Walter H. Piston, a noted American composer, author, and music educator, was born in Rockland, Maine on January 20, 1894. His long and distinguished career earned him many awards and honors, including two Pulitzer Prizes in Music in 1948 and 1961. In addition to his compositions, he taught music at Harvard University for 34 years and was the author of three widely used college textbooks on music theory. Piston died on November 12, 1976.