Elie Siegmeister was an American composer, pianist, and educator. He was born in New York City in 1909 and studied at the Institute of Musical Art (now Juilliard). He composed over 300 works, including symphonies, operas, ballets, chamber music, and songs. He was a professor of music at Brooklyn College from 1945 to 1975. He was also a prolific writer, having published several books on music theory and composition. He died in 1991.