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.

Although Messiaen wrote extensively about his own music and compositional techniques, the central role of musical borrowing in his creative process has only recently been recognized. This chapter addresses the full range of sources and transformational techniques used by the composer to invent and assemble his musical materials, the evolution of his ‘borrowing technique’ across the course of his career, and the difficulties raised by the potential meanings that may be attributed to some of his borrowings. Attention is given to the contemporary musical practices from which Messiaen’s borrowing technique may have emerged, possible contextual reasons for Messiaen’s ambiguous attitude towardsexplaining his processes, and the rare critical responses to Messiaen’s music that suggest that a handful of listeners during his lifetime understood aspects of this creative technique.

This chapter explores the music, musicians, social and historical content, and reception of the ‘Krautrock’ band Can – formed by Holger Czukay, Irmin Schmidt, Michael Karoli, and Hans ‘Jaki’ Liebezeit. It does so by investigating the instigation of the band within its historical context and that of post-1945 German and international pop music, jazz, and new music. The chapter then discusses Can’s innovative, and in many ways unique, musical practice noting their growing successes in Germany and across Europe (particularly in Britain) and how this was received by fans and journalists. This discussion is divided into sections that discuss their practice, releases, and touring in relation to their vocalist at the time – Malcolm Mooney, Kenji ‘Damo’ Suzuki, and the latter period in which vocals were shared between the founder members. It concludes by exploring Can’s influence upon artists across genres including post-punk, indie, alternative and experimental rock, dance music, and hip-hop. The chapter argues that few bands encapsulated the internationally oriented and experimental European countercultural left quite like Can or left such an enduring template for musical practice.