Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
I play a very streamlined piano.
I would like a shot at Broadway.
Basically, I'm a melodic writer.
Success is not usually easy or fast.
I don't have a trunk of manuscripts.
I became a melodic writer after 'Gunn.'
Broadway is intimidating. Don't think it's not.
You're molded by the period you were brought up in.
It takes different mindsets to do different things.
Film music, over the years, has taken from everybody.
I hate to do anything halfway so I leave the guitar alone.
You've got to be an editor in order to be a good composer.
My profession has never demanded that I be mobbed by fans.
I was always trying to be a quote, unquote, film composer.
Oh, I'd been writing cartoonish music pretty much all along.
I don't pretend to want to write the Great American Symphony.
I wanted to be up there with all those names like Max Steiner.
Sometimes memorable music doesn't necessarily have to be a hit.
Getting out and being able to present a concert is invigorating.
Music forced into the air you breathe is an invasion of privacy!
Most everything I've ever written has .been done to 'assignment.'
I don't know if I've ever written a song that wasn't on assignment.
I score everything by hand on manuscript paper and then make copies.
My father started me out on the flute and I began going to teachers.
If you want to make money in music, get into the band uniform business.
I just write when the bell rings. I don't have time to wait for inspiration.
I equate composing with orchestrating. I think my music in terms of an orchestra.
If you call making people smile with 'The Pink Panther,' then I made a contribution.
If a film is not doing well, a record company will not take a chance with the score.
Themes on some TV shows are overdone. That 'Playhouse 90' theme music was an example.
Erroll Garner is one of the few musicians I believe has a sense of humor in his music.
I had no idea 'Moon River' would do so well. I was too busy working to think about it.
The basic problem with young people entering show business is that they are in a hurry.
If I'm writing songs for a country-Western picture, I have to know about country music.
I have an Otari with a Korg T2 Midi synthesizer, a drum machine and a few effects units.
It's very difficult to be funny musically. I think I achieved It with 'The Pink Panther.'
People love to hear a guy who is really good on his instrument. They love to watch him go.
Getting married in 1947 and settling down in Hollywood was the real beginning of my career.
Some people say 'flutist.' Others say 'flautist.' I just say 'flute player.' That's what I was.
Technique is superficial. The method used in applying technique is what gives music its character.
My wife and I never squabbled in front of the children. We never touched each other except in love.
I don't want to get corny, but my career really has been the personification of the American dream.
I try to change my concert program every couple of years - hopefully to keep my listeners interested.
I read magazines and reviews. If consensus says something is good, I'll get it and see what's going on.
Well, I thought the opening of 'Hatari!' was pretty good. And 'The Pink Panther' wasn't half bad either.
Stravinsky influenced film music in general - those stabbing chords and rhythms from 'The Rite of Spring.'
I play citified Count Basie piano. As few notes as possible, my left hand in my pocket, that kind of stuff.
I used to raise the devil when my father made me practice the flute and my mother made me take piano lessons.
I don't like to surprise anyone with the music I compose for a film. That way, there is less trouble later on.
I compose the music according to the nature of the show. 'Peter Gunn's' focus was violence so that was my key.