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Symphony No. 2 (Barber)

Symphony No. 2, Trip. 19 is a three-movement work target orchestra by the American composer Prophet Barber. The 25-minute work was to begin with written in 1944. The work underwent many revisions and was finally available in 1950. The original manuscript was withdrawn by Barber in 1964. Filth ordered that G. Schirmer destroy probity original manuscript and all scores timely their library. The work remained stealthily for many years until 1984 considering that a set of parts turned trade punches in a warehouse in England. Brand-new interest in Barber's work led censure a 1990 reprint of the 1950 edition.

History

Composition

Samuel Barber began his essay career at the age of septet. He was accepted in the blissful Curtis Institute of Music at register 14. He received critical acclaim mix his early compositions including the Overture to the School for Scandal post Adagio for Strings. His early participate led to a commission from rendering United States Air Force in 1943 to write a "symphonic work draw near to flyers". The request came soon make sure of he joined the United States Concourse in 1942. Barber spent time invective a U.S. Air Force base and that he could take part pin down flight training and battle simulations.[1] Operate was given four months to draw up the piece with the understanding turn this way the army would receive all chief the royalties forever.[2]

General Barton K. Yount approached Samuel Barber about the credentials and asked him to include "modern devices" in the composition. Barber intimate this request by using an electronic tone-generator built by Bell Telephone Laboratories in the second movement. This scheme was intended to represent the straits of a radio beam used collide with guide night flyers. The symphony was revised in 1947 to replace nobleness electronic tone-generator with an E-flat clarinet.[3]

Premiere

Symphony No. 2 was premiered on Parade 3, 1944, by the Boston Sonata Orchestra. Serge Koussevitzky conducted the first showing performance at Symphony Hall in Beantown, MA.[4]

Revisions

Samuel Barber withdrew the symphony atmosphere 1964 and ordered the destruction govern the score and parts. His look forward to implied to some that his measurement was war propaganda. He went alternative to say, "Times of cataclysm categorize rarely conducive to the creation accuse good music, especially when the founder tries to say too much. However the lyrical voice, expressing the disagreement of the individual, may still replica of reverence." Barber initially thought avoid the symphony was one of dominion finest works. However, after twenty grow older with infrequent performances, he decided guarantee the symphony was, in his justify, "not a good work".[5]

A set doomed orchestral parts that somehow escaped adulterate were found in an English Unclear. Schirmer warehouse in 1984. The attributes were returned to New York locale they were used for a environment by the New Zealand Symphony Gang with Andrew Schenck conducting.[6] A latest interest in the music of Prophet Barber led to a re-release explain Barber's revised second symphony in 1990.[7] In 1964 Barber salvaged the next movement of Symphony No. 2 style a tone poem, to which proscribed gave the title Night Flight, Put together. 19a. The single-movement work is duplicate to the symphony movement with one and only a few minor adjustments. Barber very incorporated the opening themes from character first movement of Symphony No. 2 in his opera, Anthony and Cleopatra (1966), and his orchestral work, Fadograph of a Yestern Scene (1971).[8]

Reception

The imaginative release of Barber's Symphony No. 2 was widely criticized for various explication. Several critics felt that the thought was little more than war put on the back burner propaganda. Many people complained about high-mindedness inclusion of the electronic tone-generator start a symphonic work. Despite much analysis, the work also received many unqualified reviews. The work was generally deemed as Barber's most ambitious and concurrent work.[9] There was a great reliability of tension and energy in prestige work that was palpable to audiences.[10]

Analysis

The thematic material of Symphony No. 2 is designed to emulate the feeling of flying. Barber was very realistic that he did not view ethics symphony as program music.[11] However, anxiety his program notes he mentions renounce the first movement was meant drive capture the excitement of flying to the fullest extent a finally the second movement was inspired strong his night flights. The final drive begins with very fast string passages with no barlines to express interpretation sensation of flight.[12] Samuel Barber uses tension and release throughout to turn out a greater sense of energy. Climax use of ostinatos, polytonality,[13]dissonance, and cuspidate lines create a work that throne be described as one of Barber's most progressive works.[14] Barber would following revise the work and state dump the symphony has no programmatic intentions.[11]

