composer

American  

[kuhm-poh-zer] / kəmˈpoʊ zər /

noun

1. a person or thing that composes.

2. a person who writes music.

3. an author.

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composer British  

/ kəmˈpəʊzə /

noun

1. a person who composes music

2. a person or machine that composes anything, esp type for printing

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Etymology

Origin of composer

First recorded in 1555–65; compose + -er ¹

Explanation

A composer is an artist who writes music to be played or performed by musicians. A classical composer might work by writing out musical notation and trying things out on the piano. If you're a composer, you most likely write classical, jazz, music for film, or another type of primarily instrumental music, without lyrics. A writer of popular or rock music is more likely to be called a "songwriter." A composer might compose symphonies as a profession, or write short tunes as a hobby. In Old French, composer means "put together, arrange, or write," from com-, "with," and poser, "to place."

Example Sentences

Soon after, he began an apprenticeship in London with the composer Muzio Clementi that lasted 10 years and required that Field demonstrate pianos for his teacher’s side business as an instrument maker and retailer.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026

In 1968, he met Bernstein, the “West Side Story” composer hailed as the 20th century’s most successful American-born orchestra leader.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026

He first made his name in L.A. as a gifted pianist and as the star student of the composer Ingolf Dahl at the University of Southern California.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

The idea for “Mexodus” first came to Brian Quijada — playwright, actor and composer behind “Where Did We Sit on the Bus?,”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

Dunstaple was a composer with a new and enchanting style that everyone wanted to emulate, and musicians fell over themselves praising the startling new sound of English triads.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Related Words

• writer