Britannica Concise 2005

Barbarossa \,bar-b9-'ra-s9\ orig. Khidr later Khayr al-DTn (d.

1546) Greek Turkish pirate and admiral in the service of the Ottoman Empire. He and his brother c Aruj, sons of a Turk from Lesbos, hated the Spanish and Portuguese for their attacks on North Africa and took up piracy on the Barbary Coast in hopes of seizing an African domain for themselves. When c Aruj was killed in 1518, Khidr took the title Khayr al-Dln. He offered allegiance to the Ottoman sultan and in return received military aid that enabled him to capture Algiers in 1529. Appointed admi¬ ral in chief of the Ottoman Empire (1533), he conquered all of Tunisia. Emperor Charles V captured Tunis in 1535, but Khayr al-Dln defeated his fleet at the Battle of Preveza (1538), securing the eastern Mediterranean for the Turks for 33 years. His red beard was the source of the epithet Barbarossa, used by Europeans.

Barbary Coast Mediterranean coastal region. North Africa. It extends from Egypt to the Atlantic Ocean. Once part of Roman Africa, the region was overrun by Vandals in the 5th century ad. Reconquered by the East¬ ern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire) c. ad 533, it was overcome by Arabs during the 7th century and was eventually broken up into the independent Muslim polities known collectively as the Barbary states (Morocco, Alge¬ ria [Algiers], Tunisia [Tunis], and Libya [Tripoli]). For centuries the coast was notorious as a haven for pirates, who ravaged shipping and collected tribute from European states. After the U.S. war with Tripoli (see Tripol¬ itan War), the U.S. expedition to Algiers (1815), and the bombardment of Algiers by the British (1816), the pirates ceased exacting tribute.

Barbary macaque Tailless, terrestrial monkey ( Macaca sylvana) found in groups in Algeria and Morocco and on the Rock of Gibral¬ tar. It is about 24 in. (60 cm) long and has yellowish brown fur and a bald, pale pink face. Lacking a tail, this macaque has often been incorrectly called an ape. It is the only wild monkey in Europe and may have arrived in medieval times, taken westward during the Muslim Arab territorial expansion. According to legend, British dominion over Gibraltar will end when the Barbary macaque departs.

Barber, Red orig. Walter Lanier Barber (b. Feb. 17,1908, Colum¬ bus, Miss., U.S.—d. Oct. 22, 1992, Tallahassee, Fla.) U.S. sports broad¬ caster. He became the radio and television announcer for the baseball games of the Cincinnati Reds (1934-39), Brooklyn Dodgers (1939-53), and New York Yankees (1954-66). He combined technical expertise with homespun comments; his signature exclamation was “Oh-ho, Doctor!” He provided weekly commentary on National Public Radio from 1981 and wrote two books on baseball and an autobiography.

Barber, Samuel (b. March 9, 1910, West Chester, Pa., U.S.—d. Jan. 23, 1981, New York, N.Y.) U.S. composer. He studied piano, voice, con¬ ducting, and composition at the Curtis Institute. After graduation in 1934, he devoted himself to composition. Barber’s style, frequently lyrical and neo-Romantic, proved highly attractive to the public. His works include the popular Adagio for Strings (1936), two Essays for Orchestra (1937, 1942), the opera Vanessa (1957, Pulitzer Prize), and a Piano Concerto (1962, Pulitzer Prize).

Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvana).

TOM MCHUGH/PHOTO RESEARCHERS

© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.

166 I barberry ► Bard College

barberry Any of the almost 500 species of thorny evergreen or decidu¬ ous shrubs constituting the genus Berberis. The genus is the largest and most important group in the fam¬ ily Berberidaceae, of the buttercup order. Most barberries are native to the northern temperate zone, particu¬ larly Asia. Barberry bushes have yel¬ low wood and yellow flowers. The fruit of several species is made into jellies. Other members of the same family include heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica), an indoor pot¬ ted plant; mayapple ( Podophyllum peltatum), a woodland wildflower;

Epimedium, a ground cover; and Oregon grape ( Mahonia ), a genus of broad-leaved evergreen shrubs.

barbershop quartet Popular vocal ensemble consisting of four unac¬ companied male voices. The voice parts are tenor, lead, baritone, and bass, with the lead normally singing the melody and the tenor harmonizing above. The emphasis is on close harmony, synchronization of word sounds, and variation of tempo, volume, diction, and phrasing. Barber¬ shop apparently originated in the U.S. in the late 19th century, when American barbershops formed social and musical centres for neighbour¬ hood men, though the term may derive from “barber’s music,” the Brit¬ ish term for an extemporized performance by patrons waiting to be shaved and referring to a barber’s traditional role as a musician.

barbet \'bar-bot\ Any of about 75 species of tropical birds (family Cap- itonidae) named for the bristles at the base of their stout, sharp bill. They are big-headed and short-tailed,

3.5-12 in. (9-30 cm) long, and greenish or brownish with splashes of bright colours or white. Barbets are found throughout Central America and in northern South America, in sub-Saharan Africa, and in South Asia. They all fly weakly, and they sit in treetops when not feeding on insects, lizards, birds’ eggs, fruits, and berries. They call loudly while jerking the head or tail.

