Editing Samuel Barber (section)

===Later years (1966–1981)===
[[File:Samuel Barber on the left, Gian Carlo Menotti's plot on the right.jpg|thumb|Samuel Barber's grave, on the left, at [[Oaklands Cemetery]] in West Chester. The plot on the right had been purchased for Gian Carlo Menotti; as he did not use it, a stone inscribed "To the Memory of Two Friends" was erected there instead.]]
After the harsh rejection of his third opera ''[[Antony and Cleopatra (1966 opera)|Antony and Cleopatra]]'' (1966), Barber battled with depression and alcoholism which had a negative impact on his creative productivity.{{sfn|Heyman|2001}}<ref name=Smith2002/> He began to divide his time between his home in New York and a [[chalet]] in [[Santa Cristina Gherdëina]], where he spent long periods in isolation.<ref name=Smith2002/>{{sfn|Heyman|2001}} Tensions grew between Menotti and Barber, leading Menotti to insist that the couple end their romantic attachment and put Capricorn up for sale in 1970. Capricorn was indeed sold in 1972, but the two men remained on friendly terms after their romantic involvement ended.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.inquirer.com/philly/entertainment/arts/Samuel-Barber-examined-anew-in-Absolute-Beauty-film.html|title=Documentary sheds new light on fascinating West Chester composer Samuel Barber|author=David Patrick Stearns|work=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]|date=May 4, 2017}}</ref>

During his troubled later years, Barber continued to write music until he was almost 70 years old. In 1967, he successfully adapted his ''Adagio for Strings'' (1936) to a choral work, ''[[Agnus Dei (Barber)|Agnus Dei]]'', set to the Latin liturgical mass text on the [[Lamb of God]]. The work has become widely performed and recorded by choirs internationally. In 1969, Leontyne Price performed the premiere of Barber's song cycle ''Despite and Still'' which emphasized textual themes of loneliness, isolation, and lost love; all issues present in Barber's own personal life at the time of this work's creation. This work adopted a more modern dissonant harmonic language with vivid textual imagery characterized by tonal ambiguity and a frequent use of [[chromaticism]], conflicting triads, [[tritone]]s, and [[whole-tone]] segments.{{sfn|Heyman|2001}} 

In 1971, his cantata ''The Lovers'' was well received by audiences and critics when it premiered in performances with the [[Philadelphia Orchestra]], Finnish baritone [[Tom Krause]], and the Temple University Chorus directed by Robert Page. The ''[[Third Essay for Orchestra (Barber)|Third Essay for Orchestra]]'' (1978) was his last major work.<ref name=Smith2002/>{{sfn|Heyman|2001}}

Barber was hospitalized on and off between 1978 and 1981 while undergoing treatment for cancer.{{sfn|Heyman|2001}} He died of the disease on January 23, 1981, at his [[907 Fifth Avenue]] apartment in Manhattan at the age of 70.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Quinn|first=Iain|date=April 2011|title=Samuel Barber's Organ Music|journal=[[Tempo (journal)|Tempo]]|volume=65|number=256|pages=38–51 (50)|doi=10.1017/S0040298211000155 |jstor=23020689|s2cid=143645870 }}</ref> The funeral was held at the [[First Presbyterian Church of West Chester]] three days later<ref name="obit" /> and he was buried in the [[Oaklands Cemetery]] there.<ref>Wilson, Scott. ''Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons'', 3rd ed.: 2 (Kindle Location 2498). McFarland & Company. Kindle Edition.</ref> His final composition, ''Canzone for oboe and string orchestra'' (1981), was published after his death. Initially intended to be a fully developed oboe concerto, Barber only completed the second movement of that work.{{sfn|Heyman|2001}}