Adam Carse (19 May 1878 – 2 November 1958) was an English composer known for his orchestral and instrumental history expertise. He has over 350 antique wind instruments, which he donated to the Horniman Museum. Though Carse is best known for studying the history of tools and orchestra, many materials he composed for young string players and pianists are still very much in demand and loved today. For some, he has been recognized for a long time as the author and the publisher of two significant books on orchestral history. Carse studied in Germany and was a lecturer at the Royal Academy of Music of London. Many of Carse's compositions have been designed for students of diverse abilities. Two symphonies were his earlier compositions. Adam Carse received his composition training in Hannover and at the Royal Academy of Music, where he eventually rose to the rank of Fellow and Professor. The Horniman received the set in 1947 as a tribute to Carse's son Peter, who was killed in World War II's final days. 'The Orchestra in the Eighteenth Century' and 'The Orchestra from Beethoven to Berlioz,' both written in 1940 and 1948, are two of his most well-known works.

The short Miniature Scherzo, chosen as one of ten test pieces for the Daily Express national piano playing competition in 1928 and recorded as a demonstration by William Murdoch, is among his pedagogical piano compositions. An intro to Byron's Manfred and two symphonic poems, The Death of Tintagiles (1902) and In a Balcony (played at the Proms on August 26, 1905), were among his early orchestral works. He composed five symphonies, the second of which, in G minor, was premiered by the Royal College of Music orchestra in London in November 1908, with the composer conducting, and the third of which was performed by the Bournemouth Municipal Orchestra on April 20, 1932, and broadcast by the BBC from the Bournemouth Pavilion. The Two Sketches of 1924, presented at the Proms on September 4, 1924, and the five-movement Winton Suite of 1933, which showed the influence of eighteenth-century dance suites, were among his many works for strings. The seven String Variations were written in 1953 and premiered on the BBC on May 10, 1954. Carse also composed chamber music, such as a Violin Sonata from 1921 and a Miniature String Quartet in A minor from 1934. On occasion, Carse used the names William Kent and Adam Ahn-Carse as aliases for his writings.