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A good composer does not imitate; he steals.

Bach and Beethoven, all of them, they had to write something to please the upper structure, those with money and power.

Composers are always going back to the past.

Mozart composed his music not for the elite, but for everybody.

As an artist, I feel so fortunate to be able to learn from all these great musicians that came before me, when some people have nobody that came before them.

All of these people kept on being professional musicians and composers in the strictest sense.

Good artists copy, great artists steal.

Well, the very best operas are the ones written by the very best composers.

I am certain that most composers today would consider today's music to be rich, not to say confusing, in its enormous diversity of styles, technical procedures, and systems of esthetics.