Aaron Copland

The prospect of having to sit through one of Rachmaninov’s extended symphonies or piano concertos tends, quite frankly, to depress me. All those notes, and to what end?

So long as the human spirit thrives on this planet, music in some living form will accompany and sustain it and give it expressive meaning.

I adore extravagance but I abhor waste.

I no longer feel the need of seeking out conscious Americanism. Because we live here and work here, we can be certain that when our music is mature it will also be American in quality.

The greatest moments of the human spirit may be deduced from the greatest moments in music.

It made no sense to ignore them and to continue writing as if they did not exist. I felt that it was worth the effort to see if I couldn’t say what I had to say in the simplest possible terms.

Man, as long as people want to hear Jazz, I’ll give it to them.

Sound is the first thing that we tune into.

I think I was supposed to play Jazz.

Music washes away the dust of every day life.

Music’s been around a long time, and there’s going to be music long after Ray Charles is dead. I just want to make my mark, leave something musically good behind. If it’s a big record, that’s the frosting on the cake, but music’s the main meal.

Your own music comes out of your head and emotions, but it’s not etched in your system.

Gratitude is when memory is stored in the heart and not in the mind.

Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom. If you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn. They teach you there’s a boundary line to music. But, man, there’s no boundary line to art.

There are four qualities essential to a great jazzman. They are taste, courage, individuality, and irreverence. These are the qualities I want to retain in my music.

I want the music to connect to people; reach people every time I perform.

Pop doesn’t really look back. It can’t. What makes pop work is simplicity.

A Jazz musician is supposed to find his voice, find his niche and do his thing.

The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free and good men die like dogs. There’s also a negative side.

Oh, my darling, it’s incredible, that someone so unforgettable should think I am unforgettable, too.

I was always exposed to music. Mom and dad would have the radio on constantly.