Adagio for Strings eye." In 1938, Olin Downes noted that with the piece, Barber "achieved something as perfect in mass and detail as his craftsmanship permits." In an edition of "A Conductor's Analysis of Selected Works", John William Mueller devoted over 20 pages to "Adagio for Strings". Wayne Clifford Wentzel, author of "Samuel Barber: A Research and Information Guide (Composer Resource Manuals)", said that it was a piece usually selected for a closing act because it was moderately famous. Roy Brewer, writer for AllMusic, stated that it was one of the most recognizable pieces of American concert music. G. Schirmer has published several
Adagio for Strings and prepare his own version for publication. Strickland, having kept the piece, sent his organ arrangement to G. Schirmer, who eventually published it in 1949. The recording of the world premiere in 1938, with Arturo Toscanini conducting the NBC Symphony Orchestra, was selected in 2005 for permanent preservation in the National Recording Registry at the United States Library of Congress. Since the 1938 recording, the "Adagio for Strings" has frequently been heard throughout the world, and was one of the few American pieces to be played in the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The "Adagio for Strings" has been