Uncertainties

At the Curtis Institute of Music, Barber pursued further studies in foreign language and literature, mostly of a European background. He aimed for perfection of his craft and was inspired by English, Irish, and German literature, poetry, and music. He continued to travel in Europe together with his closest friend from the Curtis Institute, Gian Carlo Menotti, and subsequently spent a year at the American Academy in Rome. At the same time, his orchestra pieces started to be performed regularly in New York; Dover Beach, for voice and string quartet, especially, earned good critical reviews. The Overture to The School for Scandal won him a second Bearns Prize. He also pursued a career as a singer as a means of earning extra income, his first recording being Dover Beach. The “Angel Mary” Bok continued to foster his career. Following their graduation from Curtis, Barber and Menotti moved into an apartment in New York.