If one were asked to name one musician who came closest to composing without human flaw, I suppose general consensus would choose Johann Sebastian Bach.
AARON COPLANDMozart tapped the source from which all music flows, expressing himself with a spontaneity and refinement and breathtaking rightness.
More Aaron Copland Quotes
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I adore extravagance but I abhor waste.
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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.”
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A great symphony is a man-made Mississippi down which we irresistibly flow from the instant of our leave-taking to a long forseen destination.
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I don’t compose. I assemble materials.
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A melody is not merely something you can hum.
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The melody is generally what the piece is all about.
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The main thing is to be satisfied with your work yourself. It’s useless to have an audience happy if you are not happy.
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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.
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Composers tend to assume that everyone loves music. Surprisingly enough, everyone doesn’t.
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If you want to know about the Sixties, play the music of The Beatles.
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Music that is born complex is not inherently better or worse than music that is born simple.
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Most people use music as a couch; they want to be pillowed on it, relaxed and consoled for the stress of daily living. But serious music was never meant to be soporific.
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I hope my recordings of my own works won’t inhibit other people’s performances. The brutal fact is that one doesn’t always get the exact tempo one wants, although one improves with experience.
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Inspiration may be a form of superconsciousness, or perhaps of subconsciousness – I wouldn’t know. But I am sure it is the antithesis of self-consciousness.
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Someone once asked me… whether I waited for inspiration. My answer was: “Every day!”
AARON COPLAND