Elliott Carter

My entire life has really revolved around music that was written about the time that I was born, 1908, to just before…

— Elliott Carter

When people listen to my music, I hope that they will notice that if you take a piece by a composer like…

— Elliott Carter

Then, when the Depression came, all of this changed completely. Since that time, the entire public is of a very different sort…

— Elliott Carter

Aaron Copland was a man that had a very specific point of view about what music should be which was that, he…

— Elliott Carter

These wealthy people were very interested in contemporary music. They wanted to help diffuse it and get it to be known to…

— Elliott Carter

In any case, Ives encouraged me to go into music even though he himself had such a hard time being a composer.

— Elliott Carter

Well when I was young, when I was very young, when I was a little boy I don't remember the music I…

— Elliott Carter

The first thing that struck me about contemporary music in general had been thatthere was not much interest in rhythm.

— Elliott Carter

That was one of the big problems when I was at Harvard studying music. We had to write choral pieces in the…

— Elliott Carter

Silences between movements are employed only in order to bring the opposing duo to the fore.

— Elliott Carter

Since I'm allergic to various things, the army wouldn't accept me during the war, and I got into the Office of War…

— Elliott Carter

Talking about a materialistic thing, I get about 13 times more royalties from Europe than I do from America.

— Elliott Carter

Right at the end of the war I wrote a piano sonata, which was written at a time when Sam Barber used…

— Elliott Carter

I've known those pieces ever since I was about 16 or 17; I also at that time was taken to meet Charles…

— Elliott Carter

Why write for the orchestra? For one thing it's a very challenging problem.

— Elliott Carter

It was only later on that I became more interested in older music.

— Elliott Carter

My musical life started with hearing and being fascinated by contemporary music.

— Elliott Carter

Yes, I get a report from BMI about the frequency of performances, and it is very surprising. They played one of my…

— Elliott Carter

I mean the public likes it more in Europe than they do here because the state supported organizations have felt that playing…

— Elliott Carter

Almost every one of my various zero numbered birthdays has had a big concert in London and often in Paris.

— Elliott Carter

When I was in Paris, all of the German refugees began to flow in and it was a very sad time.

— Elliott Carter

An auditory scenario for the players to act out with their instruments.

— Elliott Carter

The Third Quartet I made the instruments in pairs - Two different pairs - Violin and viola, and violin and cello. They…

— Elliott Carter

Well I tried to, but I could never write anything that I liked or was worthwhile. I threw it all out and…

— Elliott Carter

The Quartets have been a major part of my work.

— Elliott Carter