Quotes about Music Composition

Composition for the beginning or even seasoned music student often poses as an extraordinarily daunting task. Those who have succeeded offer advice that removes the notion of impossibility for the ordinary musician and entice one to hear and to share his own music.

Tchaikovsky once admitted, "Since I began to compose, I have made it my object to be, in my craft, what the most illustrious masters were in theirs; that is to say, I wanted to be, like them, an artisan, just as a shoemaker is...(they) composed their immortal works exactly as a shoemaker makes shoes, that is to say, day in, day out, and for the most part to order."

Kendall, in his book about the work of master teacher Nadia Boulanger, quoted her reasoning that musicians ought to make composition a natural function. "Some composers are 'inspired.' Craftsmanship and inspiration in composition are not mutually exclusive'' but inextricably intertwined. The amount of sheer craftsmanship, however is probably much greater than many would imagine."

Aaron Copland felt that "Nothing pleases the composer so much as to have people disagree as to the movements of his piece that they liked best. If there is enough disagreement, it means that everyone liked something best, which is what the composer wants to hear. The fact that this might include other parts that no one liked never seems to matter."

(quotes found in Alan Kendall's book The Tender Tyrant, Nadia Boulanger: a life devoted to music: a biography)