A string instrument (or stringed instrument) is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones. The most common string instruments in the string family are guitar, electric bass, violin, viola, cello, double bass, banjo, mandolin, ukulele, and harp.

Types of instruments

Construction

String instruments can be divided in three groups. #Lutes - instruments in which the strings are supported by a neck and a bout ("gourd"), for instance a guitar, a violin, a saz. #Harps - instruments in which the strings are contained within a frame. #Zithers - instruments with the strings mounted on a body, such as a guqin, a cimbalom, an autoharp, or a piano.

It is also possible to divide the instruments in groups focused on how the instrument is played.

Types of playing techniques

:''For a full list, see List of string instruments.''

All string instruments produce sound from one or more vibrating strings, transferred to the air by the body of the instrument (or by a pickup in the case of electronically amplified instruments). They are usually categorized by the technique used to make the strings vibrate (or by the primary technique, in the case of instruments where more than one may apply.) The three most common techniques are plucking, bowing and striking.

Plucking

Plucking is used as the sole method of playing on instruments such as the banjo, guitar, harp, lute, mandolin, oud, sitar, and either by a finger or thumb, or by some type of plectrum. This category includes the keyboard instrument the harpsichord, which formerly used feather quills (now plastic plectra) to pluck the strings.

Instruments normally played by bowing (see below) may also be plucked, a technique referred to by the Italian term ''pizzicato''.

Bowing

Bowing (''Italian: Arco'') is a method used in some string instruments, including the violin, viola, cello, and the double bass (of the violin family) and the old viol family. The bow consists of a stick with many hairs stretched between its ends. Bowing the instrument's string causes a stick-slip phenomenon to occur, which makes the string vibrate.

Ancestors of the modern bowed string instruments are the rebab of the Islamic Empires, the Persian kamanche and the Byzantine lira. Other bowed instruments are the rebec, hardingfele, nyckelharpa, kokyū, erhu, igil, sarangi and K'ni. The hurdy gurdy is bowed by a wheel.

Rarely, the guitar can be played with a bow (rather than plucked) for unique effects.

Striking

The third common method of sound production in stringed instruments is to strike the string.

Violin family string instrument players are occasionally instructed to strike the string with the side of the bow, a technique called ''col legno''. This yields a percussive sound along with the pitch of the note. A well-known use of ''col legno'' for orchestral strings is the Gustav Holst's "Mars" movement from ''The Planets'' suite.

Other methods

The aeolian harp employs a very unusual method of sound production: the strings are excited by the movement of the air.

Some instruments that have strings have attached keyboards that the player uses instead of directly manipulating the strings. These include the piano, the clavichord, and the harpsichord.

With these keyboard instruments too, the strings are occasionally plucked or bowed by hand. Composers such as Henry Cowell wrote music which asks for the player to reach inside the piano and pluck the strings directly, or to "bow" them with bow hair wrapped around the strings, or play them by rolling the bell of a brass instrument such as a trombone on the array of strings.

Other keyed string instruments, small enough for a strolling musician to play, include the plucked autoharp, the bowed nyckelharpa, and the hurdy gurdy, which is played by cranking a rosined wheel.

Steel-stringed instruments (such as the guitar, bass, violin, etc.) can be played using a magnetic field. An E-Bow is small hand-held battery-powered device which can be used to excite the strings of an electric guitar. It provides a sustained, singing tone on the string which is magnetically vibrated.

3rd Bridge is a plucking method where the string is divided in two pieces and struck at the side which is unamplified. The technique is mainly used on electric instruments, because these have a pickup that amplifies only the local string vibration. It's possible on acoustic instruments as well, but lesser convenient. For instance press on the 7th fret on a guitar and pluck it at the head side and a tone will resonate at the opposed part. At electric instruments this technique can generate multitone sounds remniscent of a clock or a bell.

Changing the pitch of a vibrating string

There are three ways to change the pitch of a vibrating string. String instruments are tuned by varying the strings' tension because adjusting length or mass per unit length is impractical. Instruments with a fingerboard are then played by adjusting the length of the vibrating portion of the strings. The following observations all apply to a string that is infinitely flexible strung between two fixed supports. Real strings have finite curvature at the bridge and nut, and the bridge, because of its motion, are not exactly nodes of vibration. Hence the following statements about proportionality are (usually rather good) approximations.

Length

Pitch can be adjusted by varying the length of the string. A longer string will result in a lower pitch, while a shorter string will result in a higher pitch. The frequency is inversely proportional to the length:

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A string twice as long will produce a tone of half the frequency (one octave lower).

Tension

Pitch can be adjusted by varying the tension of the string. A string with less tension (looser) will result in a lower pitch, while a string with greater tension (tighter) will result in a higher pitch. The frequency is proportional to the square root of the tension:

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Density

The pitch of a string can also be varied by changing the linear density (mass per unit length) of the string. The frequency is inversely proportional to the square root of the linear density:

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A string that is has a higher mass per unit length will produce a lower pitch.

String length or scale length

This is the length of the string from nut to bridge on bowed or plucked instruments and ultimately determines the distance between different notes on the instrument. For example, a double bass with its low range needs a scale length of around , whilst a violin scale is only about . On the shorter scale of the violin, the left hand may easily reach a range of slightly more than two octaves without shifting position, while on the bass' longer scale, a single octave or a ninth is reachable in lower positions.

Contact points along the string

In bowed instruments, the bow is normally placed perpendicularly to the string, at a point half way between the end of the fingerboard and the bridge. However, different bow placements can be selected to change timbre. Application of the bow close to the bridge (known as ''sul ponticello'') produces an intense, sometimes harsh sound, which acoustically emphasizes the upper harmonics. Bowing above the fingerboard (''sul tasto'') produces a purer tone with less overtone strength, emphasizing the fundamental, also known as ''flautando'', since it sounds less reedy and more flute-like.

Similar timbral distinctions are also possible with plucked string instruments by selecting an appropriate plucking point, although the difference is perhaps more subtle.

In keyboard instruments, the contact point along the string (whether this be hammer, tangent, or plectrum) is a choice made by the instrument designer. Builders use a combination of experience and acoustic theory to establish the right set of contact points.

In harpsichords, often there are two sets of strings of equal length. These "choirs" usually differ in their plucking points. One choir has a "normal" plucking point, producing a canonical harpsichord sound; the other has a plucking point close to the bridge, producing a reedier "nasal" sound rich in upper harmonics.

Production of multiple notes

A string at a certain tension and length will only produce one note, so to obtain multiple notes, string instruments employ one of two methods. One is to add enough strings to cover the range of notes desired; the other is to allow the strings to be ''stopped''. The piano and harp are examples of the former method, where each note on the instrument has its own string or course of multiple strings. (Many notes on a piano are strung with a "choir" of three strings tuned alike.)

Some zithers combine stoppable (melody) strings with a greater number of "open" harmony or chord strings. On instruments with stoppable strings, such as the violin or guitar, the player can shorten the vibrating length of the string, using their fingers directly (or more rarely through some mechanical device, as in the nyckelharpa or the hurdy gurdy). Such instruments usually have a ''fingerboard'' attached to the neck of the instrument, that provides a hard flat surface athe player can stop the strings against. On some string instruments, the fingerboard has ''frets'', raised ridges perpendicular to the strings that stop the string at precise intervals, in which case the fingerboard is also called a ''fretboard''.

