I, as a young guy getting out of music school, I didn't like the prospect of spending my life writing music for about 200 people.

There's almost no content in terms of language at all. I don't like using language to convey meaning. I'd rather use images and music.

I don't know what I'm doing and it's the not knowing that makes it interesting.

I've been called a minimalist composer for more than 30 years, and while I've never really agreed with the description, I've gotten used to it.

I always knew what I wanted to do and I did it.

I'd say the differences are more interesting than the similarities at this point. Certainly no one would ever mistake my music for Steve's [ Reich].

What you hear depends on how you focus your ear. We're not talking about inventing a new language, but rather inventing new perceptions of existing languages.