A great symphony is a man-made Mississippi down which we irresistibly flow from the instant of our leave-taking to a long forseen destination.

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.

Composers tend to assume that everyone loves music. Surprisingly enough, everyone doesn’t.

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.

You may feel depressed, but it can't be so depressing that you can't move. No, I would say that people create in moments when they are elated about expressing their depression!

The main thing is to be satisfied with your work yourself. It's useless to have an audience happy if you are not happy.

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