Capricorn Concerto, Op. 21

The concerto was written when Barber was still serving in the U.S. Army but when he was granted time and freedom to compose. Hence the piece was composed in and named after the house "Capricorn" in Mount Kisco, acquired by Barber and Gian Carlo Menotti in 1943 and so-named for the maximum sunshine it got during the winter (Heyman 1992, 239). It is therefore "a nostalgic piece that expresses Barber’s desire to return to a situation where he could compose without the constant interruption of military requirements", and was the last piece Barber wrote before his discharge from military duty (Wright 2010, 23, 135). The work was composed for Daniel Saidenberg but it is not certain whether or not it was also under the aegis of the Office of War Information — the Army unit to which Barber was assigned (Wright 2010, 160). It was premiered by the Saidenberg Little Symphony—the resident orchestra at the 92nd Street Y from 1948 to 1957 (Kozinn 1997)—at The Town Hall on October 8, 1944.