College of Arts & Sciences: What work of art, music, science, mathematics, or literature has surprised, unsettled, or challenged you, and in what way? (250 words)
The first note of Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings is a solitary B flat, in a minor key. As the fragile note softly tip-toes across the air, the rest of the strings follow slowly behind, settling into the listener's heart with an unspeakable, almost unbearable sadness. The first time I heard this piece, I did not even listen to more than a minute. I wanted to listen to something uplifting, something more pleasurable to listen to. However, although I had listened to no more than a few notes, they dwelled heavily on my mind. I could not get the melancholy melody out of my mind, and thus returned to it the day after. Eight minutes later, I was left slumped in my chair, awestruck and emotionally drained. The uneasy, step-like melody was almost physically tangible, and had left me close to tears. Although the background context of the piece was unknown to me at the time, the piece itself left no doubts what it was about. Representing a nation struggling to recover from the wake of the Great Depression, as well as the tension of a world on the brink of World War II, Barber's simplistic masterpiece had the emotional impact of a battering ram, striking me unprepared every time I listened to it. Adagio for Strings embodied every sorrow I had experienced, yet the beauty of the piece is an unforgettable experience I cherish.
The first note of Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings is a solitary B flat, in a minor key. As the fragile note softly tip-toes across the air, the rest of the strings follow slowly behind, settling into the listener's heart with an unspeakable, almost unbearable sadness. The first time I heard this piece, I did not even listen to more than a minute. I wanted to listen to something uplifting, something more pleasurable to listen to. However, although I had listened to no more than a few notes, they dwelled heavily on my mind. I could not get the melancholy melody out of my mind, and thus returned to it the day after. Eight minutes later, I was left slumped in my chair, awestruck and emotionally drained. The uneasy, step-like melody was almost physically tangible, and had left me close to tears. Although the background context of the piece was unknown to me at the time, the piece itself left no doubts what it was about. Representing a nation struggling to recover from the wake of the Great Depression, as well as the tension of a world on the brink of World War II, Barber's simplistic masterpiece had the emotional impact of a battering ram, striking me unprepared every time I listened to it. Adagio for Strings embodied every sorrow I had experienced, yet the beauty of the piece is an unforgettable experience I cherish.
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