I confess, at first this one threw me because the term “composer” suggests a request for old world classical music because that’s the most common association. In this case there wouldn’t be any because America was sparsely populated at the time, not a country for much of that time period, and not developed enough yet for composers of any real caliber to emerge. I’m thinking Brahms, Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, DeBussy, etc., none of whom are American.

I’m not a huge fan of classical music, beyond the pieces that have stood the test of time, so I can’t name any American traditionally Classical Composers. I can’t name any contemporary ones from anywhere else either.

Then I thought about movie soundtracks. Ahhh, here we go. That bastard James Horner always makes me cry. I love him. John Williams fills me with hope in ways I can’t explain. He’s really good at inducing a sense of dread too. Danny Elfman makes me laugh with delight. Missy Mizzoli’s work moved me beyond words.

If you expand “composer” to mean anyone who writes and publishes their own music, you’re going to have to pull up a chair and let me get you a drink, cause it’s going to take a while. American music is mostly within pop culture and pop culture is much more widely known.

Conversely, if you asked people from other countries to name an American composer, could they? Or would they sneer down their noses and say Americans have no culture because the medium to the audience is movie soundtracks rather than harpsichords and monarchy built and/or supported concert halls?