Run Time: Approx. 12 minutes

Samuel Barber is one of the most celebrated American composers and, unlike many, he was able to enjoy that acclaim during his lifetime. The Second Essay for Orchestra was written at a time when Barber’s fame was on the rise; Adagio for Strings had been recently premiered, and he was receiving commissions from many top orchestras.

On the same radio broadcast as Adagio’s premiere, Barber’s First Essay for Orchestra was also performed. The piece caught the attention of Bruno Walter, prompting him to commission a similar work for the New York Philharmonic. Barber would eventually complete a Third Essay in 1978.

The Essays are single-movement works, a new model that marked a departure from traditional forms. At the time, most orchestral works that were neither concertos nor ballets still adhered to the long-enduring multi-movement symphonic form. The Essays, in contrast, are tightly crafted, self-contained explorations of a single theme – a concept that felt fresh and modern in the early 20th century, particularly as many composers of the era were expanding the symphonic structure, not contracting it.

The work’s title, Essay, is unique and a bit unusual, but describes the work rather aptly; much as a literary essay introduces a central argument and develops it through supporting points, Barber’s orchestral essay presents a clear musical thesis and continually reinforces it throughout the work. The main theme appears immediately in the opening bars, played by the flute, and is built on fourths and fifths—open, stable harmonies that he frequently employed. These intervals, which evoke a sense of spaciousness and clarity, are hallmarks of the early American orchestral sound and are also frequently employed in film music, often to convey a sense of awe or vastness.

Throughout the piece, Barber demonstrates exceptional skill in thematic development. As the work progresses, this theme is reshaped and reinterpreted through changes in mood, tempo, instrumentation, and texture. Yet, no matter how varied the expression, the motif remains identifiable. It never dissolves into abstraction or meanders off-topic, but instead evolves organically, much like a well-argued essay where the central point is never lost, only refined.