01
der Komponist
composer
A person who writes and creates pieces of music.
example
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart war ein berühmter Komponist aus Österreich.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a famous composer from Austria.
der Komponist
composer
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Meanings
Usage tips
Word family
'Der Komponist' (the composer) belongs to a word family. The verb is 'komponieren' (to compose/write a piece of music), and the result of the work is 'die Komposition' (the composition / piece of music).
EXAMPLE
Er hat schon als Kind angefangen, kleine Stücke zu komponieren.
He started composing small pieces as a child.
Word structure
The ending '-ist' often refers to a person who performs a particular activity, frequently as a profession. Other examples are 'Journalist' (journalist), 'Pianist' (pianist), or 'Spezialist' (specialist).
EXAMPLE
Der Künstler stellte seine neuen Werke vor.
The artist presented his new works.
Typical collocations
Common adjectives used with 'Komponist' (composer) are 'berühmt' (famous), 'klassisch' (classical), or 'zeitgenössisch' (contemporary). You can also specify the field, e.g. 'ein Komponist von Filmmusik' (a composer of film music).
EXAMPLE
Hans Zimmer ist ein weltberühmter Komponist von Filmmusik.
Hans Zimmer is a world-famous composer of film music.
Compare with
Komponist vs Musiker
musician
'der Musiker' and 'der Komponist' both have to do with music, but they do not describe the same task. 'der Musiker' makes music, for example on stage, with an instrument, or with the voice. 'der Komponist' writes or creates pieces of music. A composer can also be a musician, but the word emphasizes writing the music, not necessarily playing it. Learners may confuse the words because both professions are in the field of music. If someone performs music, you are more likely to say 'Musiker'; if someone creates a piece, you say 'Komponist'.
Komponist
In der Schule spricht die Klasse heute über einen bekannten Komponisten.
At school, the class is talking about a well-known composer today.
Musiker
Ein Musiker spielte am Wochenende Gitarre auf dem Stadtfest.
A musician played guitar at the town festival at the weekend.
In real life
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