Eastman School of Music University of Rochester
Eastman at night
Location
Rochester, New York, USA
Information
Type	Private
Established	1921
Dean	Douglas Lowry
Campus	Urban
Website	http://www.esm.rochester.edu

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Eastman School of Music

The Eastman School of Music is a music conservatory located in Rochester, New York. The Eastman School is a professional school within the University of Rochester. It was established in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman, founder of the Eastman Kodak Company.^[1][2]

Today, there are more than 900 students enrolled in the collegiate division of the Eastman School (approximately 500 undergraduate and 400 graduate students). Students come from almost every state of the United States, and approximately 25% of students are from foreign countries.

Each year about 260 new students enroll (approximately 135 freshmen and 125 graduate students), selected from more than 2,000 applicants. Only about 13 percent of applicants are admitted.

About 1,000 students (ranging in age from 18 years to over 80 years of age) are enrolled in the Eastman School’s Community Music School.

In the 1997 and 2004 surveys conducted by U.S. News & World Report, the Eastman School was ranked first among graduate school music programs in the United States. In 1994, Eastman tied with The Juilliard School and the Jacobs School of Music of Indiana University among the top graduate programs in music.

History[link]

Alfred Klingenberg, a Norwegian pianist, was the school's first director. He was succeeded by composer Howard Hanson in 1924, who had an enormous impact on the development of the school, holding his post for four decades and continuing his involvement at Eastman after his retirement.

Rankings[link]

Eastman was named the "Hottest School for Music" in the US by the Kaplan/Newsweek How to get into college guide for 2008.^[3]

In the most recent U.S. News & World Report rankings of speciality areas among music schools in the United States, Eastman was given the following ratings:^{[citation needed]}

• 1st in instrumental performance
• 1st in piano performance
• 1st in music education
• 1st in composition
• 2nd in conducting
• 2nd in opera/vocal performance
• 2nd in jazz

Administration[link]

Since the founding of the Eastman School of Music in 1921, the school has been directed by six men. Alfred Klingenberg served as the school’s first director from 1921 to 1923. After a one-year interim under Acting Director Raymond Wilson, the young American composer and conductor Howard Hanson was appointed director of the school in 1924. Dr. Hanson is credited for transforming the Eastman School into one of the most prestigious music conservatories in the world. Upon his retirement in 1964, after serving as director of the school for 40 years, Hanson was then succeeded by conductor Walter Hendl. Hendl served as director from 1964 to 1972, and was then succeeded by pianist and musicologist Robert Freeman who served from 1972 to 1996. Associate Director Daniel Patrylak served as the acting director from the time of Mr. Hendl’s resignation (May 1972) until Robert Freeman assumed the position in July 1973. Following the resignation of Robert Freeman in 1996, James Undercofler was then appointed Director and Dean of the Eastman School, and held that position until he resigned in 2006 to accept the position of C.E.O. and President of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Jamal Rossi, an Eastman alumnus, was appointed Interim Dean of the Eastman School in April 2006. On May 21, 2007, composer/conductor Douglas Lowry, formerly the dean of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, was appointed Dean of the Eastman School, to begin serving on August 1, 2007 [1].

• Alfred Klingenberg (Director, 1921–1923)
• Raymond Wilson (Acting Director, 1923–1924)
• Howard Hanson (Director, 1924–1964)
• Walter Hendl (Director, 1964–1972)
• Daniel Patrylak (Acting Director, 1972–1973)
• Robert Freeman (Director, 1973–1996)
• James Undercofler (Acting Director, 1996–1997; Director, 1997–2006)
• Jamal Rossi (Acting Director, 2006–2007)
• Douglas Lowry (Director, 2007–present)

Campus and facilities[link]

Kilbourn Hall

The Eastman School occupies parts of five buildings in downtown Rochester, New York. The main hall includes the recently-renovated 3,094-seat Eastman Theater, the 455-seat Kilbourn Hall, and offices for faculty.

The Eastman Theatre opened on September 2, 1922 as a center for music, dance, and silent film with orchestral and organ accompaniment. Today, the 3,094-seat theatre is the primary concert hall for the Eastman School's larger ensembles, including its orchestras, wind ensembles, jazz ensembles, and chorale. Also, the Eastman Opera Theatre presents fully staged operatic productions in the theatre each spring. It also is the principal performance venue for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. A $5 million renovation of the theatre was completed in October 2004. The Theatre is located at 60 Gibbs Street, on the corner of Main and Gibbs Streets. Due to a $10 million donation by Eastman Kodak Inc. in April 2008, the Eastman Theatre was officially renamed "Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre" upon the renovation's completion in 2010.

The Sibley Music Library—the largest academic music library in North America^[4]—is located across the street from the main hall. Hiram Watson Sibley founded the library in 1904 using the fortune he made as first president of Western Union. It moved to its current location in 1989, and occupies 45,000 square feet (4,000 m²) on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors of the Miller Center, formerly known as Eastman Place. The Sibley Music Library currently holds almost 750,000 items, ranging from 11th century codices to the latest compositions and recordings. Considered among its jewels are the original drafts of Debussy's impressionistic masterpiece, "La Mer".

The Student Living Center, which is located at 100 Gibbs Street, is the dormitory building of the Eastman School of Music. In 1991, the new building was opened at the corner of Main and Gibbs Streets, replacing the University Avenue dormitories built nearly 70 years earlier. It is a four-story quadrangle and 14-story tower surrounding a landscaped inner courtyard. The majority of students enrolled in the undergraduate program live on campus in this building.

