Agnus Dei (Barber)

Agnus Dei
by Samuel Barber
Samuel Barber, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1944
KeyB-flat minor
Year1967 (1967)
TextAgnus Dei
LanguageLatin
Based onAdagio for Strings
ScoringChoir SATB divisi, optional piano or organ

Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) is a choral composition in one movement by Samuel Barber, his own arrangement of his Adagio for Strings (1936). In 1967, he set the Latin words of the liturgical Agnus Dei, a part of the Mass, for mixed chorus with optional organ or piano accompaniment. The music, in B-flat minor, has a duration of about eight minutes.