Walter Arlen (né Aptowitzer; July 31, 1920 – September 2, 2023) was an Austrian-born American composer, focused on songs for voice and piano.

[6][7][8] At age five, his grandfather took him to musicologist Otto Erich Deutsch, who discovered that he had perfect pitch, and recommended that he take piano lessons.

[1] He left Austria right after completing school, in 1939,[9] and immigrated to the United States, changing his name to Arlen.

[10][3] Arlen established friendships with numerous other German and Austrian émigrées, including Stravinsky, Milhaud, Villa-Lobos, and Carlos Chávez.

[1][2][7] He was instrumental in tracking down other artists from the Nazi era whose works were lost or forgotten due to the systematic destruction of art that was deemed degenerate by the regime.

[4][5] Arlen lived in Santa Monica, California, and died at a hospital in the city on September 2, 2023, at age 103.

[9] The pianist was often Daniel Vnukowski who focused on music by composers in exile due to the Nazis.