Degrees offered[link]

The school offers Bachelor of Music (B.M.) degrees, Master of Arts (M.A.) degrees, Master of Music (M.M.) degrees, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees, and Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) degrees in many musical fields. The school also awards a "Performer's Certificate" or "Artist's Diploma" to students who demonstrate exceptionally outstanding performance ability. The Institute for Music Leadership, which was formed in 2001, offers a variety of diploma programs designed to educate and give students the skills and experience necessary to meet the demands of performance and education in today’s changing musical world.

Notable teachers[link]

• Leonardo De Lorenzo (1875-1962), flute
• Arthur Hartmann (1881-1956), violin
• Irene Manning (1912-2004), singing
• Mendi Rodan (1929-2009), violin
• Jon Manasse, clarinet

Faculty and alumni[link]

Eastman alumni include artists like singer Renée Fleming, author and journalist Michael Walsh, trumpeter Allen Vizzutti, Canadian Brass co-founder Charles Daellenbach, and composer Maria Schneider. Current faculty include musicians and pedagogues like the Ying Quartet, Katherine Ciesinski and Paul O'Dette.

See also[link]

• List of concert halls

External links[link]

• Official Eastman School of Music website
• Official University of Rochester website

References[link]

1. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=JLEqAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA195&dq=%22eastman+school+of+music%22&as_brr=1#v=onepage&q=%22eastman%20school%20of%20music%22&f=false Grove's Dictionary of Music
2. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=JNYLAQAAIAAJ&pg=RA1-PA200&dq=%22eastman+school+of+music%22&as_brr=1#v=onepage&q=%22eastman%20school%20of%20music%22&f=false School and society, Volume 10 By Society for the Advancement of Education
3. ^ http://www.esm.rochester.edu/news/?id=377 Eastman School Selected as “Hottest Music School” in Kaplan/Newsweek College Guide
4. ^ http://newsok.com/concert-to-spotlight-centuries-of-music/article/3402146

Coordinates: 43°9′27.63″N 77°36′5.18″W / 43.157675°N 77.6014389°W / 43.157675; -77.6014389

The term music school refers to an educational institution specialized in the study, training and research of music. Different terms refer to this concept such as school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger institution) or conservatory.

Music instruction can be provided within the compulsory general education system, or within specialized children's music schools such as the Purcell School. Elementary school children can access music instruction also in after-school institutions such as music academies or music schools. In Venezuela El Sistema of youth orchestras provides free after-school instrumental instruction through music schools called núcleos. The term “music school” can be also applied to institutions of higher education under names such as school of music, such as the Jacobs School of Music of Indiana University, music academy, like the Sibelius Academy, music faculty as the Don Wright Faculty of Music of the University of Western Ontario, college of music, characterized by the Royal College of Music and the Berklee College of Music, music department, like the Department of Music at the University of California, Berkeley or the term conservatory, exemplified by the Conservatoire de Paris and the term higher school of music or university of music such as the Cologne University of Music known as Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln in German. Instruction includes training in the performance of musical instruments, singing, musical composition, conducting, musicianship, as well as academic and research fields such as musicology, music history and music theory.

Graduates of Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg Conservatory include Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Sergey Prokofiev, Dmitri Shostakovich, and George Balanchine.

History[link]

Notre Dame Cathedral. Notre Dame School was an important centre of polyphonic music.

Although music and music education may have been in existence for thousands of years, the earliest history is speculative.^[1] Even when history starts to be recorded, music is mentioned more frequently than music education. Within the biblical tradition, Hebrew litany was accompanied with rich music, but the Torah or Pentateuch was silent on the practice and instruction of music in the early life of Israel. However, by I Samuel 10, Alfred Sendrey suggests that we find “a sudden and unexplained upsurge of large choirs and orchestras, consisting of thoroughly organized and trained musical groups, which would be virtually inconceivable without lengthy, methodical preparation.” This has led some scholars to believe that the prophet Samuel was the patriarch of a school which taught not only prophets and holy men, but also sacred-rite musicians.^[2]

The Schola cantorum (papal choir), may be the first recorded music school in history, when Gregory the Great (590–604) made permanent an existing guild dating from the 4th century ('schola' originally referred more to a guild rather than school). The school consisted of monks, secular clergy, and boys.^[3] Wells Cathedral School, England founded as a Cathedral School in 909 a.d. to educate choristers, continues today to educate choristers and teaches instrumentalists. However the school appears to have been refounded at least once.^[4]

Saint Martial school, 10th to 12th century, was an important school of composition at the Abbey of Saint Martial, Limoges. It is known for the composition of tropes, sequences, and early organum. In this respect, it was an important precursor to the Notre Dame School.^[5] It was the Notre Dame school (late 12th and early 13th century) which was the earliest repertory of polyphonic (multipart) music to gain international prestige and circulation. The school was a group of composers and singers working under the patronage of the great Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris.^[6]

The term Conservatory derives from Renaissance (16th century) Italy where orphanages were attached to hospitals. The Orphans (conservati) were given a musical education and the term gradually applied to music schools.^[7] The Conservatories have been the first secular institutions equipped for practical training in music. By the 18th century, Italian conservatories were already playing a major role in the training of artists and composers.^[8]

The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia (English: National Academy of St Cecilia) is one of the oldest musical institutions in the world, based in Italy. It is based at the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, and was founded by the papal bull, Ratione congruit, issued by Sixtus V in 1585, which invoked two saints prominent in Western musical history: Gregory the Great, for whom the Gregorian chant is named, and Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music. It was founded as a "congregation" or "confraternity" – a religious guild, so to speak – and over the centuries, has grown from a forum for local musicians and composers to an internationally acclaimed academy active in music scholarship (with 100 prominent music scholars forming the body of the Accademia) to music education (in its role as a conservatory) to performance (with an active choir and symphony orchestra).

