Consonance, says the dictionary, is the combination of several tones into a harmonic unit. Dissonance results from the deranging of this harmony by the addition of tones foreign to it. One must admit that all this is not clear. Ever since it appeared in our vocabulary, the word 'dissonance' has carried with it a certain odor of sinfulness. Let us light our lantern: in textbook language, dissonance is an element of transition, a complex or interval of tones that is not complete in itself and that must be resolved to the ear's satisfaction into a perfect consonance.

I take no pride in my artistic talents; they are God-given and I see absolutely no reason to become puffed up over something that one has received.

The profound meaning of music's essential aim... is to produce a communion, a union of man with his fellow man with the Supreme Being

Money may kindle, but it cannot by itself, and for very long, burn.

It's one of nature's way that we often feel closer to distant generations than to the generation immediately preceding us.

I know that the twelve notes in each octave and the variety of rhythm offer me opportunities that all of human genius will never exhaust.

A composer is not only an architect but also an inventor, and he should not build houses in which he cannot live.