Moving frets during performance is usually impractical. The bridges of a koto, on the other hand, may be moved by the player, occasionally in the course of a single piece of music. Many modern Western harps include levers, either directly moved by fingers (on Celtic harps) or controlled by foot pedals (on orchestral harps), to raise the pitch of individual strings by a fixed amount. The middle Eastern zither, the qanun, is equipped with small levers called ''mandal'' that allow each course of multiple strings to be incrementally retuned "on the fly" while the instrument is being played. These levers raise or lower the pitch of the string course by a microtone, less than a half step.

Sympathetic strings

Some instruments are employed with sympathetic strings, additional strings not meant to be plucked. These strings resonate along with the played notes. This system is for instance present on a sarangi.

== Sound production ==

Acoustic instruments

It is sometimes said that the sounding board or soundbox "amplifies" the sound of the strings. Technically speaking, no amplification occurs, because all of the energy to produce sound comes from the vibrating string. What really happens is that the sounding board of the instrument provides a larger surface area to create sound waves than that of the string. A larger vibrating surface moves more air, hence produces a louder sound.

Achieving a tonal characteristic that is effective and pleasing to the player's and listener's ear is something of an art, and the makers of string instruments often seek very high quality woods to this end, particularly spruce (chosen for its lightness, strength and flexibility) and maple (a very hard wood). Spruce is used for the sounding boards of instruments from the violin to the piano.

Acoustic instruments can also be made out of artificial materials, such as carbon fiber and fiberglass (particularly the larger instruments, such as cellos and basses).

In the early 20th century, the Stroh violin used a diaphragm-type resonator and a metal horn to project the string sound, much like early mechanical gramophones. Its use declined beginning about 1920, as electronic amplification came into use.

Electronic amplification

Most string instruments can be fitted with piezoelectric or magnetic pickups to convert the string's vibrations into an electrical signal that is amplified and then converted back into sound by loudspeakers. Some players attach a pickup to their traditional string instrument to "electrify" it. Another option is to use a solid-bodied instrument, which reduces unwanted feedback howls or squeals.

Amplified string instruments can be much louder than their acoustic counterparts, which allows them to be used in relatively loud rock, blues, and jazz ensembles. Amplified instruments can also have their amplified tone modified by using electronic effects such as distortion, reverb, or wah-wah.

Bass-register string instruments such as the double bass and the electric bass are amplified with bass instrument amplifiers that are designed to reproduce low-frequency sounds. To modify the tone of amplified bass instruments, a range of electronic bass effects are available, such as distortion and chorus.

See also

3rd Bridge

"Essay on the fingering of the violoncello and on the conduct of the bow"

List of string instruments

Luthier (maker of stringed instruments)

Musical acoustics

Musical instrument

String instrument extended technique

String instrument repertoire

String orchestra

Strings (music)

Vibrating string

Stringed instrument tunings

External links

The physics of the bowed string

Instruments in Depth: The Viola, an online feature presented by Bloomingdale School of Music (2010)

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name	Nelly Furtado
background	solo_singer
birth name	Nelly Kim Furtado
background	solo_singer
birth date	December 02, 1978
origin	Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
instrument	Vocals, guitar, keyboards, ukulele, trombone
vocal range	Mezzo-soprano (Ab3-G5)
genre	Pop, folk, R&B;, Latin pop
occupation	Singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, actress
years active	1996–present
label	DreamWorks, Geffen, MMG, Universal Music Latino
website
Associated acts	Gerald Eaton, Brian West, Timbaland, James Bryan }}

Nelly Kim Furtado (born December 2, 1978) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer and actress of Portuguese descent. She has sold 20 million albums worldwide and 18 million singles, bringing her total sales to nearly 40 million records. Furtado grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

Furtado first gained fame with her debut album, ''Whoa, Nelly!'', and its single "I'm like a Bird", which won a 2001 Juno Award for Single of the Year and a 2002 Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. It produced two more international singles: the more successful "Turn off the Light", and "Shit on the Radio (Remember the Days)". After giving birth to her daughter Nevis, her second studio album, ''Folklore'', was released. It was less commercially successful in the US. It produced three international singles: "Powerless (Say What You Want)", "Try", and "Força" (the theme of the 2004 European Football Championship).

In summer 2006, she released her third studio album, ''Loose''. It is her biggest success to date worldwide. It produced the number-one hits "Promiscuous", "Maneater", "Say It Right" and "All Good Things (Come to an End)". After a three-year break, in September 2009, she released her first full-length Spanish album, ''Mi Plan'', along with her first Spanish single "Manos al Aire", which topped the Billboard Hot Latin Songs. This made Furtado the first North American singer to top the Billboard Hot Latin Chart with an original Spanish song. Further singles released were "Más" and "Bajo Otra Luz". For ''Mi Plan'', Nelly received the Latin Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Album. On October 26, a remix album, ''Mi Plan Remixes'', was released. Furtado released her first greatest hits album, ''The Best of Nelly Furtado'', one month later on November 12, 2010.

Early life

Furtado was born on December 2, 1978, in Victoria, British Columbia to Portuguese parents, Maria Manuela and António José Furtado, both immigrants from the Azores. She was named after Soviet gymnast Nellie Kim. Her parents were born on São Miguel Island and emigrated to Canada in the late 1960s. Her siblings are Michael Anthony and Lisa Anne. She was raised in a Roman Catholic home.

At age four, she began performing and singing in Portuguese. Furtado's first public performance was when she sang a duet with her mother at a church on Portugal Day. She began playing musical instruments at the age of nine, learning the trombone, ukulele and – in later years – the guitar and keyboards. At the age of 12, she began writing songs, and as a teenager, she performed in a Portuguese marching band.

Furtado has acknowledged her family as the source of her strong work ethic; she spent eight summers working as a chambermaid with her mother, along with her brother and sister, who was a housekeeper in Victoria. She has stated that coming from a working class background has shaped her identity in a positive way.

Music career

1996–99: Musical beginnings

During a visit with her sister Lisa Anne in Toronto, the summer after eleventh grade, Furtado met Tallis Newkirk, member of the hip hop group Plains of Fascination. She contributed vocals to their 1996 album, ''Join the Ranks'', on the track "Waitin' 4 The Streets". After graduating from Mount Douglas Secondary School in 1996, she moved to Toronto to reside with her sister Lisa Anne. The following year, she formed Nelstar, a trip hop duo with Newkirk. Ultimately, Furtado felt the trip-hop style of the duo was "too segregated", and believed it did not represent her personality or allow her to showcase her vocal ability. She left the group and planned to move back home.