It is in the city of Naples where the term “conservatorio” was strictly associated with a secular place for teaching and learning specializing in music education. In Naples, there were four conservatoires already active in the 17th and 18th century: "I poveri di Gesù Cristo", founded in 1599 by Marcello Fossataro and already including in their official record a “magister musicae” and “magister lyrae” in 1633 ; "Santa Maria di Loreto" where the composer Giovan Battista Pergolesi (1710–1736) studied; "La pietà dei turchini" was founded in 1583 and the earliest findings suggest musical activity around the year 1615; "Sant'Onofrio a porta Capuana", where the composer Giovanni Paisiello (1740–1816) studied and then thought, started teaching music in the mid-1600 and in the following decades will give more priority to the “opera buffa”; plus one only for girls called "dell'Annunziata"^[9] It is in these very institutions that the so called Scuola Musicale Napoletana was developed thanks to the work of musicians and educators like Alessandro Scarlatti (1660–1725) and Francesco Durante (1684–1755), who was also Pergolesi’s and Paisiello’s teacher.

It was the example set in Naples, where admission was by competitive examination and tuition was free, that was then copied, with modifications, in many European cities, including Paris (1795), Bologna (1804), Milan (1807), Florence and Prague (1811), Warsaw and Vienna (1821), London (1822), the Hague (1826), and Liege (1827). The second half of the 19th century saw the network expanding to the Americas, Rio de Janeiro (1847), Boston (1853), Baltimore and Chicago (1868), Havana (1885), and Buenos Aires (1893). Establishments for advanced training in music were organized in the 1940s in several Asian and African countries, including Iraq, Lebanon, and Kenya.^[8]

To this extent, projects like El Sistema are more in line with the tradition set in Italy (where tuition at conservatoires are still free) than English speaking country where there is a tendency to charge students with very little access to bursaries (see the Royal Academy of Music or the Royal College of Music in the UK).

Primary and secondary education[link]

Specialist music schools[link]

Musikgymnasium Schloss Belvedere is a specialist music school in Germany

Specialist music schools exist in many countries and whose purpose is to identify, and assist, children with exceptional potential, to benefit from world-class specialist training as part of a broad and balanced education, which will enable them, if they choose, to proceed towards self-sustaining careers in music.^[10] These schools may be formally^[11] or informally attached to a Conservatory. Entry is typically between the ages of ages 8 and 18 and admission is through competitive audition. Schools may be public or independent, where schools are independent pupils may be in receipt of governmental^[12] or private scholorships. Typically as students progress through the school the time spent on music increases and on academic subjects decrease. These schools usually wholly comprise of instrumentalists but may also include choristers. Some schools (like conservatories) are broader and may cover the performing arts; music, drama, dance.^[13]

Music schools within schools[link]

Many music schools are located within existing schools. The pattern is quite diverse and may include;

Specialist music units (Scotland) where students are drawn from an area wider than the host schools catchment. Students will receive specialist music tuition within the music school but are fully integrated within the host school for other lessons. Entry to the specialist music unit or school is by competitive audition, which also effectively gives entry to the host school.^[14]

Many public or independent schools contain music departments, some of which achieve high standards. These are sometimes referred to as Music schools. Music Colleges in England are schools that get additional private and governmental money to specialise in music. Entry is to the host school and musical ability is not a criteria.^[15] Schools which perform highly may specialise in an additional area for example sports or technology.

300 children attend the Royal College of Music's Junior Department

Pre-college divisions[link]

Many Conservatoires or other tertiary level institutions have pre-college divisions or junior departments for children of school age.^[16] Typically the curriculum may includes individual lesson(s), orchestra, chamber music, theory, musicianship, composition and music technology. Classes are usually held on a Saturday and children attend normal schools during the week.

Music schools outwith the general education system[link]

Non-governmental^[17] or Private Schools^[18] of Music offers music education outside the general education system for students aged 4 to 20 + years. In general, students attend these schools, weekend or evening. These schools are typically provided by individuals, charitable or commercial organizations.

Tertiary education[link]

Conservatoire[link]

The Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP). Georges Bizet and Claude Debussy studied at the 'Conservatoire de Paris'

Jacobs School of Music, is part of Indiana University and has more than 1,600 students

A conservatoire of music may also be called a conservatory, conservatorium, academy or college. Some schools or conservatories are exclusively focused on music.^[19] Others have a wider focus, for example covering music, drama and dance.^[20] Conservatoires are suitable for students who wish to develop their performance, conducting, or composition to a professional standard. Typically, they offer a high percentage of practical training combined with academic study and professional development for those considering a career in the creative arts. Individual teaching is the strength of most components.

Students have the opportunity to perform, conduct or have their music played on a regular basis, both informally and in public. This may be solo or as part of an orchestra, ensemble or band. Typically, conservatoires focus on Western classical music. However, some schools focus on traditional instruments for example Chinese instruments.^[21] Others may have departments for traditional music which includes both traditional and classical instruments for example bagpipes alongside the fiddle.^[22] Alternatively, students can focus on jazz, world music or pop music.^[23]

The time required to complete music degrees is generally not much different from degrees in other fields, i.e. 3–4 years for a Bachelor of Music degree, 1–2 years for a Master of Music degree, and 3–5 years for a Doctor of Musical Arts or Doctor of Music Degree. A PhD degree can be gained for areas such as musicology, music theory, music composition, or music education. Some schools may offer a non-academic degree that is solely performance based, such as the (United States) A.D. or Artist Diploma; this may be offered at the undergraduate and/or graduate level.

