composer

American  

[kuhm-poh-zer] / kəmˈpoʊ zər /

noun

composers plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• composers
  plural

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

See Examples For:

composer composers

The National Symphony got the most attention in its attempt to commission Philip Glass’ “Lincoln” Symphony, which the composer pulled in opposition to an un-Lincoln-like presidential takeover of the Kennedy Center.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

“With millions available in hand and more money to come,” Time Magazine wrote in 1975, “the Bicentennial is the biggest bonanza for the American composer since Hollywood discovered the musical.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

Mr. Adams also proved to be the right composer to memorialize America’s saddest day: Sept. 11, 2001, when the nation was brought virtually to its knees.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

The composer George Gershwin was born in Brooklyn to Jewish parents from the Russian Empire and began his career writing Tin Pan Alley songs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

The composer will normally choose a time signature that makes the music easy to read and also easy to count and conduct24 .

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

Its collection methods could use some fine-tuning, however, especially when it comes to works by long-dead composers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026

Even odder is that many of the composers did not necessarily feel compelled to explore nationalist themes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

Despite the art form’s foreign origins, composers such as Antonín Dvořák, George Gershwin and Charles Ives have managed to convey our country’s spirit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

The backstory of the works by the composers who perished is obviously compelling, but the lightning bolt that struck Conlon first was the music.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026

What John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison achieved as composers had an impact way beyond the internal fashions and rejuvenations of pop itself.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Related Words

• writer