In 1997, she performed at the Honey Jam talent show. Her performance attracted the attention of The Philosopher Kings singer Gerald Eaton, who then approached her to write with him. He and fellow Kings member Brian West helped Furtado produce a demo. She left Toronto, but returned again to record more material with Eaton and West. The material recorded during these sessions led to her 1999 record deal with DreamWorks Records, where she was signed by A&R; executive Beth Halper, partner of Garbage drummer and record producer Butch Vig. Furtado's first single, "Party's Just Begun (Again)", was released that year on the ''Brokedown Palace: Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack''.

2000–05: ''Whoa, Nelly!'' and ''Folklore''

Furtado continued the collaboration with Eaton and West, who co-produced her debut album, ''Whoa, Nelly!'', which was released in October 2000. Following the release of the album, Furtado headlined the "Burn in the Spotlight Tour" and also appeared on Moby's ''Area:One'' tour.

The album was an international success, supported by three international singles: "I'm like a Bird", "Turn off the Light", and "...On the Radio (Remember the Days)". It received four Grammy nominations in 2002, and her debut single won for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Furtado's work was also critically acclaimed for her innovative mixture of various genres and sounds. ''Slant Magazine'' called the album "a delightful and refreshing antidote to the army of 'pop princesses' and rap-metal bands that had taken over popular music at the turn of the millennium". The sound of the album was strongly influenced by musicians who had traversed cultures and "the challenge of making heartfelt, emotional music that's upbeat and hopeful". According to ''Maclean's'' magazine, ''Whoa, Nelly!'' had sold six million copies worldwide as of August 2006. Portions of the song "Scared of You" are in Portuguese, while "Onde Estás" is entirely in Portuguese, reflecting Furtado's Portuguese heritage. The International Release of "Whoa Nelly" featured fellow Canadian Esthero on the song titled "I Feel You".

In 2002, Furtado appeared on the song "Thin Line", on underground hip hop group Jurassic 5's album ''Power in Numbers''. The same year, Furtado provided her vocals to the Paul Oakenfold's song "The Harder They Come" from the album ''Bunkka'' and also made the song "These words are my own". She also had a collaboration with Colombian artist Juanes, in the song "Fotografia" where she showed her diversity of yet another language. Furtado was also featured in "Breathe" from Swollen Members "Monsters in the Closet" release; the video for "Breathe," directed by Spawn creator Todd MacFarlane, won the 2003 Western Canadian Music Awards Outstanding Video and MuchVIBE Best Rap Video.

Furtado's second album, ''Folklore'', was released in November 2003. The final track on the album, "Childhood Dreams", was dedicated to her daughter, Nevis. The album includes the single "Força" (meaning "strength"/ "power" or "you can do it!" in Portuguese), the official anthem of the 2004 European Football Championship. Furtado performed this song in Lisbon at the championship's final, in which the Portugal national team played. The lead single is "Powerless (Say What You Want)" and the second single is the ballad "Try". The album was not as successful as her debut, partly due to the album's less "poppy" sound, as well as underpromotion from her label DreamWorks Records. DreamWorks had just been sold to Universal Music Group. In 2005, DreamWorks Records, along with many of its artists including Furtado, was absorbed into Geffen Records.

"Powerless (Say What You Want)" was later remixed, featuring Colombian rocker Juanes, who had previously worked with Furtado on his track "Fotografía" ("Photograph"). The two would collaborate again on "Te Busqué" ("I searched for you"), a single from Furtado's 2006 album ''Loose''.

2006–08: ''Loose''

Furtado's third album, named ''Loose'', after the spontaneous, creative decisions she made while creating the album, was released in June 2006. In this album, primarily produced by Timbaland, Furtado experiments with sounds from R&B;, hip hop, and 1980s music. Furtado herself describes the album's sound as ''punk-hop'', described as "modern, poppy, spooky" and as having "a mysterious, after-midnight vibe... extremely visceral". She attributed the youthful sound of the album to the presence of her two-year-old daughter. The album received generally positive reviews from critics, with some citing the "revitalising" effect of Timbaland on Furtado's music, and others calling it "slick, smart and surprising". Some have labeled her a ''"sellout"'' for seemingly abandoning her folk and rock roots in favour of hip hop and R&B;, while others have accused her of attempting to "sex up" her music and appearance to sell more records.

''Loose'' has become the most successful album of Furtado's career so far, as it reached number one, not only in Canada and the United States, but also several countries worldwide. The album produced her first number-one hit in the United States, "Promiscuous", as well as her first number-one hit in the United Kingdom, "Maneater". The single "Say It Right" eventually became Furtado's most successful song worldwide, due to its huge success in Europe and in the United States, where it became her second number-one hit. "All Good Things (Come to an End)" became her most successful song in Europe, topping single charts in numerous countries there.

On February 16, 2007, Furtado embarked on the "Get Loose Tour". She returned in March 2007 to her hometown of Victoria to perform a concert at the Save-On Foods Memorial Centre. In honour of her visit, local leaders officially proclaimed March 21, 2007, the first day of spring, as Nelly Furtado Day. After the tour, she released her first live DVD/CD named ''Loose the Concert''. On April 1, 2007, Furtado was a performer and host of the 2007 Juno Awards in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She won all five awards for which she was nominated, including Album of the Year and Single of the Year. She also appeared on stage at the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium in London on July 1, 2007, where she performed "Say It Right", "Maneater", and "I'm like a Bird".

In 2007, Furtado and Justin Timberlake were featured on Timbaland's single "Give It to Me", which became her third number-one single in the U.S. and second in the UK. In late 2008, Furtado collaborated with James Morrison on a song called "Broken Strings" for his album ''Songs for You, Truths for Me''. The single was released on December 8 and peaked at No.2 on the UK Singles Chart in early January.

In 2007, Furtado leaked plans to ''Flare'' regarding a song she was set to duet for Kylie Minogue's return. However, the song was not featured on her album ''X'', though Minogue says the aforementioned song "is still outstanding" and has plans to pursue it. She said, "I am looking forward to getting in the studio and doing it because I know Nelly and I would have a great time together". The track has not appeared on Minogue's 2010 album ''Aphrodite'' either. In 2008, she sang with the Italian group "Zero Assoluto" the ballad Win or Lose – Appena prima di partire, released in Italy, France and Germany and whose video was shot in Barcelona. On December 31, 2008, ''El Diario La Prensa'' posted an article that Furtado is planning on recording songs in English and Spanish for her upcoming album and that it is "expected to launch on September 15, 2009".

2009–2010: ''Mi Plan'' and compilation albums

|source=— Furtado explaining song selected on ''The Best of Nelly Furtado''.}} Furtado made a guest appearance on Flo Rida's new album, ''R.O.O.T.S.'', which was released on March 31, 2009. The track is titled "Jump". Furtado has also made a guest appearance on Divine Brown's ''Love Chronicles'', co-writing and singing on the background of the song "Sunglasses".

