American composer, characterized by a neoclassical style. He composed works such as the Concertino for Piano and Chamber Orchestra, as well as symphonies, a viola concerto, string quartets, and ballets.

Piston, of Italian descent, initially aspired to be a painter and enrolled in the Massachusetts School of Art. Subsequently, he turned to music and entered Harvard University. Upon graduation, he traveled to France and studied composition with Nadia Boulanger. After returning to the United States, he became a lecturer at Harvard University and later served as a professor. Among Piston's students were Leonard Bernstein and Elliott Carter. He received commissions for compositions from the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Columbia University, and the Composers' Guild, and accumulated numerous awards, including the Coolidge Prize, the New York Music Critics' Circle Award, and the Pulitzer Prize. He also authored influential educational works on music, such as Harmony (1941), Counterpoint (1947), and Orchestration (1955), each known as a classic text.