of the Madonna * Strings in the Earth and Air * There's Nae Lark.

Adagio for Strings - Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation
For saxophone quartet.

Adagio for Violin and Piano - Schirmer Books
Adagio is a Samuel Barber piece arranged for violin and piano by Jerry Lanning. It contains both score and part. This is a solo work of Barbe r's popular Adagio for Strings.

Adagio: For Strings Flute Quartet - Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation
For four flutes.

Anthony and Cleopatra (G. Schirmer's Collection of Opera Librettos) - G. Schirmer, Inc.
English Only.

Barber - Sonata for Violoncello and Piano Opus 6 - G. Schirmer, Inc.
Piano part, 27 pp; Cello part, 7 pp.

Canzonetta for Oboe and String Orchestra - G. Schirmer
For oboe with piano reduction.

Capricorn Concerto - G. Schirmer, Inc.
For flute, oboe, trumpet and strings (piano reduction).

Cello Concerto, Op. 22 - G. Schirmer

Collected Songs - G. Schirmer, Inc.
Contents: Bessie Bobtail * Church Bell at Night * The Crucifixion * The Daisies * Depart (Departure) * Desire for Hermitage * Despite and Still * Green Lowland of Pianos * The Heavenly Banquet * I Hear an Army * In the Wilderness * A Last Song * Le Clocher Chante * The Monk and His Cat * Monks and Raisins * My Lizard * Nocturne * Now Have Fed and Eaten Rose * A Nun Takes the Veil * Nuvoletta * O Boundless, Boun Evening * The Praises of God * Promiscuity * Puisque Tout Passe * Queen's Face Summery Coin * Rain Has Fallen * Sea-Snatch * The Secrets of the Old * Sleep Now * Solitary Hotel * St. Ita's Vision * St.Patrick's Purgatory * Sure on This Shining Night * Tombeau Dans Un Parc * Un Cygne (A Swan) * With Rue My Heart Laden.

Complete Piano Music (The American Composers Series) - G. Schirmer, Inc.
Contents: Excursions, Op. 20 * Sonata For Piano, Op. 26 * Souvenirs, Op. 28 * Nocturne, Op. 33 * Ballade, Op. 46 * Interlude I, Op. Post.

Concerto (2-Piano Score) - G. Schirmer
Two Pianos, Four Hands. 2 Copies needed to perform.

Concerto, Op. 14 - G. Schirmer
For violin and orchestra.

Dover Beach - G. Schirmer, Inc.
Vocal Score.

Essay for Orchestra Score (G. Schirmer's Edition of Scores of Orchestral Works and Cham) - G. Schirmer

Excursions: Op. 20 - G. Schirmer

First Essay : arranged for Concert Band - G. Schirmer, Inc.
Previously only available on rental, this new publication of Barber's First Essay (ca. 1930) is a welcome addition to the literature. Set in the original orchestral key, Joseph Levey's arrangement has been performed by several of the most prestigious concert bands. This deserves a serious look for mature groups.

Hermit Songs - G. Schirmer, Inc.
Contents: At St. Patrick's Purgatory * Church Bell at Night * Church Bell at Night * St. Ita's Vision * The Heavenly Banquet * The Crucifixion * Sea-Snatch * Promiscuity * The Monk and His Cat * The Praises of God * The Desire for Hermitage.

Knoxville: Summer of 1915 - G. Schirmer
For voice and orchestra.

Medea: Chamber Orchestra Score (G. Schirmer's Edition of Scores of Orchestral Works and Cham) - G. Schirmer
Other scores available (Medea's Dance of Vengeance): Concert Band (50482401) and Orchestra (50339360). Performance materials available on rental. Duration ca. 13 minutes.

Medeas Dance of Vengeance, Op. 23a : Transcribed for Concert Band - G. Schirmer, Inc.
Transcribed for Concert Band by Frank M. Hudson. Other scores available: Orchestra (50339360) and Original Ballet Version - Chamber Ensemble (50481467). Performance Materials available on rental. Duration ca. 13 minutes.

Piano Concerto, Op. 38 - G. Schirmer

Prayers of Kierkegaard;: For mixed chorus, soprano solo, and orchestra, with incidental solos for tenor alto (Research notes) - Thomas Nelson

Samuel Barber - First Essay - Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation
Previously only available on rental, this new publication of BarberÕs First Essay (ca. 1930) is a welcome addition to the literature. Set in the original orchestral key, Joseph LeveyÕs arrangement has been performed by several of the most prestigious concert bands. This deserves a serious look for mature groups.

Sonata: Op. 16 - G. Schirmer

Souvenirs Ballet Suite, Op. 28 (Original) - G. Schirmer
One Piano, Four Hands.

String Quartet, Op. 11 - G. Schirmer

Third Essay: For Orchestra Full Score (G. Schirmer's Edition of Scores of Orchestral Works and Cham) - Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation

Two Scenes from Antony and Cleopatra (Study Score) - G. Schirmer, Inc.
For Soprano and Orchestra. Contains: Give Me Some Music * Death of Cleopatra.

Vanessa - G. Schirmer, Inc.
English Only. Revised Edition by Maag.