Samuel Barber His life and legacy

Pollack (Univ. of Houston) has written notable eponymous studies of Marc Blitzstein (CH, Apr'13, 50-4356), Aaron Copland (CH, Oct'99, 37-0845), and other 20th-century American composers, and with this book he adds Samuel Barber to that list. Pollack presents a critical, comprehensive review of Barber's life and entire oeuvre relative to his cultural milieu, and he offers new perspectives on both the man and his work. Numerous earlier studies focus on specific compositions; Pollack's goal was to fill in the lacunae, and his book does that and advances Barber studies significantly. Pollack also delves into the composer's longstanding relationship with Gian-Carlo Menotti without ignoring both men's affairs with others, noting how sexual attraction sometimes affected composition or performance (or both). Each of the 29 chapters focuses on either the social side of Barber's life or specific works, such as his opera Vanessa, and in his useful introduction Pollack directs the reader to areas of interest. Readable and in places a bit gossipy, Pollack's book will stand as one of the major contributions to the literature on the life and work of the composer, particularly as a complement to Barbara Heyman's Samuel Barber: The Composer and His Works (CH, Feb'93, 30-3192, 2nd ed., 2020). Summing Up: Highly recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty, professionals; general readers. --Anthony James Adam, formerly, Strategic Planning Online

Barber (1910--81) wrote his first composition, a 23-measure piano piece, in 1916. He was six. When he was 10, he composed an operetta to a libretto by the family cook. Barber met Gian Carlo Menotti, the distinguished opera composer, at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia when he was 18 and Menotti 17; they remained friends and soulmates for years until Barber's death. By the time Barber died in 1981, he'd won a Grammy and two Pulitzer Prizes. For 40 years, musicologist Pollack (Univ. of Houston; The Ballad of John Latouche) has documented the careers of distinguished American composers, including Marc Blitzstein, Aaron Copland, and George Gershwin. He brings that knowledge to this sumptuously illustrated biography, which will surely be the authoritative work on talented composer Barber for decades to come. This monumental book is both the account of a fascinating life and a detailed assessment of the composer's works. The chapters on Barber's controversial opera Antony and Cleopatra are fascinating. VERDICT Barber knew everybody in his milieu, and this book reflects that. Scholars will devour this exceptional study, but any music lover will benefit from reading it.--David Keymer