- published: 06 Mar 2007
- views: 17786187
Adagio (from Italian ad agio, 'at ease') may refer to:
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." 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.
Barber was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, the son of Marguerite McLeod (née Beatty) and Samuel Le Roy Barber. 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.
[Lyrics/Bedos - Music/Forte]
[Verse]
What is that shape in front of me
Spying through the looking glass ?
This figure is haunting me,
Aping my every gestures,
Stealing my soul, my self,
The presence of menace is lurking
Behind the translucent surface
[Chorus]
I can't face that figure
Who looks like me, like a twin.
Who is in the mirror,
The similarity,
It can't be me!
[Verse]
I can't acknowledge that individual;
That reflection in the mirror is not my Own:
The beholder may perceive the evil spark
In the clearness of the eye,
Mirroring the darkness of the heart,
The horror!
And yet who can it possibly be?
[Chorus]
I can't face that figure
Who looks like me, like a twin.
Who is in the mirror,
The similarity,