I adore extravagance but I abhor waste.

I hope my recordings of my own works won't inhibit other people's performances. The brutal fact is that one doesn't always get the exact tempo one wants, although one improves with experience.

This whole problem can be stated quite simply by asking, “Is there a meaning to music?” My answer to that would be, “Yes.” And “Can you state in so many words what the meaning is?” My answer to that would be, “No.”

If you want to know about the Sixties, play the music of The Beatles.

So long as the human spirit thrives on this planet, music in some living form will accompany and sustain it and give it expressive meaning.

Music that is born complex is not inherently better or worse than music that is born simple.

Someone once asked me... whether I waited for inspiration. My answer was: "Every day!"