Music, I feel, must be emotional first and intellectual second.
If he'd been making shell-cases during the war it might have been better for music.
Does it not occur to people that I might be artificial by nature?
I did my work slowly, drop by drop. I tore it out of me by pieces.
To George Gershwin, on refusinghim as a pupil: You would only lose the spontaneous quality of your melody, and end by writing bad Ravel.
You might lose your spontaneity and, instead of composing first-rate Gershwin, end up with second rate Ravel.