1910 – 1981

Samuel Barber

American composer (1910-1981)

musicologistmusicianpianistconductorcomposer

Born

1910-03-09, West Chester

Died

1981-01-23

Birthplace state

Pennsylvania

Biography

Samuel Osmond Barber II was an American composer, pianist, conductor, baritone, and music educator, and one of the most celebrated composers of the mid-20th century. Principally influenced by nine years' composition studies with Rosario Scalero at the Curtis Institute and more than 25 years' study with his uncle, the composer Sidney Homer, Barber's music usually eschewed the experimental trends of musical modernism in favor of traditional 19th-century harmonic language and formal structure embracing lyricism and emotional expression. However, he adopted elements of modernism after 1940 in some of his compositions, such as an increased use of dissonance and chromaticism in the Cello Concerto (1945) and Medea's Dance of Vengeance (1955); and the use of tonal ambiguity and a narrow use of serialism in his Piano Sonata (1949), Prayers of Kierkegaard (1954), and Nocturne (1959).

Occupation

Samuel Barber is recorded as a musicologist, a musician, a pianist, a conductor and a composer, born in Pennsylvania (1910–1981).

Connections to Pennsylvania

Samuel Barber was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania in 1910. Explore other notable figures from Pennsylvania, historic sites connected to this era, and the full colonial and statehood history of the state using the links below.

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Geology

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Conflict & War

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The Civil War

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The Soldiers

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Native Heritage

The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.

Settlement

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The Community

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Rivers & Rail

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Notable People

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Historical Maps

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Finds & Access

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Literature

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Points of Interest

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Frequently asked about Samuel Barber

Who was Samuel Barber?

Samuel Barber was American composer (1910-1981), born in Pennsylvania (1910 – 1981).

When and where was Samuel Barber born?

Samuel Barber was born on 1910-03-09 in West Chester.

When did Samuel Barber die?

Samuel died on 1981-01-23.

What was Samuel Barber known for?

Samuel Barber is recorded as a musicologist, a musician, a pianist, a conductor and a composer.

Source

Biographical content adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Source: Wikipedia.

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