Maddeningly vocal or repetitious species are sometimes called brain-fever birds.

Barbie in full Barbara Millicent Roberts A plastic doll, 11.5 in. (29 cm) tall, with the figure of an adult woman that was introduced in 1959 by Mattel, Inc., a southern California toy company. Ruth Handler, who cofounded Mattel with her husband, Elliot, spearheaded the introduction of the doll. Since the 1970s, Barbie has been criticized for materialism (amassing cars, houses, and clothes) and unrealistic body proportions. Yet many women who had played with the doll as girls credit Barbie with pro¬ viding an alternative to restrictive 1950s gender roles. Today the doll has come to symbolize consumer capitalism and is a global brand, with key markets in Europe, Latin America, and Japan. Barbie never caught on in the Muslim world, however. In 1995 Saudi Arabia stopped its sale because it violated the Islamic dress code. Similar dolls, complete with hijabs (head coverings), were eventually marketed to Muslim girls.

Barbie, Klaus (b. Oct. 25, 1913, Bad Godesberg, Ger.—d. Sept. 25, 1991, Lyon, France) Nazi leader. As head of the Gestapo in Lyon, France (1942-44), he pursued members of the French Resistance and promoted the torture and execution of thousands of prisoners. After World War II he was seized by U.S. authorities in Germany, who recruited him for counterintelligence work (1947-51) and then moved him and his family to Bolivia. He lived there as a businessman from 1951 until he was extra¬ dited to France in 1983 to stand trial. Throughout his trial “the Butcher of Lyon” remained unrepentant and proud of his service to the Nazis. Held responsible for the death of some 4,000 persons and the deportation of some 7,500 others, he was sentenced to life imprisonment.

barbiturate \bar-'bi-cli3-r3t\ Any of a class of heterocyclic compounds based on the parent structure, uric acid, and used in medicine. They depress the central nervous system, acting particularly on certain parts of

the brain, though they tend to depress the functioning of all the body’s tissues. Long-acting barbiturates (e.g., barbital and phenobarbital) are used to treat epilepsy. Intermediate ones (e.g., amobarbital) are used to treat insomnia, short-acting ones (e.g., pentobarbital) to overcome difficulty in falling asleep (one aspect of insomnia), and ultra-short-acting ones (e.g., thiopental sodium) to induce unconsciousness in surgical patients before administration of other anesthetics. Prolonged use of barbiturates may lead to addiction. Sudden withdrawal can be fatal; addicts must be weaned from the drug under medical supervision. Overdoses can result in coma and even death; barbiturates are particularly dangerous, even at normal doses, when combined with alcoholic beverages.

Barbizon \,bar-b3- , zon\ school Group of 19th-century French land¬ scape painters. They were part of a larger European movement toward naturalism that made a significant contribution to realism in French land¬ scape painting. Led by Theodore Rousseau and Jean-Francois Millet, they attracted a large following of painters who came to live at Barbizon, a village near Paris; most notable of this group were Charles-Francois Daubigny, Narcisse-Virgile Diaz de la Pena, Jules Dupre, Charles-Emile Jacque, and Constant Troyon. Each had his own style, but all emphasized painting out-of-doors directly from nature, using a limited palette, and creating atmosphere or mood in their landscapes.

Barbosa \bar-'bo-s9\, Ruy (b. Nov. 5, 1849, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil—d. March 1, 1923, Petropolis) Brazilian orator, statesman, and jurist. Barbosa, an eloquent liberal, wrote the constitution for Brazil’s newly formed republic in 1890 and held various posts, including minis¬ ter of finance, in the provisional government that launched the republic. He became a senator in 1895, and in 1907 he led a delegation to the sec¬ ond of the Hague Conventions, where he gained international renown for his oratory and for his defense of the legal equality of rich and poor nations. He ran for president in 1910 on an antimilitary platform, and again in 1919, but lost both times.

