as in composer
a person who writes musical compositions
a melodist whose music is not likely to be very accessible to the casual listener
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Recent Examples of melodist
The album puts a further exclamation point on Schwartz’s rare brilliance as both melodist and lyricist, a la Sondheim.
—
Chris Willman, Variety, 23 Nov. 2024
In Radiance Rising, inspired by anime openings, Ben Spivey imagines the violins as melodists, the viola as an electric guitar, the cello as percussion, progressing to a dancelike ending.
—Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 24 Apr. 2023
His poetry has been continuously set to music by composers, from his contemporaries to still-living melodists, including Carrie Jacobs-Bond, John Alden Carpenter, Harry Thacker Burleigh, William Bolcom and Zenobia Powell Perry.
—Minnita Daniel-Cox, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Mar. 2023
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s six-concert winter festival, the Magic of Schubert, considers the legacy of a melodist both gracious and sublime, all culminating in the unrushed pleasures of Schubert’s hour-long Octet in F Major (Jan. 22-Feb. 10).
—Oussama Zahr, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2022
But the Romanian conductor happens to be music director of the Cabrillo Festival, which was founded by Lou Harrison, California’s great melodist and eclectic.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2022
Chris Willman, Variety, 23 Nov. 2024
In Radiance Rising, inspired by anime openings, Ben Spivey imagines the violins as melodists, the viola as an electric guitar, the cello as percussion, progressing to a dancelike ending.
—Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 24 Apr. 2023
His poetry has been continuously set to music by composers, from his contemporaries to still-living melodists, including Carrie Jacobs-Bond, John Alden Carpenter, Harry Thacker Burleigh, William Bolcom and Zenobia Powell Perry.
—Minnita Daniel-Cox, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Mar. 2023
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s six-concert winter festival, the Magic of Schubert, considers the legacy of a melodist both gracious and sublime, all culminating in the unrushed pleasures of Schubert’s hour-long Octet in F Major (Jan. 22-Feb. 10).
—Oussama Zahr, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2022
But the Romanian conductor happens to be music director of the Cabrillo Festival, which was founded by Lou Harrison, California’s great melodist and eclectic.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for melodist
Noun
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Browne also collaborated for many years with the late Minnesota composer Stephen Paulus.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
31 Mar. 2026
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The Segerstrom Center for the Arts is celebrating its 40th anniversary by expanding its Hispanic and Latino arts and culture programming and naming Grammy Award-winning jazz composer and band leader Arturo O’Farrill as its first-ever artist in residence.—
Charlie Vargas,
Oc Register,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The whole thing was a striking visual spectacle, too — waves of musicians rising from both sides, backup singers swaying and clapping, spotlights sweeping across the floor as a roaming camera zipped through the crowd like a drone that had just discovered country music.—
Theoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Apr. 2026
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The 48-year-old musician apologized in January for his antisemitic remarks in a letter published as a full-page advert in the Wall Street Journal.—
Pan Pylas,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Melodist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/melodist. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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