In early March, a song called "Gotta Know" leaked onto the Internet and was said to be Nelly's. In response, on March 4, 2009, Furtado stated on her MySpace blog that the song is not hers and that she is recording two new albums: one in Spanish, and the other in Portuguese. Nelly Furtado announced via the Perez Hilton blog, that the Spanish album would be titled ''Mi Plan'' and the first single titled "Manos Al Aire" (in English, meaning "Hands in the Air"). The album will have twelve new songs, all in Spanish, as stated by Nelly in a message left in her official website. The second single "Más" was released on July 21, as it was announced on Nelly's official MySpace. The third single "Mi Plan" (ft. Alex Cuba) was released on iTunes on August 11, 2009 and "Bajo Otra Luz" (ft. Julieta Venegas and La Mala Rodriguez) is the fourth and final countdown single and it was released on September 1, 2009. She also invited the Mexican star Alejandro Fernández to sing a duet song named "Sueños" ("Dreams"). The video for "Manos al Aire" premiered on July 29 on It's On with Alexa Chung. On November 11, 2010 Furtado won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Album for ''Mi Plan''. She is the first Canadian to win a Latin Grammy award.

Furtado made a guest appearance on Canadian singer k-os's new album ''Yes!'', collaborating alongside Saukrates on the song "I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman," released in early July 2009. Nelly Furtado will make a guest appearance on Tiësto's single "Who Wants to Be Alone" on his new album ''Kaleidoscope'' which was released on October 6, 2009. Furtado also recorded "Manos al Aire" in Simlish for the new Sims 3 expansion, World Adventures.

On February 12, 2010, Nelly Furtado sang in a duet with Bryan Adams at the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games. The song was called "Bang The Drum" released on EMI album ''Sounds Of Vancouver 2010'' (a commemorative album). On February 14, 2010, she appeared again at the Winter Olympic Victory Ceremony after the awarding of the medals for the athletes. On April 13, 2010, Nelly announced on her Twitter account that ''Lifestyle'', her fourth English studio album, would not be released during the summer of 2010 and that she will go on a second leg of her Mi Plan Tour where she will get more inspiration for her upcoming album ''Lifestyle''. Nelly Furtado is featured in a new song by N.E.R.D. called "Hot N Fun". She also participated in the Young Artists for Haiti song, in which many Canadian artists came together and sang K'naan's inspirational song "Wavin' Flag" to raise money for the victims of the Haiti Earthquake.

To promote the tour in Brazil, on March 24, 2010, Furtado made a ''"VIP Pocket Show"'' in reality show program Big Brother Brasil 10 from Rede Globo, the country's leading channel. She performed 5 songs from the tour in acoustic versions ("Maneater", "I'm Like A Bird", "Try", "Say It Right" and "Turn Off The Light"). Nelly Furtado participated in the live DVD recording of the Brazilian singer Ivete Sangalo in Madison Square Garden on September 4, 2010. Nelly Furtado sang two new songs: "Girlfriend in the City" and "Night Is Young" on her concert in Warsaw, Poland.

Furtado was honoured with a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in October 2010. On October 26, 2010, Furtado released ''Mi Plan Remixes'' featuring 12 tracks of remixed hits from "Mi Plan." This album included the Original Spanglish Version of "Fuerte", her final release from ''Mi Plan''.

Furtado released her first greatest hits album entitled ''The Best of Nelly Furtado'' on November 16, 2010. The album's first single, "Night Is Young" premiered on BBC Radio 1 on October 3, 2010. The song was first released for digital download on October 12, 2010 in Australia. Three new songs will be on the greatest hits album, including "Night Is Young", another collaboration Salaam Remi entitled "Girlfriend in the City", and the Lester Mendez produced track, left over from the ''Loose'' sessions, "Stars".

2011–present: ''Lifestyle'' and other projects

On July 2, 2011, Furtado preformed a new track from her upcoming studio album. The acoustic ballad was entitled "Mystery". The proposed album is targeted for a 2012 release and has attracted producers such as The Neptunes, Tiësto, Timbaland, Ryan Tedder and Rodney Jerkins. At a concert in Lisbon,'Delta Tejo Festival', Furtado covered Jennifer Lopez's 2011 hit single "On the Floor" which incorporates Kaoma's 1989 single "Lambada". Furtado announced that she would include rapper Nas on her upcoming lead single, amongst others to be featured on the album. Another album feature surfaced is Passion Pit's lead singer Mike Angelakos on a track entitled "The Edge", while Furtado also expressed interest to work once again with rapper Missy Elliot. Furtado continued to collaborate with hip-hop producer Salaam Remi, who previously worked on the 2010 single Night Is Young, on "The Edge". The lyrics for the Salaam Remi produced track are reported to be influenced by the Tiger Woods cheating scandal, in which was originally referred to as "Elin's Song". Furtado proclaims that ''Lifestyle'' would be most like her 2000 debut Whoa, Nelly!, but containing elements from urban, alternative, and reggae. In addition is the first of Furtado's album to be completely in English. The influences for the album range from Janelle Monae, The xx, to Florence + the Machine.

Aside from ''Lifestyle'', Furtado was featured Game's second single on the The R.E.D. Album entitled "Mamma Knows" (produced by the Neptunes). For the Canadian film The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom, Furtado lent her vocals for the Dolly Parton gospel cover "The Seeker" featured during the credits of the film.

Other work

Record label

She has formed her own record label, Nelstar, in conjunction with Canadian independent label group Last Gang Labels. The first act signed to Nelstar is Fritz Helder & the Phantoms. Furtado released her first Spanish single "Manos al Aire" on the new label.

Philanthropy

For World AIDS Day in 2006, Furtado took part in an AIDS awareness concert in South Africa hosted by MTV, BET, and Nike; fellow performers included Enrique Iglesias, Kanye West, Kelly Rowland, Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson. Furtado also hosted a program about AIDS on MTV, which also featured guests Alicia Keys and Justin Timberlake. She cites diverse influences, which include soul-trip/hip hop artists such as De La Soul, TLC, world music artists Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Amalia Rodrigues, as well as Caetano Veloso, Juanes, Jeff Buckley, Esthero, Björk, Cornershop, Oasis, Radiohead, The Smashing Pumpkins and Beck.

Furtado's music has also been influenced by her current residence, Toronto, which she calls "the most multicultural city in the entire world" and a place where she "can be any culture". Regarding Toronto's cultural diversity, she has said that she did not have to wait for the Internet revolution to learn about world music; she began listening to it at the age of five and continues to discover new genres.

Her biggest influence when growing up was Ani DiFranco:

"When I was a teenager, I wanted to be (the feminist punk-folk singer) Ani DiFranco. I never wanted to be part of corporate music."

Personal life

On September 20, 2003, in Toronto, Furtado gave birth to a daughter, Nevis, whose father is Jasper Gahunia [AKA DJ Lil' Jazz, Canadian DMC Champion 1998]. Furtado and Gahunia, who had been good friends for several years, remained together for four years until their breakup in 2005. Furtado told ''Blender'' magazine that they continue to be good friends and jointly share responsibility of raising Nevis.

In June 2006, in an interview with ''Genre'' magazine, when asked if she had "ever felt an attraction to women", Furtado replied "Absolutely. Women are beautiful and sexy". Some considered this an announcement of bisexuality, but in August 2006, she stated that she was "straight, but very open-minded". In November 2006, Furtado revealed that she once turned down $500,000 to pose fully clothed in ''Playboy''.

