What is a composer, and what do they do? This introduction explores the idea of composition – in both Western traditions and further afield. It begins by tracing a brief cultural history of the composer in the classical music tradition and their shifting role in society, before considering a range of narratives and definitions of composition, challenging us to think about what the word ‘composition’ might mean for us in the twenty-first century.

Bernstein’s relationship with Aaron Copland was one of the most significant of his life. Starting with their first meeting in 1937, this chapter considers Copland’s musical influence on Bernstein as an emerging composer and the support and opportunities Copland provided during Bernstein’s formative years. It then goes on to explore the importance of Bernstein’s Copland advocacy on the conducting podium, with reference to major commissions, concerts, and recordings. Drawing on both their public and private comments and correspondence, the changing nature of their relationship and views on each other’s activities are traced, resulting in a shared portrait of more than five decades of friendship and musical connections.

Hittite records can be classified as either short-term or long-term texts. Within the latter group we distinguish semi-current and permanent records. The various tasks of scribes working for the state are discussed in this chapter: drafting new documents, either from scratch or using earlier, related documents, copying and editing existing compositions, and reading. As part of the discussion about editing, an attempt is made to make sense of a number of closely related but still largely unclear technical terms found in many colophons. Finally, the question of tablet storage is addressed. Given the confusing archaeological context in which most Hittite tablets and fragments have been found there is little certainty to be gained. A case is made for a smaller rather than larger number of scribal “offices” and estimates of the original total of tablets present at any time in the tablet collections of the thirteenth century are discussed. An appendix gives a concrete example of what text editing might have looked like.