Logo - Feel The Words

Composition Quotes: Craft, Instinct and Skill

Craft, Instinct, Skill

One musician says composition is what they were Born to do, even though it's the skill that arrived last in their career.

You have to know composition to be a good improviser.

Quotes by Roscoe Mitchell

No one has the Houdini school of composition.

Quotes by Morton Feldman

My religion lies in my composition.

Quotes by John Philip Sousa

Composition is definitely what I'm born to do, and it came last.

Quotes by David Friedman

Born Quotes

I don't listen to much modern composition.

Quotes by Colin Greenwood

I studied harmony and composition in a very spontaneous manner.

Quotes by Alejo Carpentier

Frequently Asked Questions

Does one musician consider composition their natural calling?
Yes, that musician says composition is definitely what they were Born to do, even noting the skill actually came last in their development compared to other musical abilities.
Is there a quote treating composition almost like a religion?
Yes, one musician says plainly that their religion lies in their composition, framing the craft as something closer to personal devotion than a technical exercise.
Do these quotes suggest improvisers need formal composition knowledge?
Yes, one quote argues that understanding composition is essential to improvising well, suggesting spontaneous playing actually depends on a solid structural foundation rather than pure instinct alone.
Is there a quote claiming a wholly original approach to composition?
One quote jokes that no one has the Houdini school of composition, a playful way of saying there's no purely magical or unteachable method, just craft that has to be learned.
What overall relationship with composition do these quotes describe?
A deeply personal one. Between calling it a religion, a calling they were born for, and a discipline underlying good improvising, the quotes treat composition as far more than a technical skill.

Another treats it almost as faith, saying their religion lies in composition, a devotion echoed by a third quote insisting real Harmony in improvising still depends on knowing composition well.