In answer to my inquiry as to his methods of work, the director of
America’s foremost band said:—
“I think that any musical composer must essentially find his periods
of work governed largely by inspiration. A march or a waltz depends
perhaps upon some strain that has sufficient melody to carry the entire
composition, and it is the waiting to catch this embryo note that is
sometimes long.
“Take my experience with ‘The Stars and Stripes Forever.’ I worked
for weeks on the strain that I think will impress most persons as the
prettiest in the march. I carried it in my mind all that time, but I
could not get the idea transferred to paper just as I wanted. When
I did accomplish it, there was comparatively little delay with the
remainder.”