I've never set out consciously to write American music. I don't know what that would be unless the obvious Appalachian folk references.

You can't possibly predict what will last or not. But once you attempt to write for the ages, you're doomed.

I found a certain kind of music congenial to me; it never occurred to me to write music that was academically acceptable.

It's amazing how fast generations lose sight of other generations. One of the first things the young composers who come to work with me say is that they want to write music people will like, instead of gaining their credentials by being rejected by the audience.