Composing for the prepared piano is not a criticism of the…

The act of listening is in fact an act of composing.

— John Cage

The material of music is sound and silence. Integrating these is composing.

— John Cage

Every day I lugged my backpack through the halls, waiting for the final bell. Then I'd race home and hole up in my room,…

— Josh Groban

As human beings, we are the only organisms that create for the sheer stupid pleasure of doing so. Whether it's laying out a garden,…

— Gary Hamel

Solving problems is a practical art, like swimming, or skiing, or playing the piano: you can learn it only by imitation and practice.

— George Polya

I'm the only actor who has done everything, right from anchoring shows to composing and singing songs to theatre to movies.

— Javed Jaffrey

“To be in the middle of composing a book is almost always to feel oneself in a state of confusion, doubt and mental imprisonment…”

— Joseph Epstein

Every orchestra I know, every opera house I know, is desperately looking around trying to find new talent, new composing talent, supporting young composers,…

— Esa-Pekka Salonen

It is hard work composing a song for a film and showing it to makers: 50% of the tune remains the same, and the…

— Mohit Chauhan

I'd always loved poetry and I'd always loved writing music and composing music, but I hadn't thought of putting the two together until around…

— Bruce Cockburn

Composing a piece of music is very feminine. It is sensitive, emotional, contemplative. By comparison, doing housework is positively masculine.

— Barbara Kolb

I don't meditate before I play or compose, but I see playing and composing as meditative acts.

— Steve Swallow

I was really into the music of Cream after I finished composing the music for 'BTTB.'

— Ryuichi Sakamoto

Even though, theoretically, being a composer and being a songwriter are the same thing, in my brain, they are completely different. When I am…

— Michael Bacon

Playing is much, much harder than composing in my opinion, becoming a player. If you want to be a player for all your life…

— John Powell