Barbuda See Antigua and Barbuda

Barca, Pedro Calderon de la See Pedro Calderon de la Barca

Barcelona \bar-s3-'lo-n9\ Seaport city (pop., 2005 est.: 1,593,075), capital of Catalonia autonomous region, northeastern Spain. Spain’s larg¬ est port and second largest city, it is the country’s principal industrial and commercial centre, as well as a major cultural and educational centre. It is said to have been founded in the 3rd century bc by the Carthaginians or the Phoenicians, and it was later ruled by the Romans and Visigoths. It was captured by the Moors c. ad 715, but it was retaken by the Franks under Charlemagne in 801 and made the capital of the Spanish March (Catalonia). After Catalonia united with Aragon in 1137, Barcelona became a flourishing commercial centre and the rival of Italian ports. In the 19th century it was a cauldron for radical social movements and Cat¬ alan separatism. It was the loyalist capital in 1937-39 during the Spanish Civil War; its capture by Francisco Franco brought the collapse of Cata¬ lan resistance and Catalonia’s reintegration into Spain. Modern Barcelona is known for its handsome architecture, including buildings by Antoni Gaudi. It hosted the 1992 Summer Olympic Games.

Barclay de Tolly Xbar-'kll-do-'to-leX, Mikhail (Bogdanovich), Prince (b. Dec. 13, 1761, Pamuskis, Poland-Lithuania—d. May 14, 1818, Insterburg, East Prussia) Russian field marshal prominent in the Napoleonic Wars. A member of a Scottish family that had settled in Livo¬ nia, Barclay entered the Russian army in 1786. In 1812 he took command of one of two Russian armies operating against Napoleon. His strategy of avoiding decisive action and retreating into Russia proved unpopular, and he was forced to resign his command. He took part in the invasion of France in 1814, and in 1815 he was commander in chief of the Russian army that invaded France after Napoleon’s return from Elba.

Barcoo River See Cooper Creek

bard Celtic tribal poet-singer gifted in composing and reciting verses of eulogy and satire or of heroes and their deeds. The institution died out in Gaul but survived in Ireland, where bards have preserved a tradition of chanting poetic eulogy, and in Wales, where the bardic order was codi¬ fied into distinct grades in the 10th century. Despite a decline in the late Middle Ages, the Welsh tradition is celebrated in the annual National Eist¬ eddfod.

Bard College Private liberal arts college founded in 1860 in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, U.S. It was founded by John Bard and

Crimson-headed barbet (Cap/Yo bourcieri).

C. LAUBSCHER-BRUCE COLEAAAN INC./EB INC.

© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.

Bardeen ► bark painting I 167

Episcopal church leaders as St. Stevens, an Episcopal college for men. The name was changed to Bard College in 1934. Between 1928 and 1944 it served as Columbia University’s undergraduate school. It became coedu¬ cational in 1944. Its undergraduate curriculum includes courses in the social sciences, languages and literature, arts, and natural sciences and mathematics.

Bardeen, John (b. May 23, 1908, Madison, Wis., U.S.—d. Jan. 30, 1991, Boston, Mass.) U.S. physicist. He earned a Ph.D. in mathematical physics from Princeton University. He worked for the U.S. Naval Ord¬ nance Laboratory during World War II, after which he worked for Bell Telephone Laboratories. His work there led to his sharing a 1956 Nobel Prize with William B. Shockley and Walter H. Brattain for the invention of the transistor. In 1972 he again shared a Nobel Prize, this time with Leon Cooper and J. Robert Schrieffer for developing the theory of supercon¬ ductivity (1957); this theory (called the BCS theory, for Bardeen-Cooper- Schrieffer) is the basis for all later theoretical work in superconductivity. Bardeen was also the author of a theory explaining certain properties of SEMICONDUCTORS.

Bardesanes \,bar-d3-'sa-nez\ or Bardaisan \,bar-dl-'san\ (b. July 11, 154, Edessa, Syria—d. c. 222, Edessa) Syrian Gnostic Christian and speculative thinker. He converted to Christianity in 179 and became a missionary. He attacked the fatalism of the Greek philosophers and, show¬ ing the influence of Gnosticism, ascribed the creation of the world, the Devil, and evil to a hierarchy of gods rather than to the supreme God. His chief written work. The Dialogue of Destiny, is the oldest known example of Syriac literature. He is also remembered for his Syriac hymns.

Bardot \bar-'d6\, Brigitte (b. Sept. 28, 1934, Paris, France) French film actress. She was discovered by Roger Vadim when she appeared on a magazine cover at 15 and made her film debut in 1952. Vadim crafted her “sex kitten” image for his films And God Created Woman (1956) and The Night Heaven Fell (1958), which set box-office records and made her an international star. She displayed her acting ability in such films as The Truth (1960), Contempt (1963), and Viva Maria! (1965). An animal rights activist, she established an animal welfare organization in 1987.

