Since last March, when Covid broke across New Jersey, the only Barber I’ve visited is Samuel Barber. The composer of the ubiquitous “Adagio for Strings” was born in West Chester, Pa., on this date in 1910.

My favorite Barber pieces? The Violin Concerto. The Symphony No. 1. The Second Essay for Orchestra. “Souvenirs” (in the version for piano four hands). Okay, and the Adagio.

If its passionate, elegiac character seems out of step with such a lovely day, here’s something with a lighter, carefree disposition, from his set of piano pieces titled “Excursions.”

Also, one of his most charming songs, “The Monk and His Cat.”

Here’s a real gem: an interview with Barber in his NYC apartment, to celebrate his 67th birthday. Barber plays the piano, displays his conversational wit, and shares his recording of “Dover Beach,” on which he appears as baritone. Stay tuned for the birthday cake at the end!

His music may do nothing for the length of my beard, but it keeps my soul limber.

Happy birthday, Sam.

PHOTO: Barber, dressed like Sky Masterson, conducting his Second Symphony. Ironically, Barber disliked the work. He disliked it so much, he tried to destroy it. In 1984, three years after his death, the symphony was revived when a set of parts turned up in an English warehouse.

Hear Barber rehearse the work here: