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

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Etymology

Origin of composer

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

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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 author, a musician and composer, illustrates how the artful blend of African rhythms and European melodies pioneered by Cuban players seeped, often undetected, into American music.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

As such, he was given a measure of financial stability, and the prolific composer turned out five more symphonies over the next dozen years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

Sohm is a longtime fan of Boyer’s music, and in 2023 he reached out to the composer about teaming up for the country’s 250th.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026

Musician and composer Neil Martin, who had collaborated with Lunny throughout his career described the loss as "huge" and said he was an "extraordinary figure".

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

In 1890, for example, if you’d asked most educated people in the West to name a famous living composer, they would very likely have given you that of a Russian, Pyotr Tchaikovsky.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Wild Up, itself, is a uniquely egalitarian collective, a chamber orchestra of composers and soloists, although one that nonetheless requires traditional leadership of its visionary founder, conductor Christopher Rountree.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026

Rockstar posted a new trailer online for "GTA VI" featuring a song from "original score composers Justice", who are best known for their work during the late "French Touch" electro wave of the early 2000s.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

It also featured a new song from French electronic music artists Justice, who were revealed to be the game's original score composers.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

Celebrated composers, from Monteverdi to Handel, Gluck and even Mozart, have written prominent roles with high male voices in mind.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

The international prestige of Handel was unmatched among British composers until Lennon and McCartney in the 1960s.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

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Related Words

• writer

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