Quotes by Composer | Beyond Motive 12/27

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Quotes by Composer

"Because her voice is, it's like the muscles and it develops all the time. That was the fantastic thing for us."

"Because her voice is, it's like the muscles and it develops all the time. That was the fantastic thing for us."

Andrew Lloyd Webber, British Composer

14

"I had all the normal interests - I played basketball and I headed the school paper. But I also developed very early a great love for music and literature and the theater."

"I had all the normal interests - I played basketball and I headed the school paper. But I also developed very early a great love for music and literature and the theater."

Carlisle Floyd, American Composer

Love, Music, Basketball, Literature

14

"I am in the present. I cannot know what tomorrow will bring forth. I can know only what the truth is for me today. That is what I am called upon to serve, and I serve it in all lucidity."

"I am in the present. I cannot know what tomorrow will bring forth. I can know only what the truth is for me today. That is what I am called upon to serve, and I serve it in all lucidity."

Igor Stravinsky, Russian Composer

Truth, Present, Today, Tomorrow

14

"I think everything should happen at halfway to dawn. That's when all the heads of government should meet. I think everybody would fall in love."

"I think everything should happen at halfway to dawn. That's when all the heads of government should meet. I think everybody would fall in love."

Billy Strayhorn, American Composer

Government, Love, Dawn

14

"But maybe music was not intended to satisfy the curious definiteness of man. Maybe it is better to hope that music may always be transcendental language in the most extravagant sense."

"But maybe music was not intended to satisfy the curious definiteness of man. Maybe it is better to hope that music may always be transcendental language in the most extravagant sense."

Charles Ives, American Composer

Music, Hope, Language, Man

14

"It is obvious that anything a scientist discovers or invents is based on previous discoveries and inventions. The same applies to the arts."

"It is obvious that anything a scientist discovers or invents is based on previous discoveries and inventions. The same applies to the arts."

Lukas Foss, German Composer

Invention, Inventions, Obvious

14

$"Yes, fractals are what I want to find in my music."$

"Yes, fractals are what I want to find in my music."

Gyorgy Ligeti, Hungarian Composer

14

"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

14

"The idea of 'machine assemblage' is, especially, very alien to my sensibility, since it suggests a relative indifference of the strata to one another during the process of construction."

"The idea of 'machine assemblage' is, especially, very alien to my sensibility, since it suggests a relative indifference of the strata to one another during the process of construction."

Brian Ferneyhough, British Composer

Idea, Indifference, Sensibility

14

"I remain a humanist. We are a very curious race."

"I remain a humanist. We are a very curious race."

Michael Tippett, English Composer

14

"I'll live a lush life in some small dive."

"I'll live a lush life in some small dive."

Billy Strayhorn, American Composer

14

"Corny answer is of course is that everyone who wants musicals are children in different ways, aren't they? So you think of them in different ways. There are things of mine I'm sorry haven't come here."

"Corny answer is of course is that everyone who wants musicals are children in different ways, aren't they? So you think of them in different ways. There are things of mine I'm sorry haven't come here."

Andrew Lloyd Webber, British Composer

14

"My sisters were going out with artists and poets, and eventually it was the creative world which attracted me."

"My sisters were going out with artists and poets, and eventually it was the creative world which attracted me."

Luc Ferrari, French Composer

Artist, Artists, Poets, Sisters, World

14

"Signs of fatigue soon manifested themselves more and more strongly, and slowly the men dropped out one by one, from sheer exhaustion. No murmur of complaint, however, would be heard."

"Signs of fatigue soon manifested themselves more and more strongly, and slowly the men dropped out one by one, from sheer exhaustion. No murmur of complaint, however, would be heard."

Fritz Kreisler, Austrian Composer

Men, Complaint, Exhaustion, Fatigue

14

"Lyrics have to be underwritten. That's why poets generally make poor lyric writers because the language is too rich. You get drowned in it."

"Lyrics have to be underwritten. That's why poets generally make poor lyric writers because the language is too rich. You get drowned in it."

Stephen Sondheim, American Composer

Language, Poets, Poor, Writers

14

"Soon I worked during twelve years in theater works of the prestigious Theatre National Populaire. It was the best time of my life, the most difficult, the most interesting, the most exciting."

"Soon I worked during twelve years in theater works of the prestigious Theatre National Populaire. It was the best time of my life, the most difficult, the most interesting, the most exciting."

