Three passages from Lou Harrison

I read the Music Primer shortly before I left Banff, and this morning I rediscovered a file of favorite passages. We all need to be primed once in a while.

• 1 •
"Modern life" is high-decibel chaos, in smog. The civilization which invented it is clearly bent headlong to suicide, & I profoundly mistrust anything in it that is regarded as "First Class" or "First Rate." Brand X is more likely to be for Life & Love. There has never been a "big, First Class" civilization that was not founded on slavery. Question: Do we need "big, First Class" civilizations??

• 2 •
The path to silliness nowadays is to allow one's self to become indebted to a silly society -- do not do it. Find out what you yourself can & will afford -- do only that.

• 3 •
Originality, personality, or style can neither be encouraged nor prevented. Forget the matter.