He composed a bit of the whole harmony (5)

I believe the answer is:

lehar

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'he composed a bit' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.

'of the whole harmony' is the wordplay.
'of' says the answer is hidden in the clue.
'LEHAR' is hidden within 'whole harmony'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for lehar that I've seen before include "He scored" , "Musician" , "Viennese composer" , "Operetta composer" , "Hungarian who composed" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.