University schools of music[link]

University music departments, originally placed more emphasis on academic study of music, rather than performance. However, today, the division may not be so rigid with many often placing greater emphasis on performance now than they did in the past. The specific balance of vocational training and academic study varyies from one institution to another, and from one country to another Some countries separately define their institutions between university status and vocational university status, whilst other countries do not define such a rigid division. In addition to offering degrees similar to those offered at Conservatoires, some universities offer non-professional music-related degrees such as a Bachelor of Arts in Music or a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education. A number of previously independent Conservatoires have become affiliated to Universities ^[24]

See also[link]

St Mary's Music School, Edinburgh, has 70 instrumentalists and choristors aged 9–18

Country specific pages

• Music schools in India
• Music schools in Germany
• Music schools in Scotland
• Music schools in Serbia
• Music schools in the United States

Lists

• List of colleges and university schools of music
• List of pre-college music schools

National and International Organisations

• Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music
• Conservatoires UK
• European Association of Conservatoires
• (United States) National Association of Schools of Music

References[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Music schools

1. ^ The origins of music Nils Lennart Wallin, Steven Brown, Björn Merker ISBN 0-262-73143-6 retrieved 9 November 2010
2. ^ Lee Krähenbühl: A Theatre Before the World: Performance History at the Intersection of Hebrew, Greek, and Roman Religious Processional retrieved 9 November 2010
3. ^ Original Catholic Encyclopedia: Sistine Choir retrieved 9 November 2010
4. ^ Wells Cathedral School retrieved 9 November 2010
5. ^ Harvard Dictionary of Music: St Martial school retrieved 9 November 2010
6. ^ Britannica Encyclopedia: Notre-Dame school retrieved 9 November 2010
7. ^ Britannica Encyclopedia Retrieved 16 November 2010
8. ^ ^{a b} The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979)
9. ^ A. Della Corte, G. M. Gatti, Dizionario di musica, Paravia, 1956.
10. ^ Chethams Music School retrieved 14 November 2010
11. ^ Sächsisches Landesgymnasium für Musik "Carl Maria von Weber retrieved 14 November 2010
12. ^ English Aided Pupil Scheme retrieved 14 November 2010
13. ^ Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts retrieved 14 November 2010
14. ^ Sgoil Chiùil na Gàidhealtachd retrieved 14 November 2010
15. ^ Guildford County School retrieved 14 November 2010
16. ^ Manhattan School of Music Pre-college Division retrieved 14 November 2010
17. ^ Musik Fröhlich retrieved 14 November 2010
18. ^ Yamaha Music Schools retrieved 14 November 2010
19. ^ Royal Academy of Music retrieved 9 November 2010
20. ^ Juilliard retrieved 9 November 2010
21. ^ China Conservatory retrieved 14 November 2010
22. ^ Royal Scottish Academy for Music and Drama retrieved 9 November 2010
23. ^ Conservatorium van Amsterdam retrieved 14 November 2010
24. ^ Peabody Institute Retrieved 15 November 2010

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (November 2010)

John Marcellus is a trombone musician and teacher. He is currently Professor of Trombone at The Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester, and past Chair of the Woodwind, Brass, and Percussion Department. In addition to his trombone teaching responsibilities at Eastman, Dr. Marcellus is the conductor of the Eastman Trombone Choir, Eastman Bionic Bones (jazz trombone ensemble), and the trombonist with the Eastman Brass. Dr. Marcellus joined the faculty of the prestigious Eastman School in 1978, and was named the Kilbourn Professor from 1982-83. He succeeded the famous trombonist and teacher, Emory Remington, who served as Professor of Trombone at Eastman for over 50 years.

Education[link]

John Marcellus holds a B.S. degree in Music Education from the University of Maryland and M.M. and D.M.A. degrees from The Catholic University of America. His trombone teachers have included William F. Cramer (former Professor of Trombone at Florida State University), Lewis Van Haney (Second Trombonist with the New York Philharmonic from 1946–63), Edward Herman (Principal Trombonist with the New York Philharmonic from 1956–85), Gordon Pulis (Principal Trombonist with the New York Philharmonic from 1946–56), and Armand Sarro (former trombonist with the National Symphony Orchestra). His conducting teachers have included Richard Lert of the American Symphony Orchestra League and Lloy Geisler of the National Symphony and Catholic University of America.

Professional positions[link]

John Marcellus has served as the Music Director and Conductor of the Brighton Symphony Orchestra since 1980. Since 1979, he has taught at the Chautauqua Institute and served as the Principal Trombonist with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra.

Previous to joining the faculty of the Eastman School in 1978, Dr. Marcellus served as the Principal Trombonist with the National Symphony Orchestra (Washington, DC) for 13 years, and also served as the Associate Principal Trombonist with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, soloist with the United States Navy Band, and served as the Principal Tuba with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra at the age of 16.

Dr. Marcellus was on the faculty of the North Carolina School for the Arts from 1965 to 1968. In Washington, D.C., he served on the faculty of Catholic University from 1966 to 1978, Howard University from 1967 to 1970 and American University from 1968 to 1978. Since 1978, he has served on the faculty of the Eastman School of Music and taught at Chautauqua since 1979 and the Interlochen Arts Academy in 1982 and 1983.

He served as guest conductor at the National Music Camp in Interlochen in 1982. Other musical groups that he has played with or conducted include the Penfield Symphony, Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra in 2005, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra. He has performed as a soloist with the U.S. Navy Band in Washington D.C., the National Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet, Washington Theatre Chamber Players, and the Contemporary Music Forum, as well as performing solo recitals in London, Paris, Cologne, Stuttgart, Birmingham, Manchester, Japan, Sweden, Finland, Austria, Holland, Poland, and Denmark.

