Excursions, Op. 20
Horowitz plays 1, 2 and 4
Horowitz and Toscanini had keenly followed the career of a highly talented young American composer by the name of Samuel Barber. By age 21, he launched himself into the spotlight with his first orchestral work, an overture to The School for Scandal. First performed in 1933, it secured Barber the American Prix de Rome and a Pulitzer scholarship. However, it was the Adagio for Strings — an arrangement of the slow movement of his String Quartet Op. 11 — that propelled and secured Barber a permanent place in the concert repertory of orchestras worldwide. Toscanini conducted the premiere in 1938 and remarked, “Simplice e bella” (simple and beautiful). By the time Horowitz came calling, Barber had not yet published any compositions for solo piano. And Horowitz, although he had taken American citizenship, was keenly aware of his immigrant status — particularly during times of war — and wanted to share his undying loyalty and patriotism to his adopted country with musical audiences nationwide. As such, it is hardly surprising that the Barber commission of 1942-44 demanded the inclusion of popular American musical idioms.
Excursions, Op. 20 No. 3
Nadia Reisenberg
Barber responded with four piano bagatelles entitled “Excursions,” and eventually published them as his opus 20. Each movement is based on a folk tune or idiom that uniquely captures a slice of Americana. Barber explained, “these ‘Excursions’ in small classical forms, through their rhythmic characteristics as well as their source in folk material and their scoring, and reminiscent of local instruments are easily recognized.” The opening bagatelle, marked “Un poco allegro,” features a motoric bass ostinato, accompanied in the style of the boogie-woogie by a right hand providing an offbeat improvisatory melody. The second movement unfolds in the style of a blues, while the third excursion — in the style of a lullaby — sounds a set of variations on the popular song The Streets of Laredo. For his final excursion, Barber visits the American Rodeo — a competition sport originating in working and herding cattle — and the associated virtuoso square dance called a “Hoedown.” Horowitz premiered the set on 4 January 1945 in Philadelphia. However, the third excursion remained unperformed because it had not yet been composed. The completed set was finally introduced to the public in December 1948. Not entirely unexpected, the Excursions were highly acclaimed, and led Barber towards composing his impressive Piano Sonata in 1949. His Excursions, the sole experiment in a nationalistic vein, were indeed “excursion into a style not typical of Barber.” But then, Horowitz asked for it!
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I’m afraid that young man with the violin is not Samuel Barber. That’s Iso Briselli, a violinist who had commissioned SB to write a concerto for him.
Dear Music Teacher,
Thank you so much for the information, we will have the mistake amended.
All the best,
Interlude
“illustrating that an astounding instrumental gift carries no guarantee about musical understanding.”
This is some ignorant, jealous and petty critique. Horowitz wasn’t successful because he was commercial, but because he had musical understanding and expressive character of the highest quality. His insights into the music of Scarlatti, Scriabin, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Rachmaninov, Prokofiev, Barber and other contemporary composers – led to some of the greatest recorded performances in the history of piano playing. Horowitz certainly inspired envy from his contemporaries with his unequaled technique, but this was married to an all-time-great musical intelligence.