Furtado married Cuban sound engineer Demacio "Demo" Castellón, with whom she had worked on the ''Loose'' album, on July 19, 2008.

Furtado is one of several celebrities who have come under fire recently after 2011 reports from the New York Times and a WikiLeaks document revealed several entertainers had received extravagant sums to perform for the family of Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi. She has promised to donate to charity the $1 million she received for a 2007 concert.

Furtado publicly endorsed Green Party Leader, Elizabeth May in Saanich-Gulf Islands during the Federal election in 2011.

Discography

''Whoa, Nelly!'' (2000)

''Folklore'' (2003)

''Loose'' (2006)

''Mi Plan'' (2009)

Filmography

! Year	! Title	! Role	! Genre	Notes
2001		Herself	American Science fiction Television series	Performed "I'm like a Bird"
2006	''Floribella''	Herself	Portuguese Soap Opera
2007	''One Life to Live''	Herself	American Soap Opera
2007	''CSI: NY''	Ava Brandt	American police procedural television series	Played Ava, a professional criminal accused of murder.
2007	''Punk'd''	Herself	American hidden camera practical joke television series	A victim of a bomb scare
2008		Christa Balder	Video game adaptation	The wife of Max Payne's slain ex-partner
2010	''Big Brother Brasil''	Herself	Brazilian reality show	Live performance
2010	Score : A Hockey Musical	An Ardent Hockey Fan	Canadian Film	www.scoreahockeymusical.com

See also

List of awards and nominations received by Nelly Furtado

References

External links

Category:1978 births Category:Living people Category:People from Victoria, British Columbia Category:Canadian dance musicians Category:Canadian female guitarists Category:Canadian female singers Category:Canadian folk guitarists Category:Canadian folk singers Category:Canadian multi-instrumentalists Category:Canadian pop guitarists Category:Canadian pop singers Category:Canadian rhythm and blues singers Category:Canadian Roman Catholics Category:Canadian singer-songwriters Category:English-language singers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Latin Grammy Award winners Category:Juno Award winners Category:BRIT Award winners Category:Musicians from British Columbia Category:Canadian people of Portuguese descent Category:Portuguese-language singers Category:Spanish-language singers Category:Trip hop musicians Category:Fellows of the Royal Conservatory of Music

ar:نيللي فرتادو bn:নেলি ফুরটাডো bg:Нели Фуртадо ca:Nelly Furtado cs:Nelly Furtado cy:Nelly Furtado da:Nelly Furtado de:Nelly Furtado et:Nelly Furtado el:Νέλλυ Φουρτάντο es:Nelly Furtado eo:Nelly Furtado eu:Nelly Furtado fa:نلی فورتادو fr:Nelly Furtado ga:Nelly Furtado ko:넬리 퍼타도 hi:नेली फ़र्टाडो hr:Nelly Furtado io:Nelly Furtado id:Nelly Furtado is:Nelly Furtado it:Nelly Furtado he:נלי פורטדו ka:ნელი ფურტადო csb:Nelly Furtado lv:Nellija Furtado lt:Nelly Furtado hu:Nelly Furtado mk:Нели Фуртадо ms:Nelly Furtado nl:Nelly Furtado ja:ネリー・ファータド no:Nelly Furtado nn:Nelly Furtado uz:Nelly Furtado nds:Nelly Furtado pl:Nelly Furtado pt:Nelly Furtado ro:Nelly Furtado ru:Фуртадо, Нелли sq:Nelly Furtado simple:Nelly Furtado sk:Nelly Furtado sl:Nelly Furtado sr:Нели Фуртадо fi:Nelly Furtado sv:Nelly Furtado tl:Nelly Furtado ta:நெல்லி ஃபர்ட்டடோ th:เนลลี เฟอร์ทาโด tr:Nelly Furtado uk:Неллі Фуртаду ur:نیلی فرٹاڈو vi:Nelly Furtado zh:妮莉·費塔朵

name	Atif Aslam
background	solo_singer
birth name	Mohammad Atif Aslam
alias	Aatif, Aadee
born	Wazirabad, Gujranwala, Pakistan March 12, 1983
origin	Lahore, Pakistan
instrument	Vocals, Guitar
genre	Romance, Rock, Pop
occupation	Musician, Singer, Lyricist, Actor
years active	2002-present
label	Pakistan - Fire Records India - Tips
associated acts	Strings, Jal, Hadiqa Kiani, Shreya Ghoshal, Alka Yagnik, Sachin Gupta, Pritam, Alisha Chinoy, Sunidhi Chauhan
religion	Islam (Sunni)
website	Official Website
Current members	Asad Mobeen Shah Sameer Rasheed Sarmad Ghafoor
past members	Mahmood Rehman Omer Nadeem Haider Haleem Syed Ammar Masood
notable instruments	}}

Atif Aslam (}}, born Mohammad Atif Aslam; 12 March 1983 in Wazirabad, Gujranwala, Pakistan) is a Pakistani pop singer. He is widely recognized in South Asia and has given several hit songs such as ''Aadat'', ''Woh Lamhe'', ''Tere Bin'', ''Bakhuda Tumhi Ho'', ''Pehli Nazar Mein'', ''Tera Hone Laga Hoon'', ''Tu Jaane Na'', ''Tere Liye''. He is best known for his powerful vocal belting technique. In 2008, he was awarded the ''Tamgha-e-Imtiaz'' by the Government of Pakistan.

Early life and education

Atif Aslam was born in 1983 in Wazirabad, Gujranwala, Pakistan.

He studied at PAF College, Lahore where he completed his F.Sc (Pre-engineering) with the class of 2001. He has represented his college cricket team and represented his college in various other cities as well. He won his first singing competition on Independence Day celebrations in the college. He then went to the University of Central Punjab and completed his Bachelors in Computer Science.

Music career

Jal

He used to sing at the college canteen when his friends urged him to participate in the singing competition on Independence Day celebrations at PAF College Lahore in 1998. He performed there and won the competition. Thereafter, he also won several other college competitions.

He met Goher- a guitarist who became his future Jal band-mate, at his college. Together they practiced and started doing mini-concerts for their friends. Atif used to perform on the songs of Junoon and Strings at these concerts. They started performing in their college, McDonalds, Uncle Bubba's Rabba Dabba and other restaurants. Thus began the original line up of Jal.

Jal recorded their first song ''Aadat'' at Mekal Hassan's Studio. The song became popular on different musical websites in Pakistan and was also aired on major radio stations of Pakistan like City FM 89, FM 100, Mast FM 103, FM 105 etc. The video for this song was released on ARY Digital and The Musik and then it was played on almost all the channels.

Solo career (2004 Onwards)

After leaving ''Jal'' due to personal differences, Atif released his first solo album, ''Jal Pari'' on 19 July 2004, under Sound Master and IC records. Its promoters declared it to be the best-selling album of that year within just 5 months of its release. Besides his native country, he also became popular in India and his career took off to fame in both the countries. In the meantime he also cleared his Bachelors in Computer Science (Hons.) from the University of Central Punjab. His second album, ''Doorie'' was released on 22 December 2006.