His close association with the International Trombone Association (ITA) has included appearances in workshops since 1970 and he is a founding board member of the ITA. Other workshops in which he has performed include the 1976 International Brass Congress in Montreux, Switzerland, the U.S. Army Band's Eastern Trombone Workshop since 1973, the Eastern Music Festival, and Norfolk Chamber Orchestra. He has served as co-director of the Army Band's Eastern Trombone Workshop, which has been held at Ft. Meyer, Virginia annually since 1986.

Publications[link]

• Several publications in the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors (NACWPI) Journal, The Instrumentalist and Accent
• Arrangements published by Kendor and Belwin-Mills.

Discography[link]

• Recordings on London/Decca, Nonesuch, Library of Congress, Turnabout, Opus One, Stolat, and Sine Qua Non.
• Solo CD, Songs, Dances, and Incantations: American Music for Trombone, on Albany Records (2002).
• Other CDs: Calls and Echoes with Eastman Brass, Eastman CD Series;
• Eastman Trombone Choir 60th Anniversary CD, Eastman CD Series.

Honors[link]

• He received the International Trombone Association's Highest Award for Pedagogy, Performance and Literature in 1999.

• He was honored for his outstanding career as a musician and educator in April, 1997 by the New York Brass Conference for Scholarships at their Silver Jubilee Brass Conference in New York City.

• In 1997, he was given the Mu Phi Epsilon Musician of the Year award.

External references[link]

• Brighton Symphony Orchestra Biography
• ITA Biography

¹Maria Kilbourn Eastman is the mother of George Eastman, who endowed the Eastman School of Music.

Samuel Barber, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1944

Samuel Osborne Barber II (March 9, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was an American composer of orchestral, opera, choral, and piano music. He is one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century; music critic Donal Henahan stated that "Probably no other American composer has ever enjoyed such early, such persistent and such long-lasting acclaim."^[1] His Adagio for Strings (1936) has earned a permanent place in the concert repertory of orchestras. He was twice awarded the Pulitzer Prize for music, for his opera Vanessa (1956–57) and his Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1962). Also widely performed is his Knoxville: Summer of 1915 (1947), a work for soprano and orchestra, which sets a prose text by James Agee. Unusual among contemporary composers, nearly all of his compositions have been recorded.^[1]

Biography[link]

Early years[link]

Boyhood home of Samuel Barber in West Chester, Pennsylvania

Barber was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, the son of Marguerite McLeod (née Beatty) and Samuel Le Roy Barber.^[2] He was born into a comfortable, educated, social, and distinguished Irish-American^{[citation needed]} family. His father was a physician, and his mother was a pianist. His aunt, Louise Homer, was a leading contralto at the Metropolitan Opera and his uncle, Sidney Homer, was a composer of American art songs. Louise Homer is known to have influenced Barber's interest in voice. Through his aunt, Barber had access to many great singers and songs.

At a very early age, Barber became profoundly interested in music, and it was apparent that he had great musical talent and ability. He began studying the piano at the age of 6 and at age 7 composed his first work, Sadness, a 23 measure solo piano piece in C minor.^[1] At the age of nine he wrote to his mother:

Dear Mother: I have written this to tell you my worrying secret. Now don't cry when you read it because it is neither yours nor my fault. I suppose I will have to tell it now without any nonsense. To begin with I was not meant to be an athlet [sic]. I was meant to be a composer, and will be I'm sure. I'll ask you one more thing.—Don't ask me to try to forget this unpleasant thing and go play football.—Please—Sometimes I've been worrying about this so much that it makes me mad (not very).^[3]

Barber attempted to write his first opera, entitled The Rose Tree, at the age of 10. At the age of 12 he became an organist at a local church. When he was 14, he entered the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he studied piano with Isabelle Vengerova, composition with Rosario Scalero, and voice with Emilio de Gorgoza.^[1] He began composing seriously in his late teenage years. Around the same time, he met fellow Curtis schoolmate Gian Carlo Menotti , who became his partner in life as well as in their shared profession. At the Curtis Institute, Barber was a triple prodigy in composition, voice, and piano. He soon became a favorite of the conservatory's founder, Mary Louise Curtis Bok. It was through Mrs. Bok that Barber was introduced to his lifelong publisher, the Schirmer family. At the age of 18, Barber won the Joseph H. Bearns Prize from Columbia University for his violin sonata Fortune's Favorite Child (now lost or destroyed by the composer).^[1]

Middle years[link]

From his early to late twenties, Barber wrote a flurry of successful compositions, launching him into the spotlight of the classical music world. His first orchestral work, the overture to The School for Scandal, was composed in 1931 when he was 21 years old. It premiered successfully two years later in a performance given by the Philadelphia Orchestra under conductor Alexander Smallens.^[1] Many of his compositions were commissioned or first performed by such famous artists as Vladimir Horowitz, Eleanor Steber, Raya Garbousova, John Browning, Leontyne Price, Pierre Bernac, Francis Poulenc, and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. In 1935, at the age of 25, he was awarded the American Prix de Rome and was the recipient of a Pulitzer traveling scholarship which allowed him to study abroad in 1935-1936. He was later awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1946.^[1]

When Barber was 28, his Adagio for Strings was performed by the NBC Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Arturo Toscanini in 1938, along with his first Essay for Orchestra. The Adagio had been arranged from the slow movement of Barber's String Quartet, Op. 11. Toscanini had only rarely performed music by American composers before (an exception was Howard Hanson's Second Symphony, which he conducted in 1933).^[4] At the end of the first rehearsal of the piece, Toscanini remarked, "Semplice e bella" (simple and beautiful).