Barenboim Vbar-on-.boinrf, Daniel (b. Nov. 15, 1942, Buenos Aires, Arg.) Argentine-born Israeli pianist and conductor. A prodigy, he made his debut at age eight. His family moved to Israel in 1952, and he first performed in the U.S. at Carnegie Hall in 1957. As a pianist he became known for his colourful interpretations of Classical and Romantic com¬ posers. He started conducting professionally in 1962 and led the English Chamber Orchestra (1964-75) and the Orchestre de Paris (1975-89). He became principal conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1991 and was appointed music director of the Berlin State Opera in 1992. He has been a prominent advocate for peace in the Middle East.

Barents Sea Outlying portion of the Arctic Ocean. Named for the Dutch explorer Willem Barents, it is bounded by the Norwegian and northwestern Russian mainland (south), the Norwegian Sea and Svalbard (west), Franz Josef Land (north), and the Kara Sea and Novaya Zemlya (east). It is 800 mi (1,300 km) long and 650 mi (1,050 km) wide and covers 542,000 sq mi (1,405,000 sq km). Its average depth is 750 ft (229 m), with a maximum depth of 2,000 ft (600 m) in the major Bear Island Trench.

bargello \bar-'je-lo\ or Florentine canvas work Type of 17th- century embroidery, named for the upholstery of a set of Italian chairs at Florence’s Bargello Museum. It consists of a wavy zigzag pattern of flat vertical stitches laid parallel with the canvas weave, rather than crossing the intersections diagonally as in most canvas stitches, in gradating tones of the same colour or in contrasting colours. The characteristic stitch is called Florentine, cushion, Hungarian, or flame stitch (an allusion to the flamelike gradation of colour).

Bari \'ba-re\ ancient Barium Seaport city (pop., 2001 prelim.: 332,143), capital of Puglia, southeastern Italy. Evidence shows that the site may have been inhabited since 1500 bc. Under the Romans it became an important port. In the 9th century ad it was a Moorish stronghold, but it was taken by the Byzantines in 885. Peter the Hermit preached the First Crusade there in 1096. Razed by the Sicilians in 1156, it acquired new greatness in the 13th century under Frederick II. It became an independent duchy in the 14th century, passed to the Kingdom of Naples in 1558, and became part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861.

barite Vbar-.flA or barytes \b3-'rl-tez\ or heavy spar Most com¬ mon barium mineral, barium sulfate (BaS0 4 ). It commonly forms as platy

crystals (known as crested barite).

Barite is abundant in parts of Spain,

Germany, and the U.S. Commer¬ cially, ground barite is used in oil well and gas well drilling muds; in the preparation of barium com¬ pounds; as a filler for paper, cloth, and phonograph records; as a white pigment; and as an inert material in coloured paints.

baritone In vocal music, the most common category of male voice, between the bass and the tenor. Its range is approximately from the sec¬ ond A below middle C to the F above middle C. The term baritonus was first employed in 15th-century five- and six-voice part music; when four- part settings became standard, the baritone part was dropped, and natural baritones were forced to develop either their bass or tenor register. Instru¬ ments that play principally in the baritone register include the baritone saxophone and the baritone horn.

barium Vbar-e-snrf Chemical element, one of the alkaline earth metals, chemical symbol Ba, atomic number 56. It is very reactive and in com¬ pounds always has valence 2. In nature it is found chiefly as the minerals barite (barium sulfate) and witherite (barium carbonate). The element is used in metallurgy, and its compounds are used in fireworks, petroleum mining, and radiology and as pigments and reagents. All soluble barium compounds are toxic. Barium sulfate, one of the most insoluble salts known, is given in a “barium meal” as a contrast medium for X-ray exami¬ nation of the gastrointestinal tract.

bark In woody plants, tissues out¬ side of the vascular cambium. The term is also used more popularly to refer to all tissues outside the wood.

The inner soft bark is produced by the vascular cambium; it consists of secondary phloem (food-conducting) tissue whose innermost layer trans¬ ports food from the leaves to the rest of the plant. The layered outer bark contains cork and old, dead phloem.

The bark is usually thinner than the woody part of the stem or root.

bark beetle Any member of the beetle family Scolytidae, many of which severely damage trees. Bark beetles are cylindrical, brown or black, and usually less than 0.25 in.

(6 mm) long. A male and females (as many as 60 females with each male) bore into a tree and form a chamber where each female deposits her eggs.

The emerging larvae bore away from the chamber, forming a characteris¬ tic series of tunnels. Different spe¬ cies attack particular trees, damaging roots, stems, seeds, or fruits. Some species transmit disease (e.g., elm bark beetles carry spores of the fun¬ gal Dutch elm disease).

bark painting Abstract and figu¬ rative designs applied to nonwoven fabric made from bark. Also called tapa, the pieces are made by scratch¬ ing or painting the designs. The most popular material is the inner bark of the paper mulberry tree. The bark is stripped off, soaked, and beaten until it is thin. Today hand-painted bark cloth is made in northern Australia,

New Guinea, and parts of Melanesia.