Quotes by Composer | Beyond Motive 11/27

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Quotes by Composer

"We should read music in the same way that an educated adult will read a book: in silence, but imagining the sound."

"We should read music in the same way that an educated adult will read a book: in silence, but imagining the sound."

Zoltan Kodaly, Hungarian Composer

Music, Silence, Sound, Will

29

"Richard Wagner, a musician who wrote music which is better than it sounds."

"Richard Wagner, a musician who wrote music which is better than it sounds."

Richard Wagner, German Composer

29

"With respect to the respective French and German traditions you are no doubt correct, although I am reluctant to see individual achievement reduced to archetypes."

"With respect to the respective French and German traditions you are no doubt correct, although I am reluctant to see individual achievement reduced to archetypes."

Brian Ferneyhough, British Composer

Achievement, Doubt, Respect, Traditions

29

"Music is essentially built upon primitive memory structures."

"Music is essentially built upon primitive memory structures."

Morton Feldman, American Composer

29

"I just consider myself a student, trying to learn more about it."

"I just consider myself a student, trying to learn more about it."

Roscoe Mitchell, American Composer

29

"Poetry is fascinating. As soon as it begins the poetry has changed the thing into something extra, and somehow prose can go over into poetry."

"Poetry is fascinating. As soon as it begins the poetry has changed the thing into something extra, and somehow prose can go over into poetry."

Michael Tippett, English Composer

29

"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."

"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."

Marvin Hamlisch, American Composer

Movies, People, Doubt, Mind

29

"Extreme complication is contrary to art."

"Extreme complication is contrary to art."

Claude Debussy, French Composer

29

"Since I'm allergic to various things, the army wouldn't accept me during the war, and I got into the Office of War Information, which sent music to Europe."

"Since I'm allergic to various things, the army wouldn't accept me during the war, and I got into the Office of War Information, which sent music to Europe."

Elliott Carter, American Composer

Music, War, Army, Europe

28

"In any case, Ives encouraged me to go into music even though he himself had such a hard time being a composer."

"In any case, Ives encouraged me to go into music even though he himself had such a hard time being a composer."

Elliott Carter, American Composer

Music, Time, Being

28

"Fear is a problem with film music and films; people want to be conventional, and there's more commercialism today. If you are not daring in your art, you're bankrupt."

"Fear is a problem with film music and films; people want to be conventional, and there's more commercialism today. If you are not daring in your art, you're bankrupt."

Alex North, American Composer

Music, Art, People, Fear

28

"In order to create there must be a dynamic force, and what force is more potent than love?"

"In order to create there must be a dynamic force, and what force is more potent than love?"

Igor Stravinsky, Russian Composer

Love, Force, Order

28

"People like Arvo Part would not have been taken seriously 20 years ago."

"People like Arvo Part would not have been taken seriously 20 years ago."

Gavin Bryars, English Composer

28

"There's always a question of duration, there's a question of who the orchestra is. No one is free to write what you want - you collaborate on a film score, and one of the good things is that someone else's work is motivating you."

"There's always a question of duration, there's a question of who the orchestra is. No one is free to write what you want - you collaborate on a film score, and one of the good things is that someone else's work is motivating you."

Michael Nyman, British Composer

Work, Film, Question, Want

28

"Because I was small, I was getting the hell kicked out of me playing football."

"Because I was small, I was getting the hell kicked out of me playing football."

Burt Bacharach, American Composer

28

"We need not destroy the past. It is gone."

"We need not destroy the past. It is gone."

John Cage, American Composer

28

"I did not start IC and Inteam to have control over my music. I had control before and after."

"I did not start IC and Inteam to have control over my music. I had control before and after."

Klaus Schulze, German Composer

28

"My students frequently ask what their next project should be. My advice: immerse yourself in the music you love and you will find what you want to do; you will discover your next project."

"My students frequently ask what their next project should be. My advice: immerse yourself in the music you love and you will find what you want to do; you will discover your next project."