Barber served in the Army Air Corps in World War II, where he was commissioned to write his Second Symphony, a work he later suppressed. (It was released in a Vox recording by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andrew Schenck). Composed in 1943, the symphony was originally titled Symphony Dedicated to the Air Forces and was premiered in early 1944 by Serge Koussevitsky and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Barber revised the symphony in 1947, which was published by G. Schirmer,^[5] and recorded the following year by the New Symphony Orchestra of London conducted by the composer,^[6] but Barber subsequently destroyed the score in 1964. It was reconstructed from the instrumental parts.^[7] According to another source, however, it was precisely the parts to the symphony that Barber had torn up.^[8] 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"^[9] Doubt has been cast on this story, however, on grounds that Heinsheimer, as an executive at G. Schirmer, would have allowed Barber into the Schirmer offices to watch him "rip apart the music that his company had invested money in publishing".^[10]

Barber won the Pulitzer Prize twice: in 1958 for his first opera Vanessa, and in 1963 for his Concerto for Piano and Orchestra.

Later years[link]

Barber spent many years in isolation after the harsh rejection of his third opera Antony and Cleopatra. He suffered from depression, and was also beset by alcoholism.^[11] The opera was written for and premiered at the opening of the new Metropolitan Opera House on September 16, 1966. After this setback, Barber continued to write music until he was almost 70 years old. Barber's music in his later years would be lauded as reflective and contemplative, but without the morbidity or unhappiness of other composers who knew they had a limited time to live. The Third Essay for Orchestra (1978) was his last major work.

Barber died of cancer in 1981 in New York City at the age of 70. He was buried in Oaklands Cemetery in his hometown of West Chester, Pennsylvania.^[12]

Achievements and awards[link]

Barber was the recipient of numerous awards and prizes including the Rome Prize (the American version of the Prix de Rome), two Pulitzers, and election to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1961.^[13]

Barber was initiated, as a full collegiate member, into the Zeta Iota chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity at Howard University in 1952.

In addition to composing, Barber was active in organizations that sought to help musicians and promote music. He was president of the International Music Council of UNESCO, where he did much to bring into focus and ameliorate the conditions facing musicians and musical organizations worldwide. He was one of the first American composers to visit Russia (then part of the Soviet Union). Barber was also influential in the successful campaign by composers against ASCAP, the goal of which was to increase royalties paid to composers.

Music[link]

Orchestral music[link]

Barber played and studied the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and was an adherent of Johannes Brahms, from whom he learned how to compress profound emotions into small modules of highly charged musical expression (Cello Sonata, 1932).^{[citation needed]}

In 1933, after reading the poem "Prometheus Unbound" by Percy Bysshe Shelley, Barber composed the tone poem Music for a Scene from Shelley, Op. 7. In 1935, when the work was premiered at Carnegie Hall, it was the first time the composer heard one of his orchestral works performed publicly.^{[citation needed]}

Barber's compositional style has been lauded^{[by whom?]} for its musical logic, sense of architectural design, effortless melodic gift, and direct emotional appeal. This was evident in the Overture to The School for Scandal (1931) and Music for a Scene from Shelley (1933). These were characteristics of his music throughout his lifetime.^{[citation needed]}

Through the success of his Overture to The School for Scandal (1931), Music for a Scene from Shelley (1933), Adagio for Strings (1938); (First) Symphony in One Movement (1936), (First) Essay for Orchestra (1937) and Violin Concerto (1939), Barber garnered performances by the world's leading conductors such as Artur Rodziński, Eugene Ormandy, Dimitri Mitropoulos, Bruno Walter, Charles Münch, George Szell, Leopold Stokowski, and Thomas Schippers.

His compositions later included polytonality (Second Symphony, 1944); atonality (Medea, 1946, Prayers of Kierkegaard, 1954); Twelve-tone technique (Nocturne, 1959 and the Piano Sonata, 1949); and jazz (Excursions, 1944; and A Hand of Bridge, 1959).^{[citation needed]}

Among his finest works^{[citation needed]} are his four concertos, one each for Violin (1939), Cello (1945) and Piano (1962), and also the neoclassical Capricorn Concerto for flute, oboe, trumpet and string orchestra. All of these works are rewarding for the soloists and public alike, as all contain both highly virtuosic and beautiful writing, often simultaneously. The latter three have been unfairly neglected until recent years, when there has been a reawakening of interest in the expressive possibilities of these masterpieces.^{[citation needed]}

Barber's final opus was the Canzonetta for oboe and string orchestra (1979/1981).

Piano[link]

The four piano "bagatelles" Excursions, Op. 20 (1942–44), was his first and only venture into Americana music. Its elements of boogie-woogie, blues, theme and variations on a cowboy song, and hoedown are not typical of Barber's generally more classical style.^{[citation needed]} In 1949, Barber wrote his Piano Sonata, which has maintained a prominent position in the concert repertoire since its premiere.^{[citation needed]} The Nocturne for Piano (Homage to John Field), Op. 33, is another respected piece which he composed for the instrument.

Opera[link]

Barber's life partner Gian Carlo Menotti, whom he had met at Curtis, supplied the libretto (text) for Barber's opera, Vanessa. Using his vocal training, in 1956 Barber played and sang the score to the Metropolitan Opera's General Manager, Rudolf Bing, who accepted the work. It premiered in January 1958. The title role was written for Sena Jurinac but she cancelled six weeks before the opening, to be replaced by Eleanor Steber, with whom the role has become closely identified.^{[citation needed]} Vanessa won the 1958 Pulitzer Prize and gained acclaim as the first American grand opera.

