Sunday, September 6, 2009

One of My Favorite Pieces of Music

Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber.
I was introduced to it in high school by my old music teacher, Mr. Berry. (btw I love Mr. Berry. So much of my knowledge of and appreciation for music came from the great music teachers we were blessed with at my elementary, jr. high and high school - of which, Mr. Berry was my all-time favorite. Didn't hurt that he was rather good looking either =) Anyway, although we rehearsed it, we never ended up playing it in concert. There was just something about it though.

For some reason the song popped into my head this morning and I HAD to find it. Until browsing the net looking for it, I had no idea it was actually "popular" e.g. it became an unofficial US anthem of mourning as it was played after the deaths of Presidents Roosevelt and Kennedy.

After that last statement, I probably don't need to tell you that it's no "toe tapper." It's a haunting tune and was used in the movie Platoon. Take a listen.