Hugh Aitken was an American composer and teacher whose catalog includes solo and chamber music, symphonies and operas. A graduate of the Juilliard School, he taught there before joining William Paterson University in 1970. He remained at William Paterson until his retirement in 1996 and became professor emeritus of music. His works were performed by musicians including Yo-Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax and by the Seattle Symphony and New York Chamber Soloists. He had a particular affinity for vocal music. His book The Piece as a Whole examines the relationship between technical features and expressive meaning in music. Aitken died in December 2012 at the age of eighty-eight.