Menotti also contributed the libretto for Barber's chamber opera A Hand of Bridge. Barber's Antony and Cleopatra was commissioned to open the new Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center in 1966. The elaborate production designed by Franco Zeffirelli was plagued with technical disasters; it also overwhelmed and obscured Barber's music, which most critics derided as uncharacteristically weak and unoriginal. The critical rejection of music that Barber considered to be among his best sent him into a deep depression. In recent years, a revised version of Antony and Cleopatra, for which Menotti provided collaborative assistance, has enjoyed some success.^[15][16]

Vocal[link]

Barber's background, deeply rooted in singing (including studies with Emilio de Gogorza), his love of poetry, and his intimate knowledge and appreciation of the human voice, inspired his vocal writing. Barber's most famous vocal compositions, Knoxville: Summer of 1915 (to words by James Agee) and Dover Beach (to the poem by Matthew Arnold), were greatly successful. Their critical acclaim has made a powerful case for Barber as one of the twentieth century's most accomplished composers for the voice.^{[citation needed]}

In honor of Barber's influence on American music, on October 19, 1974, he was awarded the prestigious University of Pennsylvania Glee Club Award of Merit.^[17] This award was established in 1964 "to bring a declaration of appreciation to an individual each year who has made a significant contribution to the world of music and helped to create a climate in which our talents may find valid expression."

In September 1992, soprano Cheryl Studer, baritone Thomas Hampson, the preeminent Samuel Barber pianist John Browning and the Emerson String Quartet recorded the complete songs of Samuel Barber (with the exception of Knoxville: Summer of 1915) at the Brahms-Saal of the famous Musikverein in Vienna, Austria. The Deutsche Grammophon (catalogue 435 867–2) set has become a classic of American song on record.^{[citation needed]}

Violin[link]

In 1939 Philadelphia industrialist Samuel Simeon Fels commissioned Barber to write a violin concerto for Fels' ward, Iso Briselli, a graduate from the Curtis Institute of Music the same year as Barber, 1934.^[18] The Barber biographies written by Nathan Broder (1954) and Barbara B. Heyman (1992) discuss the genesis of the concerto during the period of the violin concerto's commission and subsequent year leading up to the first performance. Heyman interviewed Briselli and others familiar with the history in her publication. In late 2010, previously unpublished letters written by Fels, Barber, and Albert Meiff (Briselli's violin coach in that period) from the Samuel Simeon Fels Papers archived at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania became available to the public.^[19]

Notable compositions[link]

• Dover Beach (Medium voice and string quartet) (Op. 3, 1931)
• The School for Scandal (Overture) (Op. 5, 1931)
• Cello Sonata (Op. 6, 1932)
• Music for a Scene from Shelley (Op. 7, 1933)
• (First) Symphony in One Movement (Op. 9, 1936)
• Adagio for Strings (arr. of String Quartet, movement 2) (Op. 11, 1938)
• Essay for Orchestra (Op. 12, 1937)
• Violin Concerto (Op. 14, 1939)
• Reincarnations for mixed chorus, (Op. 16, 1939–1940); words by Antoine Ó Raifteiri in translation by James Stephens
• Second Essay for Orchestra (Op. 17, 1942)
• Excursions (Op. 20, 1942–44)
• Capricorn Concerto (Op. 21, 1944)
• Cello Concerto (Op. 22, 1945)
• Medea (ballet) (Op. 23, 1946)
• Knoxville: Summer of 1915 (Soprano & Orchestra) (Op. 24, 1948)
• Sonata for Piano (Op. 26, 1949)
• Hermit Songs (Op. 29, 1953)
• Prayers of Kierkegaard (Soprano, Choir & Orchestra) (Op. 30, 1954)
• Summer Music for Wind Quintet (Op. 31, 1956)
• Vanessa (opera) (Op. 32, 1957)
• A Hand of Bridge (Chamber opera) (Op. 35, 1959)
• Toccata Festiva (Organ and Orchestra) (Op. 36, 1960)
• Piano Concerto (Op. 38, 1962)
• Antony and Cleopatra (Op. 40, opera, 1966, rev. 1974)

Notes[link]

References and further reading[link]

• Brévignon, Pierre. 2011. Samuel Barber, un nostalgique entre deux mondes. Paris: Editions Hermann. ISBN 9782705681869.
• Broder, Nathan. 1954. Samuel Barber. New York: G. Schirmer. Reprinted Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1985. ISBN 0-313-24984-9.
• Heinsheimer, Hans W. 1968. "The Composing Composer: Samuel Barber". ASCAP Today 2:7.
• Henahan, Donal. 1975. "Juilliard Rehabilitating 'Antony and Cleopatra'". New York Times (February 8).
• Heyman, Barbara B. 1992. Samuel Barber: The Composer and His Music. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-509058-1.
• Károlyi, Ottó. 1996. Modern American Music: From Charles Ives to the Minimalists. London: Cygnus Arts; Madison [N.J.]: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. ISBN 978-0-8386-3725-8 (cloth); ISBN 978-1-900541-00-8 (pbk).
• Lee, Douglas A. 2002. Masterworks of 20th-Century Music: The Modern Repertory Of The Symphony Orchestra. New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-93846-5
• Mostovoy, Marc. 2010. "Iso Briselli, Samuel Barber, and thbe Violin Concerto, op. 14: Facts and Fiction". Iso Briselli website. (Accessed December 6, 2010)
• Schenck, Andrew. 1988. Booklet notes. Samuel Barber: Symphony No. 2; Music for a Scene from Shelley; Overture to The School for Scandal; First Essay; Adagio for Strings. The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Schenck, cond. CD recording. Stradivari Classics SCD 8012. Hackensack, NJ: Special Music Company.
• Simmons, Walter. 2004. Voices in the Wilderness: Six American Neo-Romantic Composers. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-4884-8. Paperback reprint edition, Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2006. ISBN 0-8108-5728-6.
• Smith, Patricia Juliana. 2002. "Barber, Samuel". glbtq: An Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Culture, edited by Claude J. Summers. Chicago: glbtq, Inc.
• Staubrand, Jens. 2009. Kierkegaard International Bibliography: Music Works and Plays: Appendix: About The Seducers Diary and the Illness and Death of Søren Kierkegaard, new edition. Copenhagen: Eget Forlag; i kommission hos Forlaget Underskoven. ISBN 978-87-92259-91-2.
• Valente, Erasmo. 1983. "A Spoleto rinasce Cleopatra". L'unità (June 27).
• Wade, Graham. 2003. A Concise Guide to Understanding Music. Pacific, MO: Mel Bay Publications. ISBN 978-0-7866-4981-5.
• Warrack, John Hamilton, and Ewan West. 1992. The Oxford Dictionary of Opera. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press ISBN 0-19-869164-5
• Wright, Jeffrey Marsh II. 2010. "The Enlisted Composer: Samuel Barber's Career 1942–1945". PhD diss. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Samuel Barber

