COMPOSER
Samuel Barber
1910 - 1981
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 mid-20th century. Principally influenced by nine years' composition studies with Rosario Scalero at the Curtis Institute and more than 25 years' study with his uncle, the composer Sidney Homer, Barber's music usually eschewed the experimental trends of musical modernism in favor of traditional 19th-century harmonic language and formal structure embracing lyricism and emotional expression. Read more on Wikipedia
Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Samuel Barber has received more than 1,620,260 page views. His biography is available in 48 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 47 in 2019). Samuel Barber is the 184th most popular composer (up from 193rd in 2019), the 823rd most popular biography from United States (up from 854th in 2019) and the 7th most popular American Composer.
Samuel Barber is most famous for composing the "Adagio for Strings" in 1936.
Memorability Metrics
1.6M
Page Views (PV)
63.83
Historical Popularity Index (HPI)
48
Languages Editions (L)
6.12
Effective Languages (L*)
3.94
Coefficient of Variation (CV)
Among COMPOSERS
Among composers, Samuel Barber ranks 184 out of 1,451. Before him are Luciano Berio, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, Francesco Cavalli, Giuseppe Torelli, Philip Glass, and Sigismond Thalberg. After him are Leonardo Vinci, Louis Spohr, Scott Joplin, Eduard Strauss, Karol Szymanowski, and Andrea Luchesi.
Most Popular Composers in Wikipedia
Go to all RankingsLuciano Berio
1925 - 2003
HPI: 64.13
Rank: 178
Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck
1562 - 1621
HPI: 63.98
Rank: 179
Francesco Cavalli
1602 - 1676
HPI: 63.95
Rank: 180
Giuseppe Torelli
1658 - 1709
HPI: 63.89
Rank: 181
Philip Glass
1937 - Present
HPI: 63.87
Rank: 182
Sigismond Thalberg
1812 - 1871
HPI: 63.85
Rank: 183
Samuel Barber
1910 - 1981
HPI: 63.83
Rank: 184
Leonardo Vinci
1690 - 1730
HPI: 63.83
Rank: 185
Louis Spohr
1784 - 1859
HPI: 63.80
Rank: 186
Scott Joplin
1868 - 1917
HPI: 63.78
Rank: 187
Eduard Strauss
1835 - 1916
HPI: 63.73
Rank: 188
Karol Szymanowski
1882 - 1937
HPI: 63.63
Rank: 189
Andrea Luchesi
1741 - 1801
HPI: 63.63
Rank: 190
Contemporaries
Among people born in 1910, Samuel Barber ranks 30. Before him are Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, Helenio Herrera, Archer Martin, Nathuram Godse, Ludwig Stumpfegger, and Michel Aflaq. After him are Kurt Meyer, Jean Anouilh, Princess María de las Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, William Hanna, Joseph Kasa-Vubu, and William Shockley. Among people deceased in 1981, Samuel Barber ranks 24. Before him are Joe Louis, Omar Bradley, Harold Urey, Mohammad-Ali Rajai, Marcel Breuer, and William Saroyan. After him are A. J. Cronin, Karl Böhm, Miroslav Krleža, Georges Brassens, Max Delbrück, and Abel Gance.
Others Born in 1910
Go to all RankingsSubrahmanyan Chandrasekhar
PHYSICIST
1910 - 1995
HPI: 65.05
Rank: 24
Helenio Herrera
SOCCER PLAYER
1910 - 1997
HPI: 64.97
Rank: 25
Archer Martin
CHEMIST
1910 - 2002
HPI: 64.60
Rank: 26
Nathuram Godse
EXTREMIST
1910 - 1949
HPI: 64.55
Rank: 27
Ludwig Stumpfegger
POLITICIAN
1910 - 1945
HPI: 64.50
Rank: 28
Michel Aflaq
POLITICIAN
1910 - 1989
HPI: 63.90
Rank: 29
Samuel Barber
COMPOSER
1910 - 1981
HPI: 63.83
Rank: 30
Kurt Meyer
