Marvin Hamlisch Quotations

I was always drawn to Broadway musicals, and obviously composers like Gershwin, Rodgers, Berlin and Porter were writing music that I found wildly impressive.

I have always thought of music as a highway with many lanes.

There have been studies that clearly state that children who are exposed to arts education at a young age will in fact do markedly better in their SAT tests

Maybe I'm old-fashioned. But I remember the beauty and thrill of being moved by Broadway musicals - particularly the endings of shows.

I still have great faith in what is good and right in all of us.

Barbra Streisand is without a doubt one of the most honest people I have ever known. There is no doubt in my mind that she will not be doing any more concerts. Of course, she still will be making records and starring and directing in movies

I'm not one of those people who says, 'I never read reviews,' because I don't believe those people.

If I'm within reach and can be helpful, I have a tendency to say 'Yes.' It's hard to say 'No.

I can make a song up about anything: garbage, the weather, things in the news,

I started studying music at the age of five and a half. My older sister was taking piano lessons. When her teacher left our apartment, I would get up on the piano bench and start picking out the notes that were part of my sister's lessons

My whole thing is not just to play music for people, but to make them part of the evening.

I think that when NASA works on a moon shot, they know too well that all of the people working on it must do their job at 110 percent. Sometimes they probably put in 18 hour days, but they're aiming for the moon, and that's what counts

You know, anyone who invites me to do something makes me feel special.

Many, many years ago, I was one of the few conductors who talked to the audience and now a lot of classical conductors have figured it out... otherwise, you just get the back of someone's head playing music you could hear on a CD. It's not enough anymore.

My show business career doesn't mean I can't write a symphony. It just means I was never asked to write one.

The biggest thrill you can have is to tell people one of your songs, and have them be able to hum it.

As I get older, I'm slowing down and, yes, calming down in my desire to be taken seriously. That I can be entertaining and funny and high nervous energy can work against me as a serious composer, slowly but surely you'll see me be quieter just so that people will listen.

From the time I could play the piano, I remember trying to write tunes. They were in my head, and I would just sit down and start noodling. Next thing I knew, I had written a melody.

Let's say music is needed for only 43 seconds of film. You have to score it so it is an entity, so it won't bother anyone when it ends so quickly. Or if a song runs 2 minutes and 45 seconds, but the titles run a minute longer, you have to arrange that song so it doesn't get repetitious.

Normally I can balance two or three things. The problem is when you're out of work and don't have anything to balance. I think people assume you're always busy. You go through dry spells.

learned about listening to yourself. You know the punch line but it has to seem as if you're going to find it.

She really wants to get things right, is very nitpicky but in the best sense of the word. It's like when NASA sends a rocket to the moon. In order to get to the moon, everybody involved has to do their job perfectly or you've got a disaster ... Streisand wants to take us to the moon.

I would love to find other pop stars who would be willing to tour with our orchestra. One of the benefits of James Taylor was that he had orchestrations. Many stars do not. My wish list would be exceedingly long, and at the top of it would be Kenny G and Carly Simon. Of course, the cost of some of these artists might be prohibitive.

Up until then, I was just zooming along. At Julliard, there was real competition.

Bill Cosby, you name it, I never knew who would be there; but it was wonderful,

I told her I didn't do that sort of thing.

I told her I'd be over in 10 minutes.

I love the idea that a whole new cast of characters, a whole new audience is going to see what we think is a very important and wonderful show.

I realized that as I was getting older, I had to prioritize what I really wanted to do in the world of music. I concluded that I wanted to use my time to write shows for Broadway. Since I already have a very extensive conducting career that takes me away from New York for most weekends, I decided that I would not pursue film scores any more.

I auditioned and was accepted to the Juilliard School of Music Preparatory Division at the age of six and a half.

You mustn't underestimate an audience's intelligence.

I never took any vocal training

Music can make a difference. There is a global nature to music, which has the potential to bring all people together. Music is truly an international language, and I hope to contribute by widening communication as much as I can.

I don't think they understand it's as important as math and science. It rounds you out as a person. I think it gives you a love of certain things. You don't have to become the next great composer. It's just nice to have heard certain things or to have seen certain things. It's part of being a human being.