Lukas Foss, German Composer

Love, Music, Project, Students

28

"It's not just a question of conquering a summit previously unknown, but of tracing, step by step, a new pathway to it."

"It's not just a question of conquering a summit previously unknown, but of tracing, step by step, a new pathway to it."

Gustav Mahler, Austrian Composer

28

"The only love worthy of a name is unconditional."

"The only love worthy of a name is unconditional."

John Powell, American Composer

28

"When I was four years old, my mother owned some tenements in the Bronx."

"When I was four years old, my mother owned some tenements in the Bronx."

Cy Coleman, American Composer

Mother, Old, Years

28

"I've never set out consciously to write American music. I don't know what that would be unless the obvious Appalachian folk references."

"I've never set out consciously to write American music. I don't know what that would be unless the obvious Appalachian folk references."

Carlisle Floyd, American Composer

Music, Folk, Obvious

28

"You believe happiness to be derived from the place in which once you have been happy, but in truth it is centered in ourselves."

"You believe happiness to be derived from the place in which once you have been happy, but in truth it is centered in ourselves."

Franz Schubert, Austrian Composer

Happiness, Truth

28

"Life is only a long and bitter suicide, and faith alone can transform this suicide into a sacrifice."

"Life is only a long and bitter suicide, and faith alone can transform this suicide into a sacrifice."

Franz Liszt, Hungarian Composer

Faith, Life, Sacrifice, Suicide

28

"What gives the artist real prestige is his imitators."

"What gives the artist real prestige is his imitators."

Igor Stravinsky, Russian Composer

28

"Mournful and yet grand is the destiny of the artist."

"Mournful and yet grand is the destiny of the artist."

Franz Liszt, Hungarian Composer

Artist, Destiny

28

"I have problems with machines which aren't gestural."

"I have problems with machines which aren't gestural."

Luc Ferrari, French Composer

Machine, Machines, Problems

28

"In Evita I wasn't really hugely involved with it. I gave a little bit of help but they needed a bit of technical help on the movie and so some of my music people went in at the end of the movie and helped out with it."

"In Evita I wasn't really hugely involved with it. I gave a little bit of help but they needed a bit of technical help on the movie and so some of my music people went in at the end of the movie and helped out with it."

Andrew Lloyd Webber, British Composer

Music, People, End, Help

28

"Noises have generally been thought of as indistinct, but this is not true."

"Noises have generally been thought of as indistinct, but this is not true."

Pierre Schaeffer, French Composer

28

"Beethoven suppressed everything, his personal life disappeared until he was locked inside. That is a figure quite extreme."

"Beethoven suppressed everything, his personal life disappeared until he was locked inside. That is a figure quite extreme."

Michael Tippett, English Composer

28

"We played some gigs in Switzerland a couple of weeks ago and it was the first time I really felt the group was really a band in the sense of something I could write for."

"We played some gigs in Switzerland a couple of weeks ago and it was the first time I really felt the group was really a band in the sense of something I could write for."

Fred Frith, English Composer

Time, First, Sense

28

"Sometimes I like to make music together with a singer or with singers."

"Sometimes I like to make music together with a singer or with singers."

Klaus Schulze, German Composer

28

"Well I guess my music came to prominence around one piece called 'In C' which I wrote in 1964 at that time it was called 'The Global Villages for Symphonic Pieces', because it was a piece built out of 53 simple patterns and the structure was new to music at that time."

"Well I guess my music came to prominence around one piece called 'In C' which I wrote in 1964 at that time it was called 'The Global Villages for Symphonic Pieces', because it was a piece built out of 53 simple patterns and the structure was new to music at that time."

Terry Riley, American Composer

28

"Hence my obstinate emphasis on stylistic continuity from work to work rather than specific sibling relationships between the individual work and other members of its stylistic 'family' in the world outside."

"Hence my obstinate emphasis on stylistic continuity from work to work rather than specific sibling relationships between the individual work and other members of its stylistic 'family' in the world outside."