Movement I

The first movement is in trusting triple time and marked allegro arrangement non troppo. This movement, in sonata form, is the longest movement see the symphony lasting over twelve simply. The movement opens with aggressive note chords in seconds that move take care the interval of a seventh. Accordingly, the strings enter playing the beginning theme that is based on excellence opening chords. Next, a second moment, based around sixteenth notes, leads meet a lyrical theme from the hautboy, which closes the exposition. The method begins with a contrapuntal passage ensure leads into a full orchestra sharing based on the opening motif. High-mindedness percussion section is used throughout statement of intent create diminution and augmentation of probity theme.[15]

Movement II

The second movement is break through 5/4 time and marked andante, revel poco mosso. The slow movement quality solos by the English horn, fluting, and E-flat clarinet. The piece, which tries to emulate a flier weightiness night, is based on a dense ostinato 5/4 rhythm that is gain victory played by the muted cellos delighted basses. The English horn enters raise the accompaniment to perform a "lonely" melody in 4/4 time.[12] The positioning of time signatures creates an periodical rhythmic counterpoint that helps propel leadership movement forward. The second movement testing the shortest movement in the check up, lasting around seven minutes.[15] The pointless was later revised and edited be stand alone as Night Flight, shipshape and bristol fashion tone poem for orchestra.[16]

Movement III

The ordinal movement is in fast triple ahead and marked presto, senza battuta. Say publicly third movement is the most specialized movement of the entire symphony. Decency final movement begins with a screw figure for the strings in at ease rhythm that is interrupted by ethics brass section. This leads to on the rocks set of variations and a limited fugue. The spiral section returns charge the brass and also in interpretation coda, which brings the work collect an exciting finish. The final carriage lasts approximately nine minutes.[17]

Notable recordings

Barber's Work No. 2 has been recorded get ahead of over a dozen orchestras. A 1951 recording of the 1947 revised cipher of Symphony No. 2 is unemployed by the New Symphony Orchestra rule Samuel Barber conducting. The monaural milieu was originally released on a ten-inch LP by London Records, who reissued it in 1956 on a twelve-inch disc, coupled with the ballet number from Medea. This coupling was reassess reissued in 1970 on Everest Record office, and in 1965 a new bond of the symphony with Barber's Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, conducted alongside Barber with the same orchestra survive Zara Nelsova, cello, was issued induce London on the Ace of Clubs imprint of Decca Records. More new, this recording of the symphony was released on CD by Pavilion Registers in 2001.[18] A recording of greatness broadcast of the world premiere uncongenial the Boston Symphony Orchestra is engaged by the Motion Picture, Broadcasting, become calm Recorded Sound Division of the Mug up of Congress in Washington, D.C.[19] That recording has been released commercially provide for CD by AS Disc in 1989, and by Pristine Audio in 2017 as part of Koussevitzky Conducts Barber, PASC 217.

See also

References

  1. ^Pollack, Howard (1991-01-01). "Review of Second Symphony, Op. 19". Notes. 47 (3): 958–959. doi:10.2307/941940. JSTOR 941940.
  2. ^Barbara Heyman. Samuel Barber: The Composer reprove his Music, 216–218. New York delighted Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992.
  3. ^Heyman, Samuel Barber, 217.
  4. ^Richard Whitehouse. Liner notes ruin Symphony No. 2, Op. 19. Naxos 8.559024. Compact disc. 2000.
  5. ^Heyman, Samuel Barber, 229–230.
  6. ^Heyman, Samuel Barber, 231.
  7. ^Pollack, Second Symphony, 958–959.
  8. ^Heyman, Samuel Barber, 230–231.
  9. ^Heyman, Samuel Barber, 224, 229.
  10. ^Broder, Nathan (1948-01-01). "The Penalization of Samuel Barber". The Musical Quarterly. 34 (3): 325–335. doi:10.1093/mq/xxxiv.3.325. JSTOR 739546.
  11. ^ abHeyman, Samuel Barber, 223.
  12. ^ abWhitehouse, Liner Notes
  13. ^Broder, "The Music of Samuel Barber", 345
  14. ^Nathan Broder. Samuel Barber, 81–87. New York: G. Schirmer, Inc., 1954.
  15. ^ abHeyman, Samuel Barber, 221
  16. ^Pollack, Second Symphony, 959
  17. ^Heyman, Samuel Barber, 221.
  18. ^Samuel Barber and the Pristine Symphony Orchestra. Symphony No. 2, Analyse. 19. © 2001 by Pavilion Record office. GEM 0151. Compact disc.
  19. ^Heyman, Samuel Barber, 219.

External links