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

Paddington Bear, Glastonbury chief Emily Eavis, actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge, singer Camila Cabello and composer Hans Zimmer also paid tribute to Sir David in pre-recorded birthday tributes.

From BBC • May 8, 2026

The Los Angeles Philharmonic will name the Hollywood Bowl’s stage for the 93-year-old composer, whose music for “Star Wars” and “E.T.” helped define modern cinema.

From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 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

Coming from a family full of industrial engineers, the Sinaloa-born, Tijuana-raised composer initially set his sights on a degree in biomedical engineering.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026

So a composer may very well prefer to write an E sharp, because that makes the note's place in the harmonies of a piece more clear to the performer.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

Related Words

• writer