From childhood I was passionately fond of music and wanted to be a musician. I have no recollection of any real desire ever to be anything else.

I can almost always write music; at any hour of the twenty-four, if I put pencil to paper, music comes.

There is one thing that freezes a musician more than the deadliest physical cold, and that is the spiritual chill of an unresponsive audience!

I firmly believe that we have more latent musical talent in America than there is in any other country. But to dig it out there must be good music throughout the land, a lot of it. Everyone must hear it, and such a process takes time.

I'm a musician. It's what I do! I wouldn't be too good at anything else.

Anybody can write music of a sort. But touching the public heart is quite another thing.