Samuel Barber
Samuel Barber's scores favour long melodic lines and traditional harmony over mid-century experiment. His catalogue ranges from the Adagio for Strings and its choral Agnus Dei to French art songs and an early Cello Sonata of strong, clear ideas.
The Cello Sonata in C minor opens with force before settling into honest, songful writing that sits naturally under the bow. Mélodies Passagères shows the same vocal instinct in French settings, while Agnus Dei carries the Adagio's long arch into unaccompanied choir. Much of his output was written for the voice; instrumental works keep that singing line even when the harmony darkens after 1940.
Compositions by Samuel Barber appear on
ABC of American Art Song
Melanie Duncan blitzed the 1999 Mietta Song Recital Award, taking the Popular Choice award and the Musical Partnership with accompanist Claire Cooper as well as the Award itself. This is her recital of twentieth-century American art song.
Music from Heaven
The Choir of Ormond College, directed by Douglas Lawrence, in a highly acclaimed programme of unaccompanied sacred works by Allegri, Byrd, Poulenc, Britten, Barber and J.S. Bach.