Sir Malcolm Arnold (born Northampton, 21 Oct 1921; died 23 September 2006) was an English composer. He is famous for writing symphonies, concertos and movie music. People disagree about whether he is one of the really great composers, or just a very skilled musician. His music is often very tuneful, sometimes it is sentimental. He could write music very quickly. His famous music for the movie "The Bridge on the River Kwai" was composed in ten days.