Samuel Osborne Barber II (March 9, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was an American composer of orchestral, opera, choral, and piano music. He is one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century: music critic Donal Henahan stated that “Probably no other American composer has ever enjoyed such early, such persistent and such long-lasting acclaim.”
Sure on this Shining Night arr. for chorus, Op. 33, No. 3 (1940)
Librettist: James Agee
The Joyful Company of Singers conducted by Peter Broadbent
Anthony Saunders, piano
Description in Library of Congress
“Sure on this Shining Night” is the third song in the collection entitled Four Songs which was published by G. Schirmer in 1940. Unlike his earlier collection of Three Songs, op. 10, in which all three songs are set to poetry by James Joyce, Barber’s Four Songs, op. 13 features the texts of four different poets. The text for “Sure on this Shining Night” was based on an untitled lyric from James Agee’s first published collection of poems, Permit Me Voyage (1934). Barber eventually met and formed a lasting friendship with the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, but it was not until after he set Agee’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 in 1948.
The brilliance of “Sure on this Shining Night” lies in its long, seamlessly lyrical canonical lines, initiated by the voice and followed immediately by the piano. The song’s structure resembles that of songs crafted by 19th-century masters such as Johannes Brahms and Robert Schumann, especially in the dexterous use of canonic principals (in which Brahms excelled) and in the use of the pulsating chordal-style accompaniment, as found in Schmann’s “Ich grolle nicht” (from Dichterliebe, 1840). “Sure on this Shining Night” has also been used by voice teachers, including Marinka Gurewich, to instruct singers in the art of producing a pianissimo cantilena vocal line.
No doubt the popularity of “Sure on the Shining Night” was amplified by Barber’s frequent retelling of an anecdote that directly involved the song. In 1979, Barber had just moved into a new apartment in New York City and needed to call home. He was trying to reach Gian Carlo Menotti, whom he knew was visiting the apartment. However, upon trying to dial the number from the telephone booth, Barber realized that he could not recall the newly established phone number. The composer contacted the operator for assistance who initially refused to provide Barber with the number, but confessed that she possessed a “weakness” for “Sure on this Shining Night” and requested that Barber sing the song’s opening phrase to confirm his identity. Barber complied and was rewarded with his telephone number!
Anecdotes aside, Barber must have appreciated the song’s warm reception for nearly thirty years later he arranged “Sure on this Shining Night” (along with “A Nun Takes the Veil,” also from Four Songs, op. 13) for chorus. The arrangements were extremely popular and sold over a hundred thousand copies. To date, “Sure on this Shining Night” remains a favorite among solo singers and choral ensembles alike.