Knoxville: Summer of 1915 - Barber's Text

Barber's Text

Barber's Knoxville, in many ways, parallels Agee's text. We see that Agee was touched by the death of his father in his childhood, while Barber was, during the time of composition, enduring his father's deteriorating health. The two men were similarly aged. Most importantly, however, the two men were so compelled by nostalgia and inspiration that they (supposedly) wrote their pieces quickly and without much revision. The spontaneity of both the text and the music illustrate this reverie of the American south with an ease and honesty that sharply contrasts the paradigm of "multiple-draft writing," but with technical mastery nonetheless.

Barber chooses only excerpts of Knoxville for his composition.