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Classical Fact

Few people know that American composer Samuel Barber had started writing operas when he was 10-years old and received a Pulitzer Prize for one of them. Another of his operas opened the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center. To the wider audience this Pennsylvanian is best known for a piece that was originally the second movement of a string quartet written in 1936. But, this Adagio was destined to stand alone and nearly overshadow many other worthy pieces by this composer. Barber's "Adagio for Strings" has been chosen to help express outpourings of public grief at the funerals of Presidents Roosevelt and Kennedy and Princess Grace. It's also been the centerpiece of poignant moments in the acclaimed films Platoon, The Elephant Man, and Lorenzo's Oil.