Maurice Jarre, French Composer

Time, Life, Theater, Theatre

14

"I remember once, when I started writing for the alto saxophone, a saxophonist told me to think of it as being like a cross between an oboe and a viola, but louder."

"I remember once, when I started writing for the alto saxophone, a saxophonist told me to think of it as being like a cross between an oboe and a viola, but louder."

Gavin Bryars, English Composer

14

"I think I've only done one horror movie, Psycho III. That was a walk in the park compared to a romantic comedy."

"I think I've only done one horror movie, Psycho III. That was a walk in the park compared to a romantic comedy."

Carter Burwell, American Composer

Comedy, Horror, Romantic

14

"The idea of the peace movement and of people who spent their entire lives trying to have a more egalitarian, just society, suddenly became swamped by the record industry, by the new rock and roll culture, and by the idea of not trusting anyone over thirty."

"The idea of the peace movement and of people who spent their entire lives trying to have a more egalitarian, just society, suddenly became swamped by the record industry, by the new rock and roll culture, and by the idea of not trusting anyone over thirty."

David Amram, American Composer

Peace, Society, People, Idea

14

"Never be ashamed to write a melody that people remember."

"Never be ashamed to write a melody that people remember."

Burt Bacharach, American Composer

14

"I only want to give a metaphysic for my music."

"I only want to give a metaphysic for my music."

Gyorgy Ligeti, Hungarian Composer

14

"IN trying to recall my impressions during my short war duty as an officer in the Austrian Army, I find that my recollections of this period are very uneven and confused."

"IN trying to recall my impressions during my short war duty as an officer in the Austrian Army, I find that my recollections of this period are very uneven and confused."

Fritz Kreisler, Austrian Composer

War, Army, Duty, Trying

14

"Music is given to us with the sole purpose of establishing an order in things, including, and particularly, the coordination between man and time."

"Music is given to us with the sole purpose of establishing an order in things, including, and particularly, the coordination between man and time."

Igor Stravinsky, Russian Composer

Music, Time, Purpose, Man

14

"One gets into a strange psychological, almost hypnotic, state of mind while on the firing line which probably prevents the mind's eye from observing and noticing things in a normal way."

"One gets into a strange psychological, almost hypnotic, state of mind while on the firing line which probably prevents the mind's eye from observing and noticing things in a normal way."

Fritz Kreisler, Austrian Composer

Eye, Mind, State

14

"The Church knew what the psalmist knew: Music praises God. Music is well or better able to praise him than the building of the church and all its decoration; it is the Church's greatest ornament."

"The Church knew what the psalmist knew: Music praises God. Music is well or better able to praise him than the building of the church and all its decoration; it is the Church's greatest ornament."

Igor Stravinsky, Russian Composer

Music, God, Church, Building

14

"Negative things, and they were all deliberate and I'm not going to say who they were but I know who they were and it was in the business, and that's not a good sign."

"Negative things, and they were all deliberate and I'm not going to say who they were but I know who they were and it was in the business, and that's not a good sign."

Andrew Lloyd Webber, British Composer

Business, Negative

14

"Music history has flowed under the bridges for many years."

"Music history has flowed under the bridges for many years."

Gavin Bryars, English Composer

History, Music, Years

14

"My operas usually come from musical ideas rather than ideas about subject matter."

"My operas usually come from musical ideas rather than ideas about subject matter."

Harrison Birtwistle, British Composer

14

"Well, in Japan, I have got a group of musicians that I have worked with a lot, that concentrate just on the hardcore stuff, say, that Naked City has been working on. We have like a repertoire of sixty songs now."

"Well, in Japan, I have got a group of musicians that I have worked with a lot, that concentrate just on the hardcore stuff, say, that Naked City has been working on. We have like a repertoire of sixty songs now."

John Zorn, American Composer

Musicians, Now, Songs

14

"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

14

"But, yes, now I wouldn't do some of those soundtracks the way I did them."

"But, yes, now I wouldn't do some of those soundtracks the way I did them."

Maurice Jarre, French Composer

14

"If people have split views about your work, I think it's flattering. I'd rather have them feel something about it than dismiss it."

"If people have split views about your work, I think it's flattering. I'd rather have them feel something about it than dismiss it."

Stephen Sondheim, American Composer

14

"When the Domaine Musical started up, I wasn't part of it. They were the major players in contemporary music at that time, braodcasting old and new composers' work. And I wasn't one of them."

"When the Domaine Musical started up, I wasn't part of it. They were the major players in contemporary music at that time, braodcasting old and new composers' work. And I wasn't one of them."

