Editing Musical composition (section)

{{Short description|Original musical piece, or the process of creating such}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2015}}
{{more sources|date=August 2018}}
[[File:Borodin Scherzo in A flat.png|thumb|260px|[[Scherzo in A-flat major (Borodin)|Scherzo in A flat]] by the Russian [[Romantic music|Romantic era]] composer [[Alexander Borodin]] (1833–1887) {{audio|Scherzo in A flat (Borodin).mid|Play}}]]
[[File:Lead-sheet-wikipedia.svg|thumb|250px|Jazz, rock and pop [[songwriter]]s typically write out newly composed songs in a [[lead sheet]], which notates the [[melody]], the [[chord progression]] and the tempo or style of the song (e.g., "slow blues").]]
[[File:Chord chart.svg|thumb|250px|[[Jazz]] and rock genre musicians may memorize the melodies for a new song, which means that they only need to provide a [[chord chart]] to guide improvising musicians. {{audio|Chord chart.mid|Play}}]]

'''Musical composition''' can refer to an [[Originality|original]] '''piece''' or work of [[music]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.copyright.gov/prereg/music.html|title=Musical Composition|website=www.copyright.gov|access-date=2019-01-26}}</ref> either [[Human voice|vocal]] or [[Musical instrument|instrumental]], the [[musical form|structure]] of a musical piece or to the process of creating or writing a new piece of music. People who create new compositions are called [[composer]]s. Composers of primarily [[song]]s are usually called [[songwriter]]s; with songs, the person who writes [[lyrics]] for a song is the [[lyricist]]. In many cultures, including Western [[classical music]], the act of composing typically includes the creation of [[music notation]], such as a [[sheet music|sheet music "score"]], which is then performed by the composer or by other musicians. In [[popular music]] and [[Folk music|traditional music]], songwriting may involve the creation of a basic outline of the song, called the [[lead sheet]], which sets out the [[melody]], [[lyrics]] and chord progression. In classical music, [[orchestration]] (choosing the instruments of a large [[music ensemble]] such as an [[orchestra]] which will play the different parts of music, such as the melody, [[accompaniment]], [[countermelody]], [[bassline]] and so on) is typically done by the composer, but in [[musical theatre]] and in [[pop music]], songwriters may hire an [[arranger]] to do the orchestration. In some cases, a pop or traditional songwriter may not use written notation at all and instead compose the song in their mind and then play, sing or record it from memory. In [[jazz]] and popular music, notable [[sound recording]]s by influential performers are given the weight that written or printed scores play in [[classical music]].

Although a musical composition often uses musical notation and has a single author, this is not always the case. A work of music can have multiple composers, which often occurs in popular music when all members of a band collaborate to write a song or in musical theatre, when one person writes the melodies, a second person writes the lyrics and a third person orchestrates the songs. 

A piece of music can also be composed with words, images or, since the 20th century, with [[computer program]]s that explain or notate how the singer or musician should create musical sounds. Examples range from [[20th century music|20th century]] [[avant-garde music]] that uses [[graphic notation (music)|graphic notation]], to text compositions such as [[Karlheinz Stockhausen]]'s ''[[Aus den sieben Tagen]]'', to computer programs that select sounds for musical pieces. Music that makes heavy use of randomness and chance is called [[aleatoric music]] and is associated with contemporary composers active in the 20th century, such as [[John Cage]], [[Morton Feldman]] and [[Witold Lutosławski]]. A more commonly known example of chance-based, or indeterminate, music is the sound of [[wind chimes]] jingling in a breeze. The study of composition has traditionally been dominated by examination of methods and practice of Western classical music, but the definition of composition is broad enough to include the creation of popular music and traditional music songs and instrumental pieces, and to include spontaneously improvised works like those of [[free jazz]] performers and African percussionists such as [[Ewe drumming|Ewe drummers]].

In the 2000s, composition is considered to consist of the manipulation of each [[aspect of music]] ([[harmony]], melody, form, [[rhythm]] and [[timbre]]), according to [[Jean-Benjamin de La Borde|Jean-Benjamin de]] {{harvtxt|Laborde|1780|loc=2:12}}:
{{quote|''Composition'' consists in two things only. The first is the ordering and disposing of several sounds...in such a manner that their succession pleases the ear. This is what the Ancients called ''melody''. The second is the rendering audible of two or more simultaneous sounds in such a manner that their combination is pleasant. This is what we call ''harmony'' and it alone merits the name of composition.<ref>Translation from Allen Forte, ''Tonal Harmony in Concept and Practice'', third edition (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1979), p.1. {{ISBN|0-03-020756-8}}.</ref>}}