It was in the course of the summer season of 1936 that Samuel Barber composed the String Quartet that might give rise to the long-lasting Adagio for Strings. Throughout the identical summer season, Barber created an a cappella choral setting of Emily Dickinson’s 1891 poem, Let Down the Bars, O Demise. It unfolds as a somber, homophonic chorale. As with the Adagio, it reaches upwards looking for a searing climax. When the poem’s first line returns, the hushed opening phrase is remodeled right into a declamatory assertion. The ultimate moments slip away, peacefully.
This 2011 recording options the Austin, Texas-based choral ensemble, Conspirare, performed by Craig Hella Johnson:
Let down the Bars, Oh Demise —
The drained Flocks are available
Whose bleating ceases to repeat
Whose wandering is completed —Thine is the stillest evening
Thine the securest Fold
Too close to Thou artwork for searching for Thee
Too tender, to be advised.
– Emily Dickinson
Recordings
- Barber: Let down the bars, O loss of life, Op. 8, No. 2, Conspirare conspirare.org
Featured Picture: {a photograph} of Emily Dickinson
