Chamber · String Quartet · B major · Op. 11 · 1936
String Quartet in B major, Op. 11
Samuel Barber
Barber's only string quartet, written in 1936, is remembered above all for its slow middle movement, which he later expanded into the famous Adagio for Strings.
What to listen for
The quartet unfolds in three linked sections rather than four separate movements, and orchestras usually present the whole piece or extract its central slow movement, which they perform in Barber's own string-orchestra arrangement, the Adagio for Strings.
I. Molto allegro e appassionato: the first movement opens with restless, driving energy, all four instruments pushing forward together before settling into a more lyrical middle section, then returning to the opening urgency.
II. Molto adagio: this is the heart of the work, a single long melodic line that rises in overlapping waves from the lower strings up through the first violin. The tune keeps climbing higher and holding longer before the whole ensemble reaches a hushed, suspended chord and slowly recedes. Listeners who know the Adagio for Strings from films, memorials, or radio broadcasts will recognize this melody the moment it begins.
III. Molto allegro (come prima): a brief closing section that recalls material from the opening movement, tying the work together before it ends quietly rather than with a big finish.
The whole quartet runs under 20 minutes, but the middle movement is the part almost everyone remembers.
The story
Barber composed the quartet in 1936 while staying in Austria and Italy, not long after finishing his studies at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia. The premiere took place in Rome later that year. Barber was unsatisfied with the original finale and revised it more than once. The piece would likely be a footnote in the chamber music repertoire if not for its slow movement: Barber arranged it for string orchestra as a standalone piece, the Adagio for Strings, which conductor Arturo Toscanini premiered with the NBC Symphony Orchestra in 1938. That arrangement went on to become one of the most performed and recognized American orchestral works, used at state funerals and in films, while the full quartet remains less frequently heard on its own.
First time hearing it?
- The complete quartet runs about 18 to 20 minutes; the Adagio movement alone lasts around 8 minutes.
- Movements connect with little or no pause, so listen for the shift in mood rather than a break to applaud.
- The moment everyone waits for is the slow movement's long melodic climb, familiar to many from the Adagio for Strings.
- This is chamber music for four solo string players, or, in orchestral programs, the same music scaled up for a full string section.
- No staging or unusual forces; it is a traditional string quartet piece, though most concert performances you'll encounter feature only its middle movement.
Written by OrchestraFinder, reviewed September 2026.