Biography[link]

• Heyman, Barbara B (1992). Samuel Barber: The Composer and His Music. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-509058-6
• Wittke, Paul. Samuel Barber. G. Schirmer Inc.
• Brévignon, Pierre. 2011. Samuel Barber, un nostalgique entre deux mondes. Paris: Editions Hermann. ISBN 2782705681869.
• Homepage of Capricorn, the French Samuel Barber Society. (In English and French)
• Article "Barber, A Composer Between Two Worlds", by the Capricorn Society on American Center France
• Samuel Osborne Barber. IHAS. PBS.
• Smith, Patricia. Barber, Samuel. glbtq.com
• (French) A biography of Samuel Barber, from IRCAM's website.
• "Samuel Barber", Fyne Times

Other[link]

• Frédéric Chopin and Samuel Barber – ArtsEditor.com opinion article, 2010.

Audio and Video[link]

• Anne Akiko Meyers performs the Barber Violin Concerto
• Art of the States: Samuel Barber
• Erika's aria (piano and voice) from Vanessa, "Must the Winter Come So Soon?", sung by Mary Gayle Greene on YouTube
• In the BBC Discovering Music: Listening Library

This article's lead section may not adequately summarize its contents. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of the article's key points. (November 2010)

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (November 2010)

Sarah Greene (born 25 October 1958) is a British television personality well known for presenting live TV: long-running series such as Blue Peter, from 19 May 1980 until 27 June 1983, Saturday Superstore, Going Live for 10 years and big event/awards shows.

Early life and career[link]

Greene was born in London, England, the daughter of Welsh DIY expert Harry Greene and actress Marjie Lawrence. She is sister of presenter Laura Greene. Sarah was educated at the Gospel Oak Primary School and the Grey Coat Hospital school, London, while also pursuing child acting roles. She graduated with a degree in Drama from University of Hull. She then pursued acting roles in Birmingham, Manchester and London.

Television career[link]

In early 1980, Greene had a role on the daytime drama Together (Southern Television/ITV), which began in January. She first appeared on Blue Peter^[1] after appearing in the BBC adaptation of Pamela Brown's The Swish of the Curtain after which she was asked by then producer Biddy Baxter to be the replacement for the outgoing Tina Heath. At the time Greene was the youngest ever presenter of Blue Peter, aged 22 and within two weeks was filming in Cornwall for the show.^[1] Programme won BAFTA during Greene's 3 year tenure. After leaving Blue Peter, she presented Saturday Superstore with Mike Read, and subsequently co-presented Going Live! with Phillip Schofield. It was during her time on Going Live! that Sarah won "Best Female on TV" SOS Award 3 years running. She then began to appear in television commercials for Nescafe coffee. Later, she fronted Channel 4's popular daytime antiques programme Collectors Lot.

On September 10, 1988 Greene and her partner Mike Smith (television and radio presenter) were seriously injured in a helicopter accident in Gloucestershire. The couple spent a number of weeks in hospital before Greene returned to present Going Live! while still in plaster.^[1][2] Soon after the accident the couple became engaged and were married the following year.^[3]

In addition to presenting magazine shows such as the BBC's Pebble Mill At One, Greene has acted in programmes such as the Doctor Who serial Attack of the Cybermen, Casualty, Brookside and French & Saunders. In 1992 she combined her talents in a hoax paranormal programme called Ghostwatch, alongside Smith and talk-show host Michael Parkinson. Greene and Smith made a foray into feature films in The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997), starring Bill Murray; they played presenters of The Theatre Of Life, a fictional English TV show which promised the participant a role in a crime drama.

In 1996 Sarah began a four year partnership with The Food Network, hosting a daily news, debate and magazine show.

More recently, Greene appeared in the ITV programme Have I Been Here Before? and was also a regular presenter on magazine show This Morning. She has also presented Discovery Home & Health's Weddings Live, an annual 6-hour broadcast which showcases several weddings live from across the country, from 2005 to 2007. Fellow presenters include Brendan Courtney and celebrity stylists such as Armand Beasley.

Partnered with Fred Palascak, Sarah competed in the 2008 ITV Dancing on Ice competition.

Sarah took part in an episode of BBC Wales's Coming Home programme, first shown on December 22, 2010. Her mother had died a month before filming but she decided to continue the process, alongside her 87-year old father. The programme ^[4] was able to trace her family tree back to the 17th century in Wales.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Sarah Greene at the Internet Movie Database
• BBC - I Love Blue Peter - Sarah Greene presenter biography
• BBC -Gallery (Sarah Greene wears a pair of overalls over a T-shirt)
• Blue Peter tortoises (Sarah Greene appears right side); she wears a pair of overalls over a T-shirt