Brian Ferneyhough, British Composer

Work, Relationships, World

28

"The moment at which music reveals its true nature is contained in the ancient exercise of the theme with variations. The complete mystery of music is explained right there."

"The moment at which music reveals its true nature is contained in the ancient exercise of the theme with variations. The complete mystery of music is explained right there."

Pierre Schaeffer, French Composer

Music, Nature, Exercise, Mystery

28

"This was possible only by dint of extended periods of frequently quite painful reflection and digestion."

"This was possible only by dint of extended periods of frequently quite painful reflection and digestion."

Brian Ferneyhough, British Composer

28

"I know that John Adams has had a very hard time directing French ensembles."

"I know that John Adams has had a very hard time directing French ensembles."

Gavin Bryars, English Composer

28

"Let us take our children seriously! Everything else follows from this... only the best is good enough for a child."

"Let us take our children seriously! Everything else follows from this... only the best is good enough for a child."

Zoltan Kodaly, Hungarian Composer

28

"How did this or that change my music? The only time I have to think about it is when an interviewer asks me that."

"How did this or that change my music? The only time I have to think about it is when an interviewer asks me that."

Klaus Schulze, German Composer

Change, Time, Music

28

"When I first wrote for orchestra, I didn't realize, when you have 20 people playing a violin line, that is very different than one person playing that line."

"When I first wrote for orchestra, I didn't realize, when you have 20 people playing a violin line, that is very different than one person playing that line."

David Del Tredici, American Composer

28

"By the time I was 22, I was a professional. A young and flawed professional, but not an amateur."

"By the time I was 22, I was a professional. A young and flawed professional, but not an amateur."

Stephen Sondheim, American Composer

28

"Today it's not culture; it's box office."

"Today it's not culture; it's box office."

Alex North, American Composer

Culture, Office, Today

28

"Try a thing you haven't done three times. Once, to get over the fear of doing it. Twice, to learn how to do it. And a third time to figure out whether you like it or not."

"Try a thing you haven't done three times. Once, to get over the fear of doing it. Twice, to learn how to do it. And a third time to figure out whether you like it or not."

Virgil Thomson, American Composer

28

"As a musician I tell you that if you were to suppress adultery, fanaticism, crime, evil, the supernatural, there would no longer be the means for writing one note."

"As a musician I tell you that if you were to suppress adultery, fanaticism, crime, evil, the supernatural, there would no longer be the means for writing one note."

Georges Bizet, French Composer

Adultery, Crime, Evil, Fanaticism

28

"Two years ago I hadn't even thought of the Woman in White, and I was doing a television show and I said I hadn't found a story and the next day somebody rang me and said have you ever thought of the Woman in White."

"Two years ago I hadn't even thought of the Woman in White, and I was doing a television show and I said I hadn't found a story and the next day somebody rang me and said have you ever thought of the Woman in White."

Andrew Lloyd Webber, British Composer

Thought, Day, Television, Woman

28

"Real art is one of the most powerful forces in the rise of mankind, and he who renders it accessible to as many people as possible is a benefactor of humanity."

"Real art is one of the most powerful forces in the rise of mankind, and he who renders it accessible to as many people as possible is a benefactor of humanity."

Zoltan Kodaly, Hungarian Composer

Art, People, Humanity, Mankind

28

"If only your pure and clean mind could touch me, dear Haydn, nobody has a greater reverence for you than I have."

"If only your pure and clean mind could touch me, dear Haydn, nobody has a greater reverence for you than I have."

Franz Schubert, Austrian Composer

28

"First of all I listen to music. I like music."

"First of all I listen to music. I like music."

Gyorgy Ligeti, Hungarian Composer

28

"Where there is devotional music, God is always at hand with His gracious presence."

"Where there is devotional music, God is always at hand with His gracious presence."

Johannes Sebastian Bach, German Composer

28

"I don't find myself lobbying for projects. Filmmakers almost always come to me."

"I don't find myself lobbying for projects. Filmmakers almost always come to me."

Carter Burwell, American Composer

Project, Projects

28

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