Sometimes One Can Be So

The Western Musical Canon Came About Not Merely By Accumulation, But By Opposition And Subversion, Both To The Ruling Powers On Whom Composers Depended For Their Livelihoods And To Other Musics.

This Was Possible Only By Dint Of Extended Periods Of Frequently Quite Painful Reflection And Digestion.

If The Work Of Art Is To Continue Pursuing The Vision Of Both Being In And Of The World But Nevertheless In Some Fashion Being More Than Just One More Object To The Mounting Clutter, This Is The Specific Point, I Think, Where This Must Be Assured.

When I Left Europe In 1987 I Did So With The Thought That My Relevance As A Composition Teacher Would Benefit From A Certain Cool Distance To Certain Tendencies I Had Been Observing For Several Years With Increasing Disquiet.

If Nothing Is At Risk, Nothing Is Established.