Behind the Score Ep. 3 - Adagio for Strings & Agnus Dei (Samuel Barber)
Added 2021-09-12 17:11:37 +0000 UTCFor our third Behind the Score episode, I'm looking at one of the most famous pieces of American classical music written in the twentieth century...Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings. I take you through a bit of history around this work, then we dive into performances (with music notation) of Adagio for Strings (for string orchestra) and Agnus Dei (for unaccompanied choir). (The other version is included as the 2nd movement in the original string quartet setting.) I hope you enjoy!
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Comments
Fascinating how the choir version compares to the string version, and curious how they are in the same key (if the string key if difficult, it must be to get the sonorities, why does the choir need the same key?). It would be really interesting to hear how the original string quartet version compares, given that the intimate space context of the string quartet could emotionally compress this piece.
Adie
2024-02-02 22:56:45 +0000 UTCReally interesting thankyou. Embarrassingly I know both the strings and choir versions but hadn't linked them. :O
John Sawyer
2021-09-13 12:05:08 +0000 UTCCan anyone listen to this without weeping? It's just the keening of a broken, grieving heart. So beautiful, raw and to the untutored ear so simple, I never appreciated the technical difficulty of it before. Thank you Doug
Sian Podmore
2021-09-13 10:23:26 +0000 UTCOverwhelming! Thank you for analysis and insight. I didn't know of the choir version. I'm impressed!
Wolfgang Brunner
2021-09-12 20:38:40 +0000 UTCSuch a fantastic piece! I've sung the low bass part in this a couple of times also, it is hard as hell but incredibly rewarding and so beautiful it makes me cry every time I hear it.
Arne Martin Aurlien
2021-09-12 20:24:21 +0000 UTCMy Form and Analysis teacher used to take us through how compositional form centuries old would influence some 'modern day' composers. Respighi was a favorite of his for this. I still remember him asking if we'd like to hear how Palestrina could sound in the 20th Century. And he put this piece on the phonograph. It was the first time I'd heard it, and it was transcendent. Thanks for all the additional illumination inside this piece, Doug. It brought out just how much more there is to understand about it than its pure emotional content. Fantastic !
Peter Tutak
2021-09-12 18:58:11 +0000 UTC
