Music, of all the arts, stands in a special region, unlit by any star but its own, and utterly without meaning ... except its own.

The second fiddle. I can get plenty of first violinists, but to find someone who can play the second fiddle with enthusiasm

A liberal is a man or a woman or a child who looks forward to a better day, a more tranquil night, and a bright, infinite future.

Life without music is unthinkable. Life without music is academic. That is why my contact with music is a total embrace.

We musicians, like everyone else, are numb with sorrow at this murder, and with rage at the senselessness of the crime. But this sorrow and rage will not inflame us to seek retribution; rather they will inflame our art. Our music will never again be quite the same. This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before. And with each note we will honor the spirit of John Kennedy, commemorate his courage, and reaffirm his faith in the Triumph of the Mind.

To be a success as a Broadway composer, you must be Jewish or gay. I'm both.

Mozart's music is constantly escaping from its frame, because it cannot be contained in it.