My People Are Americans. My

All These Tales Of People Sitting Down And Composing Symphonies Just As Though They Were Writing A Letter Are Very Much Exaggerated; At Least, It Isn't That Way In My Work.

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, Part Of The 20th-century Folk-song Tradition In The Sense That They Are Popular Music Which Has Been Spread By Oral Tradition (for Many Must Have Sung A Gershwin Song Without Having Any Idea Who Wrote It).

I Like To Think Of Music As An Emotional Science.

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 Invention Aided And Abetted By Emotion. In Composing We Combine What We Know Of Music With What We Feel.

All Great Composers Of The Past Spent Most Of Their Time Studying. Feeling Alone Won't Do The Job. A Man Also Needs Technique.