''Summer Music'', Op. 31, is a classical composition for

wind quintet A wind quintet, also known as a woodwind quintet, is a group of five wind players (most commonly flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn and bassoon). Unlike the string quartet (of 4 string instruments) with its homogeneous blend of sound color, the in ...

Samuel Barber Samuel Osmond Barber II (March 9, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was an American composer, pianist, conductor, baritone, and music educator, and one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century. The music critic Donal Henahan said, "Proba ...

Background

Samuel Barber received a commission in 1953 from the

Chamber Music Society of Detroit Chamber Music Detroit, formerly the Chamber Music Society of Detroit, was founded in 1944 and is the tenth oldest chamber music series in the United States as recognized bChamber Music America It is widely respected as metropolitan Detroit's anchor ...

to write a piece of music for

string instrument String instruments, stringed instruments, or chordophones are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when a performer plays or sounds the strings in some manner. Musicians play some string instruments by plucking the ...

s and

woodwind instrument Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments. Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and Reed ...

s. Barber drew from some of his previous work, including the unpublished orchestral piece ''Horizon'' (1945), as material for ''Summer Music''. Originally meant to be a septet for three woodwinds, three strings, and piano, ''Summer Music'' evolved into a quintet as Barber experimented with some tuning études written by hornist John Barrows for himself and his colleagues in the

New York Woodwind Quintet The New York Woodwind Quintet is an ensemble-in-residence at the Juilliard School in New York City, originally appointed in 1987. At Juilliard, the members of the New York Woodwind Quintet present seminars each year for student woodwind ensembles, g ...

. On March 20, 1956, as part of the twelfth season of the Chamber Music Society, the premiere of ''Summer Music'' took place at the Detroit Institute of Arts, performed by the first-desk players of the

Detroit Symphony Orchestra The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Michigan. Its primary performance venue is Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood. Jader Bignamini is the current music d ...

: James Pellerite (flute), Arno Mariotti (oboe), Albert Luconi (clarinet), Charles Sirard (bassoon), and Ray Alonge (horn). The performance was received warmly by the audience, its success partially attributable to the audience's investment in the piece. Instead of a commissioning fee, Barber agreed to accept donations from the audience, with the Chamber Music Society acting as guarantor for a minimum of $2000. ''Summer Music'' is Barber's only chamber composition for wind instruments, and has become a staple of the wind-quintet repertory. Citation on pp. 239–40.

Composition

''Summer Music'' showcases each instrument of the wind quintet for which it was composed, namely the

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A ...

bassoon The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

, and

horn Horn most often refers to: *Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound ** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...

. The piece is in a single movement, and has been described as ranging from lyrical and lazy to energetic and contrapuntal. Citation on p. 240.]

Notes

References

*Wentzel, Wayne C. ''Samuel Barber: A Guide to Research''. Routledge. New York, New York 2001.
Los Angeles Philharmonics
{{Authority control Compositions by Samuel Barber 1956 compositions