Adagio for Strings
Samuel Barber
Work background
Researched classical background
Barber adapted the slow movement of his String Quartet for string orchestra, and Toscanini introduced that version in a 1938 broadcast. A single stepwise idea passes through the ensemble, gradually expanding its range and intensity before the music subsides. Its later use at memorials and in film strengthened associations with mourning, but those uses are separate from its original chamber-music context.
A listening guide
Follow the rising line through successive string sections and the long approach to the central climax.
Listening suggestions are editorial guides to the music.
Forces: String orchestra
Premiere: 1938 (string orchestra premiere)
The music originated as the slow movement of Barber's 1936 String Quartet; this entry is the string-orchestra arrangement.
This entry describes the musical work or cycle. Composition, premiere and publication dates describe different events. Performers and recordings can be explored through the external listening search.
Date, title and version notes
Memorial and film associations are later reception history, not proof of the original compositional intention.
Adagio for Strings - LA Phil
Work identity, chronology where stated, and the specific musical or historical context summarized in this entry. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
Sources for this work
Adagio for Strings - LA Phil
Work identity, chronology where stated, and the specific musical or historical context summarized in this entry. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
Browse by year
1960-2025. Each year contains 150 selections.