by Samuel Barber The Crucifixion, composed by Samuel Barber in 1953, is a hauntingly intimate song from his Hermit Songs cycle (Op. 29), set to an anonymous 12th-century Irish poem translated by Howard Mumford Jones. It poignantly depicts Mary's sorrow at the foot of the cross, with vivid imagery of a mother's grief amid divine sacrifice—lyrics evoke "the little Son of Mary" nailed to the tree. Barber's lyrical melody, supported by sparse yet evocative piano, blends modern to