Samuel L. M. Barlow

Samuel Latham Mitchell Barlow II (June 1, 1892 – September 19, 1982) was an American composer, pianist and art critic. His compositional style was conservative and he once said that he wrote "tunes that wouldn't shock Papa Brahms." But, his music frequently explored new performance techniques and practices; in addition, he used slide projections to accompany his 1936 symphonic concerto Babar. Early life Born in New York City, Samuel Latham Mitchell Barlow was the second son of Peter Townsend Barlow, a New York City magistrate, and his wife Virginia Louise (Matthews). Her brother was author Brander Matthews. Barlow was named after his paternal grandfather, a prominent Wall Street attorney. Samuel's older brother, Edward Mitchell Barlow, was named after their maternal grandfather, a successful merchant. Edward Barlow died in 1901 at the age of thirteen. Samuel Barlow graduated with the Harvard Class of 1914. He studied at the Institute of Musical Art (Juilliard School) in New York City, under Percy Goetschius and Franklin Robinson, and later in Paris with Isidor Philipp at the Paris Conservatoire, and in Rome with Ottorino Respighi at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. During the First World War, he put his music studies on hold while serving as a lieutenant with US Army Intelligence.