Quotes by Composer | Beyond Motive 17/27

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Quotes by Composer

"I am writing something which I find satisfying and which I am prepared to put my name to as a composer."

"I am writing something which I find satisfying and which I am prepared to put my name to as a composer."

Gavin Bryars, English Composer

24

"I want to give my compliments to Australia. Ever since your government paid a few million dollars for a Jackson Pollack painting, I figure that it must be a marvellous country."

"I want to give my compliments to Australia. Ever since your government paid a few million dollars for a Jackson Pollack painting, I figure that it must be a marvellous country."

Morton Feldman, American Composer

Government, Compliments, Country, Painting

24

"It's a blast to watch. It's a lot more interesting live than it is on record. I mean, it really is a theatrical event. It's a sporting event! Cause you never know what's gonna happen."

"It's a blast to watch. It's a lot more interesting live than it is on record. I mean, it really is a theatrical event. It's a sporting event! Cause you never know what's gonna happen."

John Zorn, American Composer

24

"Unquestionably, our contemporary world of music is far richer, in a sense, than earlier periods, due to the historical and geographical extensions of culture to which I have referred."

"Unquestionably, our contemporary world of music is far richer, in a sense, than earlier periods, due to the historical and geographical extensions of culture to which I have referred."

George Crumb, American Composer

Music, Culture, Sense, World

24

"It's hard for me to think of others because I'm not particularly in sympathy with the music of this century."

"It's hard for me to think of others because I'm not particularly in sympathy with the music of this century."

Alan Hovhaness, American Composer

Music, Sympathy

24

"There is poetry as soon as we realize that we possess nothing."

"There is poetry as soon as we realize that we possess nothing."

John Cage, American Composer

Poetry, Nothing

24

"The present government is very insistent that business sponsorship should replace government sponsorship of the arts. Business sponsorship won't happen unless you make tax concessions, which they won't."

"The present government is very insistent that business sponsorship should replace government sponsorship of the arts. Business sponsorship won't happen unless you make tax concessions, which they won't."

Peter Maxwell Davies, English Composer

Business, Government, Tax, Present

24

"Music is an agreeable harmony for the honor of God and the permissible delights of the soul."

"Music is an agreeable harmony for the honor of God and the permissible delights of the soul."

Johannes Sebastian Bach, German Composer

Music, God, Soul, Harmony

24

"Time's fatal wings do ever forward fly; to every day we live, a day we die."

"Time's fatal wings do ever forward fly; to every day we live, a day we die."

Thomas Campion, English Composer

24

"You can put in all the difficulties, jumps, runs, and any other devilish complexities you like, except octave spans and similar features which do not suit the formation of hands."

"You can put in all the difficulties, jumps, runs, and any other devilish complexities you like, except octave spans and similar features which do not suit the formation of hands."

Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Austrian Composer

Difficulty, Difficulties

24

"I put together the influences of my life in as clear a way as I possibly can, in the same way that Beethoven or Schoenberg or Bach put their influences together."

"I put together the influences of my life in as clear a way as I possibly can, in the same way that Beethoven or Schoenberg or Bach put their influences together."

John Zorn, American Composer

24

"We met with the poet Frank O'Hara, who was a link between Upper and Lower Bohemia, and who worked at the Museum of Modern Art, where we had hoped to do the readings."

"We met with the poet Frank O'Hara, who was a link between Upper and Lower Bohemia, and who worked at the Museum of Modern Art, where we had hoped to do the readings."

David Amram, American Composer

24

"Our musical alphabet is poor and illogical."

"Our musical alphabet is poor and illogical."

Edgard Varese, American Composer

24

"When I was confronted with official tuition, the academic thing, I could see no relationship whatever between that and the music I'd been writing since I was 11."

"When I was confronted with official tuition, the academic thing, I could see no relationship whatever between that and the music I'd been writing since I was 11."

Harrison Birtwistle, British Composer

24

"In our romantic groves I adored her like a divinity."

"In our romantic groves I adored her like a divinity."

Anne Boyd, Australian Composer

Divinity, Romantic

24

"It seems to me opera is just as relevant as an expressive art as anything else."

"It seems to me opera is just as relevant as an expressive art as anything else."

