” When I was confronted with official tuition, the academic thing, I could see no relationship whatever between that and the music I’d been writing since I was 11. “
” When I was a kid, I wrote music – from the age of 11 until the age of 18. “
” When I dealt with set theory, I could never make it be the music that I wanted. “
” This sounds horribly pretentious, but I like to think that if music hadn’t existed, I could have invented it. “
” People say my music is English. I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s not me writing English music, but that English music is becoming more like me. “
” One thing I’ve tried to do in writing music is take on very basic things, very archetypal things. “
” Music is such a problem in the time it takes. “
” Minimalism now is a reaction to what came before. It’s absolutely of its time. Music moved into the set theory thing, and moved out of it. “
” I’m not a music lover in the sense that I look for something to have on. I’ve never had that attitude to music. “
” I wrote music as soon as I knew notation. “
” I think music has gone through a period of something very severe, rather radical, rather the way painting did with cubism. “
” I don’t think there is much American music. “
All 12 Harrison Birtwistle Quotes about Music in picture
Topics: Music quotes
