Aaron Copland

For me, the most important thing is the element of chance that is built into a live performance. The very great drawback of recorded sound is the fact that it is always the same. No matter how wonderful a recording is, I know that I couldn’t live with it–even of my own music–with the same nuances forever.

Every symphony, for example, is a sonata for orchestra; every string quartet is a sonata for four strings; every concerto a sonata for a solo instrument and orchestra.

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?

The main thing is to be satisfied with your work yourself. It’s useless to have an audience happy if you are not happy.

Composers tend to assume that everyone loves music. Surprisingly enough, everyone doesn’t.

I adore extravagance but I abhor waste.

You usually can’t tell what’s inspiring until you look back on it.

Jazz music just resonates with the frequency of me.

As long as I can say what it is that I need to say, then I’ll fit whatever I’m trying to say around a melody.

Using drugs didn’t help me play, all it did was hang me up for 15 years.

My wife Martha used to call me Ol’ Lemon Face because of my facial contortions when I play Lucille. I squeeze my eyes and open my mouth, raise my eyebrows, cock my head and God knows what else. I look like I’m in torture, when in truth, I’m in ecstasy. I don’t do it for show. Every fiber of my being is tingling.

People all over the world have problems. And as long as people have problems, the blues can never die.

My music is Jazz.

An orchestra can become as familiar and reliable an instrument as a well-known, well-worn piano.

Music is the greatest communication in the world.

My role as a drummer is as a team player to enhance what is going on around me.

The genius of our country is improvisation, and jazz reflects that. It’s our great contribution to the arts.

The more you play, the more you hear and the more you hear, the more you want to play.

I’ve had those people very interested in my writing. Since I think of myself as a composer, I feel really good. I’ve had lots of guys call me up. I’ve gotten two or three commissions to write things. I’ve written lots of movie scores.

I think the most important thing about playing is to walk out with confidence, look the people right in the eye and say ‘Here I am,’ and go and do your thing. As soon as they know you’re confident, they’re confident. As long as you adjust to them you’re not in trouble. You should eyeball them, find out what they want, and give it to them. They didn’t pay to come out and look at the tapestries.

I went through a lot of mental pains and anguish about choosing between jazz and classical. I realized that where I functioned was where I should be, and where I functioned was in jazz, so that was it.