His first major concert was at ''Al Hamra Hall'', Mall Road Lahore where he performed during the break of a stage drama ''Moulin Rouge''. On 14 April 2007, Atif performed in Royal Albert Hall. His first international concert was at W. StarDreamz Entertainment Group during his tour of USA and Canada with RDB and Annie.

Atif also mentioned in a press conference held in Karachi that he will be working on an international project titled ''The Dreamer Awakes'', alongside members of American rock band Guns n' Roses. The song will be released in Summer 2011.

Aslam has began work on his fourth album. There were rumors circulating online that it is titled Shabnam. This was rubbished off by Atif. “Right now, my entire focus is on this project (The Dreamer Awakes). I may be singing with Chris Martin or John Mayer… we’re trying to bring a lot of people together.”

Bollywood

Atif has also sung many songs for Bollywood films, like ''Pehli Nazar Mein'' in ''Race'', ''Tere Bin'' in ''Bas Ek Pal'', ''Bakhuda Tumhi Ho'' in ''Kismat Konnection'', ''Tera Hone Laga Hoon'' and ''Tu Jaane Na'' in ''Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani'' and ''Tere Liye'' in the film ''Prince''. All of which have been very well-received by the Indian and Pakistani audiences.

He also performed background vocals for scenes in ''Prince''. His latest Indian song was ''Le Ja Tu Mujhe'' from movie ''F.A.L.T.U''.

Hollywood

Atif's three songs featured in the Hollywood film ''Man Push Cart''. ''Aadat'', ''Ehsaas'' and ''Yakeen'' are the three tracks. These songs are taken from his debut album ''Jal Pari''. Atif is the 3rd Pakistani singer after Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Strings to be featured in any Hollywood movie.

Acting career

Atif made his acting debut in the second film of well acclaimed Pakistani director Shoaib Mansoor. The film titled ''Bol'' was released in June 2011. The film also stars Pakistani TV anchor Mahira Khan. Atif plays a supporting role of a doctor in the film.

Controversies

Jal controversy

After the release of the song ''Aadat'' by Jal, there were disputes within the band about Atif's brother being the band's manager. At this point Atif broke off from the band to do his own solo album. His solo album was released a few weeks before the release of the Jal's album ''Aadat''. As both the albums shared certain tracks such as ''Aadat'', ''Woh Lamhein'', ''Rangon Mein'' and ''Dil Harey'', an unofficial war over rights began between both the groups. Goher Mumtaz sued Atif Aslam for using the name Jal in his album title cunningly ''Jal Pari''.

Discography

style="background:#B0C4DE;"	No.	Album	Release Date
1	''Jal Pari''	17 July 2004
2	''Doorie''
3	''Meri Kahani''
4	''The Dreamer Awakes'' - (Featuring Matt Sorum, Gilby Clarke)

Filmography

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Character Name ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Industry ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- |2011 |''Bol'' |Mustafa |Lollywood |Debut |- |}

Singles

No. !! Song !! Co-Singer
1	'' Meri Hamjoliyan''	None
2	'' Yunhi''
3	'' Teriyan Yaadan ''
4	Ab Khud Kuch Karna Paray Ga ''>
5	'' Haath Uthao '' (For Flood Victims)
6	'' Lambi Judai ''
7	'' Dosti ''
8	'' Aas Paas ''

Bollywood/Lollywood Songs

''Aadat'' ''Tere Bin'' ''Pehli Nazar Mein'' ''Bakhuda Tumhi Ho'' ''Tera Hone Laga Hoon'' ''Tu Jaane Na'' ''O Mere Khuda'' ''Tere Liye (Atif Aslam song) ''Kaun Hoon Main'' ''Aa Bhi Ja Sanam'' ''Rona Chaditta (Mahi Mahi)'' ''Hona Tha Pyaar'' ''Aaj Bol Do'' ''Le Ja Tu Mujhe''

No. !! Song !! Film !! Co-Singer
1	''Woh Lamhe''	Zeher
2	|	Kalyug	None
3	|	Bas Ek Pal	None
4	|	Race (2008 film)>Race	None
5	|	Kismat Konnection	Alka Yagnik
6	|	Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani	Alisha Chinoy
7	|	Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani	None
9	|	Prince (2010 film)>Prince	Garima Jhingoon
10	Tere Liye'' ||	Prince (2010 film)>Prince	Shreya Ghoshal
11	|	Prince (2010 film)>Prince	None
12	|	Prince (2010 film)>Prince	None
13	|	Mel Karade Rabba	None
14	|	Bol (film)>Bol	Hadiqa Kiani
15	|	Bol (film)>Bol	Hadiqa Kiani
16	|	F.A.L.T.U	None
17				Jingles for advertisement

Year !! Song !! Co-singer/band
2009	''Allahu Akbar'' For Olpers Qawwali	Dawud Wharnsby
2010	''Jee Le'' For Warid Glow
2011	''Q Mobile Party Phone''

Coke Studio

In 2009, Atif Aslam sang five songs for Pakistani music show called Coke Studio.

2 3 4 5

Year !! Episode !! Song Name !! Co-Singer
2009	1	''Jal Pari''
2009	|	''Kinara''	Riaz Ali Khan
2009	|	''Wasta E Pyaar Da''	None
2009	|	''Main Ni''	None
2009	|	''Humein Kya Hua''	None

Awards

The MusikMTV IndiaLux Style AwardsInternational Indian Film Academy AwardsFilmfare Awards

Year
rowspan="5">2005	Indus Music>Indus Music Awards	Best Lyrics ''Aadat''
Indus Music	Indus Music Awards	Best Song ''Aadat''
Indus Music	Indus Music Awards	Best Composition ''Aadat''
Sahara One	Sahara Sangeet Awards	Best Playback Singer
Sahara One	Sahara Sangeet Awards	Best Debut Singer
rowspan="3"	2006	The Musik Awards ||	Most Wanted Male	<
Lux Style Awards	Best Album ''Doorie''
Filmfare Awards	Best Playback Singer (Male) ''Woh Lamhe - Zeher''
rowspan="2">2007	Lycra MTV Style Awards ||	Most Stylish Person in Music	<
Filmfare Awards	Best Playback Singer (Male) Tere Bin - Bas Ek Pal
rowspan="3">2008	|	Most Well Dressed Celebrity - Police Dress	<
The Musik	The Musik Awards	Most Wanted Male
Government of Pakistan	Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (Medal of Distinction)
rowspan="2">2009	|	Best Playback Singer (Male) ''Pehli Nazar Mein - Race''	<
Star Screen Awards	Best Playback Singer (Male) ''Pehli Nazar Main - Race''
rowspan="3">2010	|	Best Playback Singer – ''Tu Jaane Na''
IIFA Awards	Best Playback Singer (Male) – ''Tu Jaane Na''
GIMA Awards	Best Playback Singer (Male) – ''Tu Jaane Na''

