True music must repeat the thought and inspirations of the people and the time..

Modern European composers...have very largely received their stimulus, their rhythms and impulses from Machine Age America. They have a much older tr….

I frequently hear music in the heart of noise..

Life is a lot like jazz. It's best when you improvise..

Music sets up certain vibration which unquestionably results in a physical reaction. Eventually the proper vibration for every person will be found a….

Originality is the only thing that counts. But the originator uses material and ideas that occur round him and pass through him. And out of his exper….

I like to think of music as an emotional science..

My people are Americans. My time is today..

Jazz is the result of the energy stored up in America..

The European boys have small ideas but they sure know how to dress 'em up..

When I'm in my normal mood, music drips from my fingers..

Writing music is not so much inspiration as hard work..

It is always possible to create something original..

Why should I limit myself to only one woman when I can have as many women as I want?.

Out of my entire annual output of songs, perhaps two, or at the most three, came as a result of inspiration. We can never rely on inspiration. When w….

Gershwin's melodic gift was phenomenal. His songs contain the essence of New York in the 1920s and have deservedly become classics of their kind, par….

All great composers of the past spent most of their time studying. Feeling alone won't do the job. A man also needs technique..

What the hell do you want to work for somebody else for? Work for yourself!.

I didn't even start playing the piano until I was about 13 or 14. I guess I must have had a little talent or whatever-you-call-it, but I practised re….

The composer does not sit around and wait for an inspiration to walk up and introduce itself...Making music is actually little else than a matter of ….

Look at the piano. You'll notice that there are white notes and black notes. Figure out the difference between them and you'll be able to make whatev….