Seymour Barab

Seymour Barab (January 9, 1921 – June 28, 2014) was an American composer of opera, songs and instrumental and chamber music, as well as a cellist, organist and pianist. He was best known for his fairy tale operas for young audiences, such as Chanticleer and Little Red Riding Hood. He was a longtime member of the Philip Glass Ensemble. Early life Barab was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Samuel Barab and Leah Yablunky. Both of Barab’s parents were Polish immigrants, who emigrated separately and met in the United States. His older brother, Abraham (b. 1913), later changed his name to Oscar. Barab’s father also changed his name in later years to Leo. The family had little money, but Barab’s parents considered culture important, and he was given piano lessons, from an early age, at first with his aunt, Gertrude Yablunky. When Barab was thirteen, he started his first musical job as an organist for a church of spiritual healing that his aunt attended. Barab began to study the cello when he entered Lane Tech High School in Chicago in 1935. Lane Tech offered a four-year music program and required each student to study an orchestral instrument. He later said of his choice: “They happened to n