Samuel Barber: A documentary study of his works. (Volumes I and II).
Item
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Title
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Samuel Barber: A documentary study of his works. (Volumes I and II).
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Identifier
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AAI9317439
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identifier
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9317439
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Creator
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Heyman, Barbara B.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Sherman Van Solkema
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Date
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1989
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Music | Biography
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Abstract
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Samuel Barber (1910-81) was one of the most honored and most frequently performed American composers in Europe and the Americas during the mid-century decades. His works--comprising forty-eight opus numbers and more than one hundred unpublished pieces--are representative of nearly every musical genre. Many entered the repertoire soon after he wrote them and continue to be performed today with increasing frequency. Throughout his career he adhered steadily to a course of writing expressive lyrical music, using conventional practices of form and tonality.;This historical study traces Barber's career in relation to all his published and most of his unpublished works. Included is information about the circumstances surrounding a work's composition, its premiere, critical reception, and revisions. Considerable biographical material illuminates the influences on Barber's music and his compositional process. Discussion of the music itself is limited to a brief description of each work with some references to existing analytic studies and relevant holographs. Occasionally, more detailed discussion is included to trace the influence of performing artists or the nature of revisions after a performance.;Primary source material consists almost entirely of letters, journals, sketchbooks, holographs, and other related documents from the Barber estate, numerous private collections, and libraries. Interviews conducted with artists who gave first performances contribute to an oral history focusing on their discussions with Barber as the piece progressed, its special challenges, and the composer's suggestions about its performance. A striking feature of Barber's method of composing was his collaborative relationship with artists, whom he would invite to play large portions of their repertoire so that he might compose for the full resources of their instrument and tailor the resulting composition to the strengths of the particular performer.;The study documents influences that preserved Barber's consistent connection to the nineteenth century: his formal musical education, the impact on his intellectual development of European travel, and the personal guidance he received from his uncle Sidney Homer, who was Barber's mentor for over twenty-five years. Documented, also, is a chronicle of Barber's international role as a promoter of American music and the shift of patronage in this country from the individual philanthropist to broader-based sponsorship.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy Restricted.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.