Adagio (Agnus Dei) for Choir and Organ

The one-movement choral composition AGNUS DEI is an original arrangement of the Adagio for Strings, which Barber transformed in 1967 into a work for mixed choir with organ (or piano) accompaniment, introducing the authentic Latin text of the traditional Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) movement from the Catholic Mass, with only slight changes in the orchestral score. The musicologist Graham Olson, describing in the Journal of Music and Musicology the changes to the Agnus. "Barber brought to the fore a sense of spirituality in the work". He also finds a certain similarity to the vocal music of the Renaissance artists Palestrina and Gabrieli, in the clear texture built with spare means and a very expressive, highly evocative melody.