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Composer

 

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Composer



 
 
A composer (literally meaning "one who puts together") is a person who creates music
Music

Music is an art form whose media is sound organized in time. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics , and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture ....
, usually in the medium of notation
Musical notation

Music notation or musical notation is any system which represents aurally perceived music, through the use of written Modern musical symbols....
, for interpretation
Interpretation

An interpretation is an explanation of the meaning of some Object of attention. It also refers to making ideas more understanding, including translation....
 and performance
Performance

A performance, in performing arts, generally comprises an event in which one group of people behave in a particular way for another group of people ....
. The level of distinction between composers and other musician
Musician

A musician is a person who plays or writes music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music:* An instrumentalist plays a musical instrument....
s varies, which affects issues such as copyright
Copyright

Copyright is a form of intellectual property which gives the creator of an original work exclusive rights for a certain time period in relation to that work, including its publication, distribution and adaptation; after which time the work is said to enter the public domain....
 and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of music. In the development of European music, the function of composing music initially had no greater importance than the function of performing music.






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A composer (literally meaning "one who puts together") is a person who creates music
Music

Music is an art form whose media is sound organized in time. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics , and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture ....
, usually in the medium of notation
Musical notation

Music notation or musical notation is any system which represents aurally perceived music, through the use of written Modern musical symbols....
, for interpretation
Interpretation

An interpretation is an explanation of the meaning of some Object of attention. It also refers to making ideas more understanding, including translation....
 and performance
Performance

A performance, in performing arts, generally comprises an event in which one group of people behave in a particular way for another group of people ....
. The level of distinction between composers and other musician
Musician

A musician is a person who plays or writes music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music:* An instrumentalist plays a musical instrument....
s varies, which affects issues such as copyright
Copyright

Copyright is a form of intellectual property which gives the creator of an original work exclusive rights for a certain time period in relation to that work, including its publication, distribution and adaptation; after which time the work is said to enter the public domain....
 and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of music. In the development of European music, the function of composing music initially had no greater importance than the function of performing music. The preservation of individual compositions received little attention, and musicians generally had no qualms about modifying compositions for performance.

Over time, however, the written notation of the composer has come to be treated as strict instructions, from which performers should not deviate without good reason. Performers do, however, play the music and interpret it in a way that is all their own. In fact, in the concerto
Concerto

The term Concerto usually refers to a three-part musical work in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra. The concerto, as understood in this modern way, arose in the Baroque period side by side with the concerto grosso, which contrasted a small group of instruments with the rest of the orchestra....
 form, the soloist would often compose and perform a cadenza
Cadenza

In music, a cadenza is, generically, an improvised or written-out ornamental passage played or sung by a solo or soloists, usually in a "free" rhythmic style, and often allowing for virtuosic display....
 as a way to express their individual interpretation of the piece.

The term "composer" is often used specifically to mean a composer in the mainstream Western tradition of classical music. In popular
Popular music

Popular music is music that is accessible to the mainstream and disseminated by one or more of the mass media. It belongs to any of a number of musical genres, and stands in contrast to classical music, which historically was the music of the elite and upper strata of society, and traditional music which was disseminated orally....
 and folk music
Folk music

Folk music can have a number of different meanings, including:* Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous with the term "Traditional music", also often including World Music and Roots music; the term "Traditional music" was given its more specific meaning to distinguish it from the other definition...
, the composer is typically called a songwriter
Songwriter

File:Beethoven.jpgA songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics, as well the musical composition or melody to songs. One who writes only lyrics is a lyricist, while one who writes only music is a composer....
 (since the music generally takes the form of a song
Song

A song is a musical musical composition which contains vocal parts that are performed, 'sung,' and feature words , commonly accompanied by musical instruments ....
).

See also

List of composers
List of composers

Composers are generally people who write music. In certain musical genres, such as popular music and folk music music, the term "songwriter" means someone who authors both music and lyrics, but such a person may also be properly called a "composer." If a songwriter also performs, he or she is called a "Singer-songwriter."...


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