Leroy Anderson in the 1940's
This is an excerpt from a 1947 letter that Leroy Anderson wrote. This was before he wrote "Sleigh Ride" and "Blue Tango" and achieved his world-wide level of recognition.
| Origin of ideas --- Musical ideas come to mind as a
result of constantly looking for them. Although a composer may set certain hours of the
day for actual composing and other hours for scoring and making fair copies, I have found
that the alertness for ideas soon becomes an unconscious habit that is always at work. For
example, the idea for "The Syncopated Clock" came to me while I was occupied
with scoring the orchestra parts of "Promenade". I took another sheet of
manuscript paper, wrote down the first strain of the "Syncopated Clock", and
then went back to work on "Promenade". There was no relation at all between the
two pieces of music so I couldn't say how the title and the music of "The Syncopated
Clock" arose. All I know is that the more you think of ideas, the more ideas you get;
and the more music you write, the more music you think of to write. I imagine this is true
of all kinds of creative work.. The length of time for composition varies from one composition to another. "The Syncopated Clock" was put in final form in a couple of days, while I worked on "Fiddle-Faddle" off and on for six months, writing and rewriting, until it finally seemed to me satisfactory. I have noticed that simple compositions are generally harder to write and take longer. Because of their simplicity any dullness, even in a single measure, stands out boldly. Future --- I have no set ambitions as a composer, merely ideas I am trying to work out. I feel very strongly that a composer should write music he feels like writing at time and thinks he can write well. I am afraid that a composer who is guided by ambitions may lose or weaken the faculty of self-criticism, which is one of his most important assets. Consequently, I prefer to be guided by my critical judgement as I go along, rather than set myself a musical goal. |