Samuel Barber: Prodigious Musical Composer of the Twentieth Century

Famous music composers like Franz Liszt and Camille Saint Saens earned respect and recognition as a prodigious talent.
Many of the composers earlier started their journey in the music industry at an early age. This list also holds one such American Composer, Samuel Barber, a conductor, pianist, music educator, and baritone.

Early Life of Samuel Barber as a Prodigy:

Samuel Osmond Barber II was born in the year 1910 in Pennsylvania. Samuel’s father was a physician. Barber’s mother was a pianist. His uncle and aunt Sidney Homer and Louis Homer were composers. Barber was a prodigy, and he knew that he had a keen interest in music. He began learning music at the early age of six. Barber composed his first song at age seven. Barber wrote his first operetta at 10, named “The Rose Tree,” with his extraordinary talent. Barber’s family wanted him to be an athlete. Still, in a letter to his mother, he confessed his passion for composing. He began learning the art of writing and music education from his uncle, Sidney Homer, for twenty-five years.

Samuel, at 12, became an organist. At 14, he joined the Curtis Institute of Music. He worked on his three sets of prodigious talents, piano, composition, and voice. Curtis Institute introduced him to many prestigious and talented people. After he graduated from Curtis, he won several scholarships, such as the Pulitzer traveling scholarship, which brought him to pursue his further study in Viena under John Braun. He then won the Rome Prize and went to learn at the American Academy in Rome.

The Glorious Career of Samuel Barber:

The career of Samuel Barber wasn’t ordinary. He achieved a great deal of excellence at a young age. He released many of his new compositions, and he earned massive recognition too. At 18, he won the Joseph H. Bearn’s Prize from Columbia University. He won the same award twice at twenty-one for his work “The School for Scandal.” His orchestral work “Symphony in One Movement” received global attention. The NBC Symphony Orchestra performed Barber’s “Adagio for Strings.” In, 1942 he joined the army services to serve in the military during world war two. Though even there, he wrote several compositions. Barber had his productive years during the 40s, 50s, and 60s.

He wrote the ballet suite Medea and various other compositions. During the 1950’s he was primarily engaged in performing internationally. He was then declared the International Music Council. Barber twice won the Pulitzer Prize, first for his Opera Vanessa and second for his Piano Concerto. Barber received the Edward MacDowell Award for his incredible contribution. At the UNESCO, Barber was the president of the International Council of Music. Samuel Barber was an extraordinarily talented individual who utilized the stage to his utmost capability and stunned the world with prodigious brilliant talent.

Also read: Ervin Nyiregyhazi: An Unimaginable Musical Prodigy