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Barber in 1944

Samuel Osmond Barber II (March 9, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was an American composer of orchestral, opera, choral, and piano music. Barber is well-known because of his 1936 work Adagio for Strings. It received positive reviews. Barber won two Pulitzer Prizes for his works.

Barber was born on March 9, 1910 in West Chester, Pennsylvania. He studied at the Curtis Institute for Music. Barber was gay. He lived with Gian Carlo Menotti for 30 years.