Carlisle Floyd, American Composer

24

"Traditions are imploding and exploding everywhere - everything is coming together, for better or worse, and we can no longer pretend we're all living in different worlds because we're on different continents."

"Traditions are imploding and exploding everywhere - everything is coming together, for better or worse, and we can no longer pretend we're all living in different worlds because we're on different continents."

Philip Glass, American Composer

Living, Traditions

24

"Being an old radical, I like films like Spartacus. I could relate to the hero."

"Being an old radical, I like films like Spartacus. I could relate to the hero."

Alex North, American Composer

Being, Old, Radical

24

"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

24

"As soon as you get a certain amount of attention, then everybody kinda wants to start taking pot shots at you. All your old friends that supported you don't support you any more."

"As soon as you get a certain amount of attention, then everybody kinda wants to start taking pot shots at you. All your old friends that supported you don't support you any more."

John Zorn, American Composer

Attention, Friends, Old, Support

24

"Straight-away the ideas flow in upon me, directly from God, and not only do I see distinct themes in my mind's eye, but they are clothed in the right forms, harmonies, and orchestration."

"Straight-away the ideas flow in upon me, directly from God, and not only do I see distinct themes in my mind's eye, but they are clothed in the right forms, harmonies, and orchestration."

Johannes Brahms, German Composer

God, Ideas, Eye, Mind

24

"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

24

"And so many of the kinds of labels you get stuck with don't really tell the story; Progressive, Art Rock, Noise Music, Downtown - it ends up being a struggle to stay out of debates that other people are having around you."

"And so many of the kinds of labels you get stuck with don't really tell the story; Progressive, Art Rock, Noise Music, Downtown - it ends up being a struggle to stay out of debates that other people are having around you."

Fred Frith, English Composer

Art, Music, People, Being

24

"The world resembles a stage on which every man is playing a part."

"The world resembles a stage on which every man is playing a part."

Franz Schubert, Austrian Composer

24

"My favorite work is The Full Monty because I got an Oscar for it. But it was really hard work at the time. Sometimes comedy is not a bundle of laughs to actually do."

"My favorite work is The Full Monty because I got an Oscar for it. But it was really hard work at the time. Sometimes comedy is not a bundle of laughs to actually do."

Anne Dudley, English Composer

Work, Time, Comedy, Favorite

24

"The performances of my works in the last 10 years are probably equal to all the previous years put together. There are so many venues now and there is a completely new public for opera that's grown up outside of the traditional core opera public."

"The performances of my works in the last 10 years are probably equal to all the previous years put together. There are so many venues now and there is a completely new public for opera that's grown up outside of the traditional core opera public."

Carlisle Floyd, American Composer

Now, Opera, Public, Years

24

"And I try to be as diplomatic as I can, but it always ends up being a psychodrama up there on stage."

"And I try to be as diplomatic as I can, but it always ends up being a psychodrama up there on stage."

John Zorn, American Composer

24

"I guess the thing is that we remained huge friends after the original Phantom movie, when we decided it wouldn't take place and we just saw each other socially over the years so we were friends."

"I guess the thing is that we remained huge friends after the original Phantom movie, when we decided it wouldn't take place and we just saw each other socially over the years so we were friends."

Andrew Lloyd Webber, British Composer

Friendship, Friends, Years

24

"The world has just got more dangerous because the things we use have got more dangerous."

"The world has just got more dangerous because the things we use have got more dangerous."

Pierre Schaeffer, French Composer

24

"Vagueness is at times an indication of nearness to a perfect truth."

"Vagueness is at times an indication of nearness to a perfect truth."

Charles Ives, American Composer

24

"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

24

"I have always loved Scottish music - all sorts of Celtic, Gaelic music."

"I have always loved Scottish music - all sorts of Celtic, Gaelic music."

Carter Burwell, American Composer

24

"In the theatrical works we love and admire the most, the ending of the drama generally takes place offstage."

"In the theatrical works we love and admire the most, the ending of the drama generally takes place offstage."

Gustav Mahler, Austrian Composer

Love, Drama, Ending

24

"A maverick feels like he has no choice however difficult his choice of expression. In my case, it was going backwards into tonality. It seemed so wrong. The idea that progress is going into the past in a new way is very strange, even though there are precedents."