MILITARY PERSONNEL
1910 - 1961
HPI: 63.78
Rank: 31
Jean Anouilh
WRITER
1910 - 1987
HPI: 63.66
Rank: 32
Princess María de las Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies
POLITICIAN
1910 - 2000
HPI: 63.59
Rank: 33
William Hanna
FILM DIRECTOR
1910 - 2001
HPI: 63.40
Rank: 34
Joseph Kasa-Vubu
POLITICIAN
1910 - 1969
HPI: 63.27
Rank: 35
William Shockley
PHYSICIST
1910 - 1989
HPI: 63.12
Rank: 36
Others Deceased in 1981
Go to all RankingsJoe Louis
BOXER
1914 - 1981
HPI: 65.05
Rank: 18
Omar Bradley
MILITARY PERSONNEL
1893 - 1981
HPI: 64.76
Rank: 19
Harold Urey
CHEMIST
1893 - 1981
HPI: 64.66
Rank: 20
Mohammad-Ali Rajai
POLITICIAN
1933 - 1981
HPI: 64.58
Rank: 21
Marcel Breuer
ARCHITECT
1902 - 1981
HPI: 64.06
Rank: 22
William Saroyan
WRITER
1908 - 1981
HPI: 64.03
Rank: 23
Samuel Barber
COMPOSER
1910 - 1981
HPI: 63.83
Rank: 24
A. J. Cronin
WRITER
1896 - 1981
HPI: 63.75
Rank: 25
Karl Böhm
CONDUCTOR
1894 - 1981
HPI: 63.12
Rank: 26
Miroslav Krleža
WRITER
1893 - 1981
HPI: 63.07
Rank: 27
Georges Brassens
SINGER
1921 - 1981
HPI: 62.80
Rank: 28
Max Delbrück
PHYSICIST
1906 - 1981
HPI: 62.24
Rank: 29
Abel Gance
FILM DIRECTOR
1889 - 1981
HPI: 62.11
Rank: 30
In United States
Among people born in United States, Samuel Barber ranks 823 out of 20,380. Before him are Carl Barks (1901), William H. Macy (1950), Philip Glass (1937), Arthur Ashkin (1922), William Howard Stein (1911), and Robert Downey Jr. (1965). After him are Jonas Salk (1914), Howard Hawks (1896), Nikki Sixx (1958), Tim Robbins (1958), Dick Fosbury (1947), and Mark Zuckerberg (1984).
Others born in United States
Go to all RankingsCarl Barks
COMIC ARTIST
1901 - 2000
HPI: 63.88
Rank: 817
William H. Macy
ACTOR
1950 - Present
HPI: 63.87
Rank: 818
Philip Glass
COMPOSER
1937 - Present
HPI: 63.87
Rank: 819
Arthur Ashkin
PHYSICIST
1922 - 2020
HPI: 63.85
Rank: 820
William Howard Stein
CHEMIST
1911 - 1980
HPI: 63.85
Rank: 821
Robert Downey Jr.
ACTOR
1965 - Present
HPI: 63.84
Rank: 822
Samuel Barber
COMPOSER
1910 - 1981
HPI: 63.83
Rank: 823
Jonas Salk
PHYSICIAN
1914 - 1995
HPI: 63.83
Rank: 824
Howard Hawks
FILM DIRECTOR
1896 - 1977
HPI: 63.82
Rank: 825
Nikki Sixx
MUSICIAN
1958 - Present
HPI: 63.82
Rank: 826
Tim Robbins
ACTOR
1958 - Present
HPI: 63.81
Rank: 827
Dick Fosbury
ATHLETE
1947 - 2023
HPI: 63.81
Rank: 828
Mark Zuckerberg
BUSINESSPERSON
1984 - Present
HPI: 63.80
Rank: 829
Among COMPOSERS In United States
Among composers born in United States, Samuel Barber ranks 7. Before him are Leonard Bernstein (1918), John Williams (1932), George Gershwin (1898), John Cage (1912), Henry Mancini (1924), and Philip Glass (1937). After him are Scott Joplin (1868), Steve Reich (1936), Angelo Badalamenti (1937), James Horner (1953), Jerry Goldsmith (1929), and Alan Silvestri (1950).
Leonard Bernstein
1918 - 1990
HPI: 72.11
Rank: 1
John Williams
1932 - Present
HPI: 71.60
Rank: 2
George Gershwin
1898 - 1937
HPI: 70.39
Rank: 3
John Cage
1912 - 1992
HPI: 68.90
Rank: 4
Henry Mancini
1924 - 1994
HPI: 64.49
Rank: 5
Philip Glass
1937 - Present
HPI: 63.87
Rank: 6
Samuel Barber
1910 - 1981
HPI: 63.83
Rank: 7
Scott Joplin
1868 - 1917
HPI: 63.78
Rank: 8
Steve Reich
1936 - Present
HPI: 62.92
Rank: 9
Angelo Badalamenti
1937 - 2022
HPI: 62.85
Rank: 10
James Horner
1953 - 2015
HPI: 62.77
Rank: 11
Jerry Goldsmith
1929 - 2004
HPI: 62.41
Rank: 12
Alan Silvestri
1950 - Present
HPI: 61.03
Rank: 13