Songwriter vs. Composer
Pianologist asks: What’s the difference between a songwriter and a composer?
Excellent question. Tough to answer.
I put a lot of thoght to it since then I started out by writing down what I pictured under each term.
Composer:
- He sits at a desk with staff paper.
- He uses a piano to create his harmonies.
- He writes for a fixed orchestration.
Songwriter:
Of course, this is all very stereotypical. A songwriter creates music. A composer creates music. So essentially, it’s the same thing. A song by definition is a musical piece with vocals, even if classical.
Songwriters are composers of popular music, and are often also the performers of their own music, unlike most classical composers.
Britney Spears is not a songwriter. She has composers/songwriters who do that for her. Jack Johnson is a songwriter. Mozart is not a songwriter, but a composer.
It’s a tough call, but in the end, does it matter that much?
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