Composition Quotes

“For me, melody is the most important thing.”

“What we call the elements of art are not just abstract components; they are forces, vectors that push and pull.”

“Composition is a way of organizing sound, but it's also a way of organizing your life.”

“I think that the best pictures are often on the edges of any situation.”

“You have to have a big theme... but it's the application of the theme that's the clever part.”

“The problem is to find a form that accommodates the mess.”

“You have to have a great deal of arrogance to be a composer.”

“Look for the light. The light is everything.”

“My operas are about a kind of landscape of characters and events. They’re not about a particular story, like a story that you would tell your friend.”

“The melody is the most important thing. It's the king.”

“What I try to do is to write a piece of music that is a unity from beginning to end.”

“I think writing for films is a bit like an actor playing a supporting role.”

“I have always been attracted to the situation where many different things are happening at the same time.”

“A painting is a series of marks that have been organized.”

“A photographer must be prepared to catch and hold on to those elements which give distinction to the subject or lend it atmosphere.”

“The photographer's eye is perpetually evaluating. A photographer can bring coincidence of line simply by moving his head a fraction of a millimeter.”

“Shadows are as important as light.”

“For me, the orchestra is the ultimate instrument.”

“For me, the score is an exact relationship of all the parts. It's an architectural drawing.”

“For me, the computer is an instrument. It’s a way of composing that’s just as valid as writing for an orchestra.”