Alan Hovhaness — American Composer born on March 08, 1911, died on June 21, 2000

Alan Hovhaness was an American composer of Armenian and Scottish descent. He was one of the most prolific 20th-century composers, with his official catalog comprising 67 numbered symphonies and 434 opus numbers. However, the true tally is well over 500 surviving works since many opus numbers comprise two or more distinct works... (wikipedia)

I've always regarded nature as the clothing of God.
I did all kinds of things in order to earn a living.
I was much more interested in the orchestra than the piano, but I did become fairly proficient as a pianist and my teachers felt I had talent and wanted me to become a good concert pianist and earn my living that way.
There were periods when I sometimes made fires in a large, open fireplace that lasted about two weeks, which was how long it took to burn my compositions. So there has been an awful lot that I have destroyed.
I think that of my 21 symphonies, each has its own place.