Who Is Samuel Barber? Age, Biography, and Wiki
Samuel Barber was born on March 9, 1910, in West Chester, Pennsylvania, USA. He is celebrated as one of America's most significant composers of the 20th century. His innovative compositions blend lyrical melodies with intricate harmonies, leaving a lasting impact on classical music. Barber passed away on January 23, 1981, at the age of 70, but his music continues to resonate with audiences around the globe. In 2025, we reflect on his influential career, celebrated works such as "Adagio for Strings," and his lasting contributions to American classical music.
| Occupation | Conductor |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | March 9, 1910 |
| Age | 70 Years |
| Birth Place | West Chester, Pennsylvania, US |
| Horoscope | Pisces |
| Country | U.S |
| Date of death | 23 January, 1981 |
| Died Place | New York City, US |
Popularity
Samuel Barber's Popularity over time
Height, Weight & Measurements
While specific physical measurements of Samuel Barber are not documented as thoroughly as those of contemporary celebrities, his presence in the music world was undeniably larger than life. As an artist, his works convey deep emotions and a profound understanding of the human experience, overshadowing the need for physical specifications.
Family, Dating & Relationship Status
Samuel Barber was known to lead a private life. He had a close relationship with fellow composer Gian Carlo Menotti, who was also his romantic partner for many years. Their relationship was both personal and professional, with Menotti often championing Barber's work and supporting his musical endeavors. Despite his public success, Barber took a discreet approach to his personal relationships.
Barber was in a relationship with the composer Gian Carlo Menotti for more than 40 years. They lived at Capricorn, a house just north of New York City, where they frequently hosted parties with academic and music luminaries. Menotti was Barber's librettist for two of his three operas. When the relationship ended in 1970, they remained close friends until Barber's death from cancer in 1981.
Net Worth and Salary
While it is difficult to ascertain Samuel Barber's exact net worth at the time of his passing, it is estimated that his wealth was built through his acclaimed compositions, performances, and royalties from his extensive catalog of works. Today, his compositions continue to earn income through performances, recordings, and licensing, contributing to a continuing legacy that remains financially fruitful well beyond his lifetime.
Career, Business and Investments
Samuel Barber's career encompassed various facets of music, including opera, orchestral works, and chamber music. He was awarded several accolades, including two Pulitzer Prizes for music. His major works, such as "Knoxville: Summer of 1915" and "Violin Concerto," are staples in classical repertoires. His contributions to the music industry also include collaborations with notable performers and conductors, which further solidified his status as a pioneer in American classical music.
While Barber composed a significant body of purely instrumental music, two-thirds of his compositional output was art songs for voice and piano, choral music, and songs for voice and orchestra.
Some of his most frequently performed songs include both the solo voice and choral versions of Sure on this shining night (solo version from 1938 and choral version from 1961) with text by Agee; and the song cycle Hermit Songs (1953), with anonymous texts by Irish monks from the eighth through thirteenth centuries.
This emphasis on sung material was rooted in his own brief career as a professional baritone in his 20s which inspired a lifelong love of vocal music.
In 1935, Barber recorded his own setting of Arnold's "Dover Beach" for NBC, singing the vocal part accompanied by string quartet, and he was also featured weekly on NBC Radio in 1935–1936 performing German lieder and art songs.
He also occasionally conducted performances and recordings of his works with symphony orchestras during the 1950s, and taught composition at the Curtis Institute from 1939 to 1942.
Social Network
In the digital age, Samuel Barber's influence can be found across various social media platforms where classical music enthusiasts and organizations celebrate his contributions. While Barber himself did not experience this era, his works are frequently shared and discussed on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter by music lovers and institutions dedicated to preserving his legacy. His official website and various music organization pages also serve as resources for those wishing to explore his works further.
While in the Army Air Corps Barber was commissioned to write several works for the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO), including his Cello Concerto for Raya Garbousova and his Second Symphony, a work he later suppressed.
Composed in 1943, the symphony was originally titled Symphony Dedicated to the Air Forces and was premiered in early 1944 by Serge Koussevitzky and the BSO. Barber revised the symphony in 1947 and it was subsequently published by G.
Schirmer in 1950 and recorded the following year by the New Symphony Orchestra of London, conducted by Barber himself. According to some sources, Barber destroyed the score in 1964.
Hans Heinsheimer was an eyewitness, and reported that he accompanied Barber to the publisher's office where they collected all the music from the library, and Barber "tore up all these beautifully and expensively copied materials with his own hands". Doubt has been cast on this story, however, on grounds that Heinsheimer, as an executive at G.
Schirmer, would have been unlikely to have allowed Barber into the Schirmer offices to watch him rip apart the music that his company had invested money in publishing.
The score was later reconstructed from the instrumental parts, and released in a Vox Box "Stradivari Classics" recording by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andrew Schenck in 1988.
Education
Samuel Barber's educational journey began at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he honed his craft and developed his unique style. The training at Curtis played a vital role in shaping his future as a composer, providing him with a strong foundation in both theoretical and practical aspects of music. His education, coupled with extraordinary talent and dedication, allowed Barber to flourish in a competitive industry and become a beloved figure in classical music.
Samuel Osmond Barber II (March 9, 1910 – January 23, 1981) 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 an
d 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).
