Samuel Barber - Agnus Dei [HD]

Please avoid posting comments about Samuel Barber's sexuality and enjoy the music! Any hateful comments will be removed.

Composer: Samuel Barber (1910-1981)
Performed here by: The Dale Warland Singers
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About this song:

Samuel Barber rejected many arrangements, of Adagio for Strings, published by G. Schirmer, such as the organ arrangement by William Strickland. However he did transcribe the piece in 1967 for eight-part choir, as a setting of the Agnus Dei ("Lamb of God").

Adagio for Strings (the string version of this piece) can be heard on many film, TV, and video game soundtracks, including Oliver Stone's Oscar-winning film "Platoon", David Lynch's 1980 Oscar-nominated film "The Elephant Man", Michael Moore's documentary "Sicko", "Swimming Upstream", "Lorenzo's Oil", "A Very Natural Thing", "Reconstruction", and Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Oscar-nominated 2001 film "Amélie". It has been heard in episodes of The Simpsons, Big Brother 2010 (UK), That Mitchell and Webb Look, The Boondocks, South Park, How I Met Your Mother, Seinfeld, ER (TV series), Red Dwarf, Big Love, and Mystery Science Theater 3000. A recorded performance by the London Symphony Orchestra was, for a time, the highest selling classical piece on iTunes. This choral version, Agnus Dei, can be heard in the soundtrack to the PC video game Homeworld (released in 1999, awarded with the Game of the Year accolade from the PC Gamer magazine). The work is extremely popular in the electronic dance music genre, notably in trance. Artists who have covered it include Armin van Buuren, William Orbit, Ferry Corsten, and Tiësto. eRa included this song in their new album Classics. Adagio is the final song on the final collaborative Peter, Paul and Mary album "Peter Paul and Mary, With Symphony Orchestra". Mary Travers had requested that Adagio be played at her memorial service. It was also played at the Royal Albert Concert Hall on the 15th September 2001 in memorial of the attacks on America that shook the world four days beforehand.

About the photograph:

Saint Paul's Cathedral, London, during the Blitz. This cathedral has survived despite being targeted during the Blitz - it was struck by bombs on 10 October 1940 and 17 April 1941. On 12 September 1940 a time-delayed bomb that had struck the cathedral was successfully defused and removed by a bomb disposal detachment of Royal Engineers under the command of Temporary Lieutenant Robert Davies. Had this bomb detonated, it would have totally destroyed the cathedral, as it left a 100-foot (30 m) crater when it was later remotely detonated in a secure location. As a result of this action, Davies was awarded the George Cross, along with Sapper George Cameron Wylie.

On 29 December 1940, the cathedral had another close call when an incendiary bomb became lodged in the lead shell of the dome but fell outwards onto the Stone Gallery and was put out before it could ignite the dome timbers. One of the most iconic images of London during the war was a photograph of St Paul's taken the same day by photographer Herbert Mason (in this video), from the roof of the Daily Mail in Tudor Street showing the cathedral shrouded in smoke.

Lisa Jardine of Queen Mary, University of London has written:
Wreathed in billowing smoke, amidst the chaos and destruction of war, the pale dome stands proud and glorious - indomitable. At the height of that air-raid, Sir Winston Churchill telephoned the Guildhall to insist that all fire-fighting resources be directed at St Paul's. The cathedral must be saved, he said, damage to the fabric would sap the morale of the country.

[blessedmusic]

For those of you who requested a translation it is: Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. (repeat this phrase then) Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

[renehommes]

my Brother choose this beautiful music for his funeral two weeks ago. He didn't care for religion or sexual preferences, he just wanted to live. It wasn't ment to be, he died of cancer at the age of 43. Hope you found your peace.

[derrickanddianeperdue]

I feel like I have died and gone to Heaven. Thank You Samual Barber for your heavenly music!

[jasaa]

A brilliant rendition of this piece. The human voice is said to be the most expressive instrument of music, and it shows here.

[stevekenworthy]

One of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard and at my age that's a lot.

[christinelangton]

This is the most beautiful music I have ever heard. Recently my mother was dying in hospital and I played it softly in the background telling her the angels were holding out their hands waiting to take her home to God.  I go to pieces every time I hear it.

[MKXX]

What a tear jerker this song is ! So sad but so beautiful at the same time. This is definately a true work of art.

[tropicsgoddess]

It is indeed a dramatic, passionate but a very sad classical piece. When I hear the choir version, I think of something liturgical and about mourning, loss, peace and the release of suffering and sins.

[larazanshin]

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem.

[agent]

Poruszający utwór. Pełen bólu, cierpienia i tęsknoty. Tak, myślę, że oddaje stan ducha naszego Pana - na krzyżu!

[valhallaqueen]

Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings is one of my all-time favorite pieces! I am so thankful Samuel Barber gifted the world with his music!

[Grabacr]

Beautiful. Regardless of your religion or beliefs, you simply can't deny that this is a truly beautiful song.

[peperoni]

Ι cannot explain how, but I feel like this one is speaking to my soul! It's melody is just a soul experience!

[philippelelievre]

une pure merveille cet agnus dei...la voix des anges en direct...

[javonfew]

Those sad wails, the beautiful voices, this is a beautiful song

[yootoobee]

Lamb of God (Latin Agnus Dei) appears in the words of John the Baptist: "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" ( John 1:29).
The words being sung are:

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.

which means:

Lamb of God, you who take away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.

[OyasumiBlerd]

There is something about Samuel Barber's Adiago String pieces that just make your heart twinge. The song truly feels like a cry from humanity's soul more so than Samuel Barber's. As if he heard the song and replicated that harmonious cry for peace. There is this feeling of regret of not being able to obtain peace. We all want that peace within our families, friends, counties, cities, states, countries, continents and Earth herself.At some point our fighting will stop but hopefully it will stop when we see peace and not when we see the end of humanity.

[mr.myriad]

The highs and lows of humanity... it's painfully beautiful.

[gabrielclementino]

This is the most beautiful and thouching song ever.

[oscarmg]

Buenas noches. Soy católico practicante y para nada pienso en orientaciones sexuales cuando escucho o leo o veo algo bello. ¿Dónde está el respeto y la aceptación del prójimo? ¿Por qué no nos centramos en lo que verdaderamente es importante? Esta obra de Barber es un regalo de Dios, con una belleza impresionante, que me ha provocado el llanto como reacción más humana ante tanto sentimiento. Agnus Dei qui tollis percata mundi, Miserere nobis. Gracias Berber por ofrecer al mundo tal regalo de amor y sentimiento de Amor y Misericordia. Gracias.