When I dealt with set theory, I could never make it be the music that I wanted.

I'm not a music lover in the sense that I look for something to have on. I've never had that attitude to music.

Minimalism now is a reaction to what came before. It's absolutely of its time. Music moved into the set theory thing, and moved out of it.

When I was confronted with official tuition, the academic thing, I could see no relationship whatever between that and the music I'd been writing since I was 11.

I don't think there is much American music.

I wrote music as soon as I knew notation.