How Long to Read The Saddest Music Ever Written: The Story of Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings

How Long Does it Take to Read The Saddest Music Ever Written: The Story of Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings?

It takes the average reader 4 hours and 34 minutes to read The Saddest Music Ever Written: The Story of Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings by Thomas Larson

Assuming a reading speed of 250 words per minute. Learn more

Description

An exploration of the cultural impact of Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings, the Pieta´ of music, and its enigmatic composer. "Whenever the American dream suffers a catastrophic setback, Barber’s Adagio plays on the radio.”—Alex Ross, author of The Rest is Noise In the first book ever to explore Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings, music and literary critic Thomas Larson tells the story of the prodigal composer and his seminal masterpiece: from its composition in 1936, when Barber was just twenty-six, to its orchestral premiere two years later, led by the great Arturo Toscanini, and its fascinating history as America’s secular hymn for grieving our dead. Older Americans know Adagio from the funerals and memorials for Presidents Roosevelt and Kennedy, Albert Einstein, and Grace Kelly. Younger Americans recall the work as the antiwar theme of the movie Platoon. Still others treasure the piece in its choral version under the name Agnus Dei. More recently, mourners heard Adagio played as a memorial to the victims of the 9/11 attacks. Barber’s Adagio is truly the saddest music ever written, enrapturing listeners with its lyric beauty as few laments have. The Adagio’s sonorous intensity also speaks of the turbulent inner life of its composer, Samuel Barber (1910-1981), a melancholic who, in later years, descended into alcoholism and severe depression. Part biography, part cultural history, part memoir, The Saddest Music ever Written captures the deep emotion Barber’s great elegy has stirred throughout the world during its seventy-five-year history, becoming an icon of our national soul.

How long is The Saddest Music Ever Written: The Story of Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings?

The Saddest Music Ever Written: The Story of Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings by Thomas Larson is 272 pages long, and a total of 68,544 words.

This makes it 92% the length of the average book. It also has 84% more words than the average book.

How Long Does it Take to Read The Saddest Music Ever Written: The Story of Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings Aloud?

The average oral reading speed is 183 words per minute. This means it takes 6 hours and 14 minutes to read The Saddest Music Ever Written: The Story of Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings aloud.

What Reading Level is The Saddest Music Ever Written: The Story of Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings?

The Saddest Music Ever Written: The Story of Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings is suitable for students ages 12 and up.

Note that there may be other factors that effect this rating besides length that are not factored in on this page. This may include things like complex language or sensitive topics not suitable for students of certain ages.

When deciding what to show young students always use your best judgement and consult a professional.

Where Can I Buy The Saddest Music Ever Written: The Story of Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings?

The Saddest Music Ever Written: The Story of Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings by Thomas Larson is sold by several retailers and bookshops. However, Read Time works with Amazon to provide an easier way to purchase books.

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