The mention of Ives by Learsfool really got me thinking about who is the best expositor of America in his music and in what work does he express the American reality best.
I say its Samuel Barber in his 1947 masterpiece " Knoxville ; Summer of 1915" based upon what many think is the Great American Novel , James Agee’s "A death in the family " .
The fact that Barbers "Adagio for Strings" has become the de-facto American anthem in times of tragedy is also a strong argument for him being the most American of composers .
I say its Samuel Barber in his 1947 masterpiece " Knoxville ; Summer of 1915" based upon what many think is the Great American Novel , James Agee’s "A death in the family " .
The fact that Barbers "Adagio for Strings" has become the de-facto American anthem in times of tragedy is also a strong argument for him being the most American of composers .