Samuel Barber was born the ninth of March, 1910, surrounded by experimental composers such as Copland, Stravinsky, and Cowell – all composers who had dabbled in the trends of modern composing but also composed music which was more easily responded to by a listening audience. Barber, however, rarely bothered to follow the composing movements of his time. He had been raised with the extensive music training of friends and family, because it was noticed early in his life that he had great musical talents and abilities. His vocal training was the focus, and his experiences as a singer gave him a sensitive ear when composing that greatly influenced his musical style. His music often had long, plaintive melody lines that sounded strongly influenced by vocal music. His music was conservative and simple yet was composed with such intuitiveness, it did not sound apathetic; rather, it sounded contemplative.
Barber’s piece Adagio for Strings is an epitome of his composing style. It seems to express the depth of emotions in a style that ‘speaks.’ The melody lines and harmonies are quite simple, and the form is repetitive and easy to follow. Looking at that alone would make the piece appear rather boring, but it is made rich by overlapping of melodies, suspensions, and subtle builds and fading. Nothing is so unexpected that you are jerked from the meditative reverie the music draws you into; instead, you find yourself carried through stages of lament and pondering. It is clearly influenced by Barber’s vocal experience – so much so that it has been arranged for vocals.
Different performances of the piece take various approaches and showcase assorted musical things. In one vocal recording I listened to, the choir was so in tune, you could hear overtones of the base line.
There was a recording of the piece which was faster than many versions, which some would have an aversion to; however, I found that it moved very much at the speed of thought. Although it probably was, indeed, faster than Barber had intended, it more was introspective than the slower versions. I found it similar to the idea that some would quote Shakespeare slowly and thoughtfully while others prefer to quote him quickly, as though they are speaking as quickly as they consider.
Most of the recordings I listened to averaged just over ten minutes long, but no matter how long the recording is, the piece never loses its elegiac contemplation. In many live recordings, the audience is so enraptured with the piece the end is often followed by five to ten seconds of absolute silence. In one recording, the conductor of the piece was weeping.
I did not find that I preferred one version over the others. It is one of those pieces which immediately captures the listener with its expressiveness and exploration of melancholy articulation. It has a subtle energy that you rarely find in pieces which focus on complicated rhythms, harmonies, and melodies.
For myself, I fell even more in love with the piece than I already was. I often scour my music resources for pieces which are filled with passionate emotion. A Russian at heart, I often find the romantic music of the European composers more emotionally satisfying. That which is complicated often catches my ear, so I am naturally drawn to such music. Tonality isn’t that important to me, so I am just as mesmerized by Penderecki’s ‘Polymorphy’ as the prelude to Wagner’s ‘Lohengrin.’ I have found, however, that simpler music can be just as beautiful when the composer has a strong understanding of how to subtly express emotions. Pärt is an excellent example of this. His minimalist composition ‘Summa for Strings’ was a piece that I found myself thinking about as I listened to Barber’s ‘Adagio for Strings.’ The pieces are similar in the slow, pensive way they were written. Though the ‘Summa’ is a faster piece and with a more concise vocal range, it is melodically rich with a related dynamic style. There are not the same variation elements, but there are the same uses of dissonances and tensions. The biggest difference, I think, is that the ‘Adagio’ is more introspective whereas the ‘Summa’ is more contextual and outwardly focused. One is personal while the other is almost expression for the sake of expression. That does not necessarily make one better than the other, though some would argue that music which is emotionally engaging is always the preeminent choice.
After realizing this, it is no wonder that Barber is one of the most performed composers in Europe. Through his subtle forms of expression and emotion, and his love of the musical voice, he has captured a musical picture of the most passionate heart. It is never the number of pieces that a composer writes that makes him or her one of the best but rather the quality of those singularly outstanding works and their ability to touch people in a way that no other music can. Paul Wittke said of him: “His heart was rarely on display, well concealed under his Roman patrician manner. But his heart was large, his wit hid his sensitivity, his melancholy was his response to the sadness of the world.” Perhaps, though, the simplest way to describe his music is to use the words of French author Victor Hugo: “Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A link for my favourite recording: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV3SHBFyDZM&feature=related
No comments:
Post a Comment