References

External links

Official Website

Category:1983 births Category:Living people Category:Punjabi people Category:Bollywood playback singers Category:People from Gujranwala Category:Pakistani film singers Category:Urdu-language singers Category:Punjabi-language singers Category:Pakistani pop singers Category:Pakistani film actors Category:Pakistani singers Category:Tamgha-e-Imtiaz Category:University of Central Punjab alumni Category:Coke Studio artists

de:Atif Aslam hi:आतिफ अस्लम pnb:عاطف اسلم pl:Atif Aslam fi:Atif Aslam ta:அதிஃப் அஸ்லம் tr:Atif Aslam ur:عاطف اسلم

Atif Aslam is great singer. File:[[File:Example.jpgFile:[[File:Example.jpgFile:Example.jpg]]]]

Name	Samuel Barber
Background	non_performing_personnel
Birth name	Samuel Osborne Barber II
Born	March 09, 1910West Chester, Pennsylvania, United States
Death date	January 23, 1981
Occupation	composer
Years active	}}

Samuel Osborne Barber II (March 9, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was an American composer of orchestral, opera, choral, and piano music. His ''Adagio for Strings'' is his most popular composition and widely considered a masterpiece of modern classical music. He was twice awarded the Pulitzer Prize for music, for his opera ''Vanessa'' and his Concerto for Piano and Orchestra. His ''Knoxville: Summer of 1915'', a work for soprano and orchestra, was an acclaimed setting of prose by James Agee.

Biography

Early years

Barber was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, the son of Marguerite McLeod (née Beatty) and Samuel Le Roy Barber. At a very early age, Barber became profoundly interested in music, and it was apparent that he had great musical talent and ability. At the age of nine he wrote to his mother:

He wrote his first musical at the early age of 7 and attempted to write his first opera at the age of 10. He was an organist at the age of 12. When he was 14, he entered the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, where he studied piano, composition, and voice.

Barber was born into a comfortable, educated, social, and distinguished Irish-American 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.

Barber 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 (now lost or destroyed by the composer).

Middle years

From his early to late twenties, Barber wrote a flurry of successful compositions, launching him into the spotlight of the classical music world. 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. 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). 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, and recorded the following year by the New Symphony Orchestra of London conducted by the composer, but Barber subsequently destroyed the score in 1964. It was reconstructed from the instrumental parts. According to another source, however, it was precisely the parts to the symphony that Barber had torn up. 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" 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".

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

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. 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.

Achievements and awards

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.

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 music. He was president of the International Music Council of UNESCO, where he did much to bring into focus and ameliorate the conditions of international musical problems. One of the first American composers to visit Russia (which was then a constituent republic of the Soviet Union), Barber was influential also in the successful campaign of composers against ASCAP, helping composers increase the share of royalties they receive from their compositions.

Music

Orchestral music

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).

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.

Barber's compositional style has been lauded 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.

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 – Eugene Ormandy, Dimitri Mitropoulos, Bruno Walter, Charles Münch, George Szell, Artur Rodziński, 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).

Among his finest works 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.

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

Piano

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. In 1949, Barber wrote his keyboard masterpiece Piano Sonata, which has maintained a prominent position in the concert repertoire since its premiere. The ''Nocturne for Piano (Homage to John Field),'' Op. 33, is another respected piece which he composed for the instrument.

Opera

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. ''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.

Vocal

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.

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. 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.

Violin

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. 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.

Notable compositions

For a full list of works with opus number and some without, see List of compositions by Samuel Barber

''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, mov’t 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)

Popular culture

''Adagio for Strings'' is a string-orchestra version of the slow movement from Barber's only string quartet. It was broadcast as part of a radio tribute following the death of US president, Franklin D. Roosevelt and at the funeral of Princess Grace of Monaco. It was used by French film composer, Georges Delerue, as part of his score, in the opening and various other passages of ''Platoon'' (1986), a film directed by Oliver Stone about the Vietnam War and in the film, ''Lorenzo's Oil'', starring Nick Nolte and Susan Sarandon. It is the soundtrack of the movie ''The Elephant Man'' (1980) directed by David Lynch. During its depiction of the final moments of Merrick's (The Elephant Man) life, the film uses "Adagio for Strings". It has also been remixed quite popularly by electronic dance artist DJ Tiesto and a choral version served as the theme to the real-time strategy game ''Homeworld''.

Notes

Reference and further reading

Broder, Nathan. 1954. ''Samuel Barber''. New York: G. Schirmer. Reprinted Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1985. ISBN 0313249849.

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 978-0195090581.

Károlyi, Ottó. 1996. ''Modern American Music: From Charles Ives to the Minimalists''. London: Cygnus Arts; Madison [N.J.]: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. ISBN 9780838637258 (cloth); ISBN 9781900541008 (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 0810848848. 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 9780786649815.

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

Biography

Heyman, Barbara B (1992). Samuel Barber: The Composer and His Music. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195090586

Wittke, Paul. Samuel Barber. G. Schirmer Inc.

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

"Samuel Barber", ''Fyne Times''

Other

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

Audio and Video

Anne Akiko Meyers performs the Barber Violin Concerto

Cheryl Studer sings Samuel Barber in recital, November 27, 2003

Art of the States: Samuel Barber

Video of Erika's aria from ''Vanessa'', "Must the Winter Come So Soon?", sung by Mary Gayle Greene

In the BBC Discovering Music: Listening Library

Category:20th-century classical composers Category:American classical composers Category:Opera composers Category:Pulitzer Prize for Music winners Category:Guggenheim Fellows Category:LGBT musicians from the United States Category:1910 births Category:1981 deaths Category:Grammy Award winners Category:LGBT composers Category:Curtis Institute of Music alumni Category:Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

an:Samuel Barber bg:Самюъл Барбър ca:Samuel Barber cs:Samuel Barber da:Samuel Barber de:Samuel Barber et:Samuel Barber es:Samuel Barber eu:Samuel Barber fa:ساموئل باربر fr:Samuel Barber fy:Samuel Barber hr:Samuel Barber id:Samuel Barber it:Samuel Barber he:סמואל בארבר ka:სემიუელ ბარბერი la:Samuel Barber nl:Samuel Barber ja:サミュエル・バーバー no:Samuel Barber pl:Samuel Barber pt:Samuel Barber ru:Барбер, Сэмюэл sl:Samuel Barber sh:Samuel Barber fi:Samuel Barber sv:Samuel Barber tl:Samuel Barber tr:Samuel Barber uk:Самюел Барбер zh:塞缪尔·巴伯

name	Brian Greene
birth date	February 09, 1963
birth place	New York City, U.S.
residence	United States
nationality	USA
field	Physics
alma mater	Stuyvesant High School Harvard UniversityOxford University
work institution	Cornell UniversityColumbia University
doctoral advisor	Graham G. Ross (Oxford University)James Binney
known for	String theory''The Elegant Universe''''The Fabric of the Cosmos''
footnotes	}}

Brian Greene (born February 9, 1963) is an American theoretical physicist and string theorist. He has been a professor at Columbia University since 1996. Greene has worked on mirror symmetry, relating two different Calabi-Yau manifolds (concretely, relating the conifold to one of its orbifolds). He also described the flop transition, a mild form of topology change, showing that topology in string theory can change at the conifold point. He has become known to a wider audience through his books for the general public, ''The Elegant Universe'', ''Icarus at the Edge of Time'', ''The Fabric of the Cosmos,'' ''The Hidden Reality,'' and a related PBS television special. Greene also appeared on The Big Bang Theory episode "The Herb Garden Germination."