Luc Ferrari, French Composer

Music, Time, Work, Composers

14

"I begin by considering an effect."

"I begin by considering an effect."

Maurice Ravel, French Composer

14

"When I decided to go to a country that subsidized music, I went to the Soviet Union for two years."

"When I decided to go to a country that subsidized music, I went to the Soviet Union for two years."

Alex North, American Composer

Music, Country, Years

14

"People in very high places suddenly fall, and we are always surprised because we don't factor in the basic element that they're humans and, therefore, they are flawed and have weaknesses."

"People in very high places suddenly fall, and we are always surprised because we don't factor in the basic element that they're humans and, therefore, they are flawed and have weaknesses."

Carlisle Floyd, American Composer

14

"We hope that eventually there would be an occasion which I can personally prove that game music can in fact impress many different people and move them."

"We hope that eventually there would be an occasion which I can personally prove that game music can in fact impress many different people and move them."

Nobuo Uematsu, Japanese Composer

Music, People, Hope, Fact

14

"If you're dealing with a musical in which you're trying to tell a story, it's got to sound like speech. At the same time it's got to be a song."

"If you're dealing with a musical in which you're trying to tell a story, it's got to sound like speech. At the same time it's got to be a song."

Stephen Sondheim, American Composer

Time, Song, Sound, Speech

14

"However now we can create a sound that can truly startle someone and in terms of sound effects I think the environment that we are in now has improved dramatically."

"However now we can create a sound that can truly startle someone and in terms of sound effects I think the environment that we are in now has improved dramatically."

Nobuo Uematsu, Japanese Composer

Environment, Now, Sound

14

"When I dealt with set theory, I could never make it be the music that I wanted."

"When I dealt with set theory, I could never make it be the music that I wanted."

Harrison Birtwistle, British Composer

14

"What Bill O'Reilly says means nothing. What Stephen Bennett says means nothing. What God says means everything."

"What Bill O'Reilly says means nothing. What Stephen Bennett says means nothing. What God says means everything."

Stephen Bennett, American Composer

14

"And as far as the Disney Concert hall is concerned, it is a wonderful modern structure and I am extremely honored that I had this opportunity to have a concert here."

"And as far as the Disney Concert hall is concerned, it is a wonderful modern structure and I am extremely honored that I had this opportunity to have a concert here."

Nobuo Uematsu, Japanese Composer

Opportunity, Disney

14

"Right at the end of the war I wrote a piano sonata, which was written at a time when Sam Barber used to come down here and we used to have lunch together in a very nice old hotel that's now not there."

"Right at the end of the war I wrote a piano sonata, which was written at a time when Sam Barber used to come down here and we used to have lunch together in a very nice old hotel that's now not there."

Elliott Carter, American Composer

Time, War, End, Now

14

"I'm outside the music I've made. I have no interest in it."

"I'm outside the music I've made. I have no interest in it."

Michael Tippett, English Composer

Music, Interest

14

"The real composer thinks about his work the whole time; he is not always conscious of this, but he is aware of it later when he suddenly knows what he will do."

"The real composer thinks about his work the whole time; he is not always conscious of this, but he is aware of it later when he suddenly knows what he will do."

Igor Stravinsky, Russian Composer

Work, Time, Will

14

"In contrast, traditional classical music starts from an abstract musical schema. This is then notated and only expressed in concrete sound as a last stage, when it is performed."

"In contrast, traditional classical music starts from an abstract musical schema. This is then notated and only expressed in concrete sound as a last stage, when it is performed."

Pierre Schaeffer, French Composer

Music, Contrast, Sound

14

"We think the Puritans always dressed in black and white, which they didn't. They loved very bright colors. And there were other differences in perceptions that gave one a very different view of them."

"We think the Puritans always dressed in black and white, which they didn't. They loved very bright colors. And there were other differences in perceptions that gave one a very different view of them."

Carlisle Floyd, American Composer

Colors, Perceptions

14

"There would seem to be a limit, even for an art preoccupied with boundaries and transgressions, beyond which a work reaches its breaking point and becomes an actual failure, a mere experimentation."

"There would seem to be a limit, even for an art preoccupied with boundaries and transgressions, beyond which a work reaches its breaking point and becomes an actual failure, a mere experimentation."

Brian Ferneyhough, British Composer

Art, Work, Failure

14

"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

14

"I write music to please myself. Hopefully the director's enjoying it too."

"I write music to please myself. Hopefully the director's enjoying it too."

Carter Burwell, American Composer

14

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