Samuel Barber was one of the great American composers of the 1900s.<\/p>\n
Born on March 9, 1910, he grew up in Pennsylvania and expressed great interest in music from an early age. He composed his first work \u201cSadness\u201d at age seven and at age 10 attempted his first opera \u201cThe Rose Tree.\u201d He became even more serious about composition throughout his late teens; he also studied piano throughout his youth. During his teens, he met Gian Carlo Menotti, who would not only be a major collaborator of his throughout their respective careers but also would become his life partner.<\/p>\n
He experienced major success at the Curtis Institute and won the Joseph H. Bearns Prize from Columbia University at the age of 18.<\/p>\n
He found tremendous success throughout his 20s, with his \u201cAdagio for Strings\u201d becoming arguably his most famous piece.<\/p>\n
He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1958 for his opera \u201cVanessa\u201d and in 1963 for his Piano Concerto. He also received the Rome Prize and an election into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He was also an elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.<\/p>\n
He was also commissioned to write the opera that would open the Met Opera\u2019s new theater in Lincoln Center. Unfortunately, that work, \u201cAntony and Cleopatra,\u201d would not be a great success and the rejection of the work left him depressed.<\/p>\n
He died of Cancer on Jan. 23, 1981.<\/p>\n
In terms of operas, Barber only composed three. Of those, only \u201cVanessa\u201d has managed to find somewhat of a place in the standard repertoire, albeit very intermittently. The opera has been a vehicle for notable sopranos and some passages from the work have also been recorded and performed extensively outside of the context of the opera.<\/p>\n