American art song

Francis Hopkinson (1737–1791), Philadelphia native and signer of the Declaration of Independence, is usually considered the first important American song composer.

While many of his vocal pieces were written for minstrel shows, the simple but effective melodies of his "songs for the hearth and home" are widely popular, often mistaken for American folksongs.

American songs written between 1870 and 1910 are often dismissed as sounding too "derivative", although the compositional craft shown in these works is quite high.

By the end of the 20th century, several composers emerged as the leaders of American art song composition, especially Aaron Copland (1900–1990), Samuel Barber (1910–1981), and Ned Rorem (1923–2022).

Commissions from well-known singers have added a number of new works to the repertoire, and composers such as Tom Cipullo, Ricky Ian Gordon, Daron Hagen, Jake Heggie, Lori Laitman and John Musto are establishing themselves as the current generation of leading American art song composers.