American Anthem: The Music of Samuel Barber & Howard Hanson Sono Luminus has come together again with the amazing talent of the Ying Quartet, and is excited to release American Anthem: The Music of Samuel Barber & Howard Hanson. Bringing together musical selections that are truly expressive of the American spirit, this album also includes a selection from American composer Randall Thompson, and features pianist Adam Neiman and baritone Randall Scarlata.

hat makes American music American? There have been many answers to that debate, both in music and in words. Samuel Barber was a composer who did not aim to write “American” music. Though Barber was born and raised in West Chester, PA, many observers note that he seemed equally if not more at home in Europe, in particular Italy and England. In fact, Gian Carlo Menotti, his longtime partner, said in an interview that Barber did not believe in being American and was not interested in Americana. Barber himself once criticized other composers’ works saying, “A collage of a little bit of this and that doesn’t make American music American.” And yet, now Barber is considered one of the most celebrated—certainly one of the most performed and recorded—American composers of all.