Harold Arlen (1905–1986) was an American composer of popular song who wrote more than 500 songs across a career spanning Tin Pan Alley, Broadway, and Hollywood. He is best known for the score of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, which included “Over the Rainbow,” earning him the Academy Award for Best Original Song. He received eight further Oscar nominations as a composer over his career.

Arlen is a central figure of the Great American Songbook, and “Over the Rainbow” was named the 20th century’s No. 1 song by the RIAA and the National Endowment for the Arts. His songs have been widely transcribed and arranged for classical guitar, including Japanese composer Tōru Takemitsu’s well-known solo guitar arrangement of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”

Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Arlen