Biography

Greene was born in New York City. His father, Alan Greene, was a one-time vaudeville performer and high school dropout who later worked as a voice coach and composer. After attending Stuyvesant High School, where he was a classmate of Lisa Randall, Greene entered Harvard in 1980 to major in physics. After completing his bachelor's degree, Greene earned his doctorate from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, graduating in 1987. While at Oxford, Greene also studied piano with the concert pianist Jack Gibbons.

Greene joined the physics faculty of Cornell University in 1990, and was appointed to a full professorship in 1995. The following year, he joined the staff of Columbia University as a full professor. At Columbia, Greene is co-director of the university's Institute for Strings, Cosmology, and Astroparticle Physics (ISCAP), and is leading a research program applying superstring theory to cosmological questions. He is also one of the FQXi large grant awardees, his project title being "Arrow of Time in the Quantum Universe". His co-investigators are David Albert and Maulik Parikh.

Greene is married to former ABC producer Tracy Day. He became vegan in 1997 after touring Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, NY.

Work

Research

Greene's area of research is string theory, a candidate for a theory of quantum gravity. String theory attempts to explain the different particle species of the standard model of particle physics as different aspects of a single type of one-dimensional, vibrating string. One peculiarity of string theory is that it postulates the existence of extra dimensions of space – instead of the usual four dimensions, there must be ten spatial dimensions and one dimension of time to allow for a consistently defined string theory. The theory has several explanations to offer for why we do not perceive these extra dimensions, one being that they are "curled up" (compactified, to use the technical term) and are hence too small to be readily noticeable.

In the field, Greene is best known for his contribution to the understanding of the different shapes the curled-up dimensions of string theory take on. The most important of these shapes are so-called Calabi-Yau manifolds; when the extra dimensions take on those particular form, physics in three dimensions exhibits an abstract symmetry known as supersymmetry.

Greene has worked on a particular class of symmetry relating two different Calabi-Yau manifolds, known as mirror symmetry (concretely, relating the conifold to one of its orbifolds). He is also known for his research on the flop transition, a mild form of topology change, showing that topology in string theory can change at the conifold point.

Currently, Greene studies string cosmology, especially the imprints of trans Planckian physics on the cosmic microwave background, and brane-gas cosmologies that could explain why the space around us has three large dimensions, expanding on the suggestion of a black hole electron, namely that the electron may be a black hole.

Communicating science

Greene is well known to a wider audience for his work on popularizing theoretical physics, in particular string theory and the search for a unified theory of physics. His first book, ''The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory'', published in 1999, is a popularization of superstring theory and M-theory. It was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in nonfiction, and winner of ''The Aventis Prizes for Science Books'' in 2000. ''The Elegant Universe'' was later made into a PBS television special of the same name, hosted and narrated by Greene, which won a 2003 Peabody Award.

Greene's second book, ''The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality'' (2004), is about space, time, and the nature of the universe. Aspects covered in this book include non-local particle entanglement as it relates to special relativity and basic explanations of string theory. It is an examination of the very nature of matter and reality, covering such topics as spacetime and cosmology, origins and unification, and including an exploration into reality and the imagination.

Greene's third book, ''The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos'' published Jan 25th 2011 deals in greater depth with multiple universes, or, as it is sometimes referred to collectively, the multiverse.

A book for a younger audience, ''Icarus at the Edge of Time'' ISBN 978-0307268884, which is a futuristic re-telling of the Icarus myth, was published September 2, 2008. In addition to authoring popular-science books, Greene is an occasional Op-Ed Contributor for the New York Times, writing on his work and other scientific topics.

The popularity of his books and his natural on-camera demeanor has resulted in many media appearances, including ''Charlie Rose'', ''The Colbert Report'', ''The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer'', ''The Century with Peter Jennings'', CNN, ''TIME'', ''Nightline in Primetime'', ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'', and ''The Late Show with David Letterman''. It has also led to Greene helping John Lithgow with scientific dialogue for the television series ''3rd Rock from the Sun'', and becoming a technical consultant for the film ''Frequency'', in which he also had a cameo role. Recently, he was a consultant in the time-travel movie ''Déjà Vu.'' He also had a cameo appearance as an Intel scientist in 2007's ''The Last Mimzy''. Greene was also mentioned in the 2002 ''Angel'' episode "Supersymmetry" and in the 2008 Stargate Atlantis episode "Trio". Through his film credits, combined with his research publications in mathematical physics, Greene is one of the few people to have a defined Erdős–Bacon number.

Greene often lectures outside of the collegiate setting, at both a general and a technical level, in more than twenty-five countries. One of his latest projects is to organize an annual science festival held in New York City, the World Science Festival. The first such festival took place in May/June 2008.

In 2010, Greene was named a "Citizen of the Next Century" by Future-ish.

Bibliography

Technical articles

For a full list of technical articles, consult the publication list in the SPIRES database

R. Easther, B. R. Greene, M. G. Jackson and D. Kabat, "String windings in the early universe''. JCAP {0502}, 009 (2005).

R. Easther, B. Greene, W. Kinney, G. Shiu, "A Generic Estimate of Trans-Planckian Modifications to the Primordial Power Spectrum in Inflation". Phys. Rev. D66 (2002). 023518.

R. Easther, B. Greene, W. Kinney, G. Shiu, "Inflation as a Probe of Short Distance Physics". Phys. Rev. D64 (2001) 103502.

Brian R. Greene, "D-Brane Topology Changing Transitions". Nucl. Phys. B525 (1998) 284-296.

Michael R. Douglas, Brian R. Greene, David R. Morrison, "Orbifold Resolution by D-Branes". Nucl.Phys. B506 (1997) 84-106.

Brian R. Greene, David R. Morrison, Andrew Strominger, "Black Hole Condensation and the Unification of String Vacua". Nucl.Phys. B451 (1995) 109-120.

P.S. Aspinwall, B.R. Greene, D.R. Morrison, "Calabi-Yau Moduli Space, Mirror Manifolds and Spacetime Topology Change in String Theory". Nucl.Phys. B416 (1994) 414-480.

B.R.Greene and M.R.Plesser, "Duality in Calabi-Yau Moduli Space". Nucl. Phys. B338 (1990) 15.

Books for general readers

1999. ''The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory''.

2005. ''The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality''.

2008. ''Icarus at the Edge of Time''.

2011. ''The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos''.

See also

List of physicists

List of theoretical physicists

String Theory

Theory of everything

Unified Field Theory

References

External links

Brian Greene faculty homepage

Category:1963 births Category:Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford Category:American agnostics Category:American Jews Category:American physicists Category:American Rhodes scholars Category:American science writers Category:American vegans Category:Calculating prodigies Category:Columbia University faculty Category:Cornell University faculty Category:Harvard University alumni Category:Jewish American scientists Category:Living people Category:String theorists Category:Stuyvesant High School alumni Category:Theoretical physicists Category:Westinghouse Science Talent Search winners

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