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Technical Notice
| Classical Composer: | Barber, Samuel |
|---|---|
| Work: | Capricorn Concerto, Op. 21 |
| Year Composed: | 1944 |
| Instrumentation: | 21+ca.2(bcl)2/2300/timp.perc/str |
| Publishers: |
G. Schirmer, Inc. Sikorski The Edwin A. Fleisher Music Collection Manuscript |
| Duration: | 00:15:00 |
| Period: | 20th Century |
| Work Category: | Concerto |
Work Information
Available Recording(s)
During World War II, Barber served in the military, though his musical talent was well known; he was even called, by Newsweek, "...the most outstanding American serious composer in uniform", and he had several fellow officers lobbying on his behalf that he be granted a post which allowed him more space to work. He wanted nothing more than to return to his routine of composition, and was ultimately granted a more permissive line of service which enabled him to return to his longtime companion Gian-Carlo Menotti, whom he met in his Curtis days, and to Capricorn, his wonderful hearth and home, so named for the fantastic light it got during the winter. It was there and then he wrote his Capricorn Concerto, scored for the same instruments as Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No.2, solo trumpet, oboe, flute, with an accompanying string complement.
The music itself is something of a departure for Barber, bandying between playful, insistent baroque textures and a more lyrical, more melodically driven composition, though Barber is still Barber, a melodist and a modernist alike. Allegedly each member of the Capricorn household, Barber, Menotti, and Chip, Menotti's adopted son, is represented with their own individual theme, thematically depicting each of their personalities. The first movement flits between two tempi, Allegro (fast) and Andante con moto (walking speed, but with motion), and is cast in a rondo form, with development being the driving force, Barber's spotless compositional technique on full display. The second movement is playful, save for one tranquil passage, favoured by a boisterous line for plucked viola, while the final movement, Barber's most direct homage to Bach, features a trumpet fanfare in its spirited midst.
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