Aaron Copland

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

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.

If you want to know about the Sixties, play the music of The Beatles.

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

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.

The melody is generally what the piece is all about.

I’m sure critics have their purpose, and they’re supposed to do what they do, but sometimes they get a little carried away with what they think someone should have done, rather than concerning themselves with what he did.

The greatest thing about music is putting it out there for people to figure out.

No one remembers who wrote the tune, putting pen to paper in some lonely place. They remember who had the hit.

I always had a deep feeling to be one with the very minute I’m in.

Jazz is not a what, it is a how.

To imitate someone is to insult them.

My chops were not as fast… [but] I just learned more on what was in my mind than what was in my chops. I learned a long time ago that one note can go a long way if it’s the right one, and it will probably whip the guy with twenty notes.

Do it again on the next verse and people think you meant it.

If you really understand the meaning of be-bop, you understand the meaning of freedom.

Jazz is not just music, it’s a way of life, it’s a way of being, a way of thinking.

Jazz singing is like pornography. You can’t say what it is, but you know it when you see it.

I think the idea of a love song has changed. Most of the love songs we all loved as kids would be classified as funeral dirges now, you know, really super slow. I think nowadays the ballad has changed. It can have some up-tempo, some drums, some other things. ‘Forever’ would still be considered a ballad, I guess, but the tempo is probably more of a mid-tempo. The content is love song. I don’t know how to write anything else.

Not too slow, not too fast. Kind of half-fast.

I just fell in love with the integrity of the music and that was it.

I’d like to feel that whatever I play is a result of whatever I’ve heard.