I Adore Extravagance But I Abhor Waste.

You May Be Sitting In A Room Reading This Book. Imagine One Note Struck Upon The Piano. Immediately That One Note Is Enough To Change The Atmosphere Of The Room - Proving That The Sound Element In Music Is A Powerful And Mysterious Agent, Which It Would Be Foolish To Deride Or Belittle.

Composers Tend To Assume That Everyone Loves Music. Surprisingly Enough, Everyone Doesn’t.

When I Speak Of The Gifted Listener, I Am Thinking Of The Nonmusician Primarily, Of The Listener Who Intends To Retain His Amateur Status. It Is The Thought Of Just Such A Listener That Excites The Composer In Me.

The Whole Problem Can Be Stated Quite Simply By Asking "is There A Meaning To Music?" My Answer Would Be, "yes", And "can You State In So Many Words What The Meaning Is?" My Answer To That Would Be "no."

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!