'Composers combine notes, that's all.'

'Much of the music is a Merzbild, put together from whatever came to hand. I mean, for example...the Alberti-bass horn solo accompanying the Messenger. I also …

'The trouble with music appreciation in general is that people are taught to have too much respect for music; they should be taught to love it instead.'

'What I cannot follow are the manic-depressive fluctuations from total control to no control, from the serialization of all elements to chance.'

Mozart touched no problem without solving it to perfection. ~ Donald Francis Tovey

I write songs. Then, I record them. And, later, maybe I perform them on stage. That's what I do. That's my job. Simple.

I occasionally play works by contemporary composers and for two reasons. First to discourage the composer from writing any more and secondly to remind myself h…