"A maverick feels like he has no choice however difficult his choice of expression. In my case, it was going backwards into tonality. It seemed so wrong. The idea that progress is going into the past in a new way is very strange, even though there are precedents."

David Del Tredici, American Composer

Idea, Progress, Choice, Expression

24

"Of all the arts, music is really the most abstract."

"Of all the arts, music is really the most abstract."

Leo Ornstein, American Composer

24

"A kiss on the hand may be quite continental, But Diamonds are a girl's best friend."

"A kiss on the hand may be quite continental, But Diamonds are a girl's best friend."

Leo Robin, American Composer

Kiss, Friend, May

24

"Since age seven, I've been composing and have never stopped composing, yet, the creative process is as elusive to me as it has ever been."

"Since age seven, I've been composing and have never stopped composing, yet, the creative process is as elusive to me as it has ever been."

Lukas Foss, German Composer

24

"To teach a child an instrument without first giving him preparatory training and without developing singing, reading and dictating to the highest level along with the playing is to build upon sand."

"To teach a child an instrument without first giving him preparatory training and without developing singing, reading and dictating to the highest level along with the playing is to build upon sand."

Zoltan Kodaly, Hungarian Composer

First, Giving, Reading, Singing

24

"Obviously in Art of Noise, I'm just part of the group, and when I do film scores, it's always in collaboration with the director and other people involved."

"Obviously in Art of Noise, I'm just part of the group, and when I do film scores, it's always in collaboration with the director and other people involved."

Anne Dudley, English Composer

Art, People, Collaboration, Film

24

"Big Sur is at the end of the continent. It attracts really crazy people."

"Big Sur is at the end of the continent. It attracts really crazy people."

Carter Burwell, American Composer

24

"Essentially my contribution was to introduce repetition into Western music as the main ingredient without any melody over it, without anything just repeated patterns, musical patterns."

"Essentially my contribution was to introduce repetition into Western music as the main ingredient without any melody over it, without anything just repeated patterns, musical patterns."

Terry Riley, American Composer

Music, Repetition

24

"I have friends who have a CD mastering plant in Hollywood and they are very sceptical about European record labels' understanding of digital technology."

"I have friends who have a CD mastering plant in Hollywood and they are very sceptical about European record labels' understanding of digital technology."

Gavin Bryars, English Composer

Technology, Friends, Hollywood, Understanding

24

"Improvised music involves a lot of intuition and I like developing intuition."

"Improvised music involves a lot of intuition and I like developing intuition."

Fred Frith, English Composer

Music, Intuition

24

"One very important aspect of our contemporary musical culture - some might say the supremely important aspect - is its extension in the historical and geographical senses to a degree unknown in the past."

"One very important aspect of our contemporary musical culture - some might say the supremely important aspect - is its extension in the historical and geographical senses to a degree unknown in the past."

George Crumb, American Composer

Culture, Past, Senses

24

"To judge a composer's work, one must consider it as a whole."

"To judge a composer's work, one must consider it as a whole."

Gustav Mahler, Austrian Composer

24

"Personality is essential. It is in every work of art. When someone walks on stage for a performance and has charisma, everyone is convinced that he has personality. I find that charisma is merely a form of showmanship. Movie stars usually have it. A politician has to have it."

"Personality is essential. It is in every work of art. When someone walks on stage for a performance and has charisma, everyone is convinced that he has personality. I find that charisma is merely a form of showmanship. Movie stars usually have it. A politician has to have it."

Lukas Foss, German Composer

Work, Art, Performance, Charisma

24

"Perhaps the better word is emotional yes, I am an emotional man."

"Perhaps the better word is emotional yes, I am an emotional man."

Gyorgy Ligeti, Hungarian Composer

24

"I've always regarded nature as the clothing of God."

"I've always regarded nature as the clothing of God."

Alan Hovhaness, American Composer

24

"Destiny smiles upon me but without making me the least bit happier."

"Destiny smiles upon me but without making me the least bit happier."

Gustav Mahler, Austrian Composer

Destiny, Smiles

24

"Then, after the war it was impossible to travel, after so many years of Hitler and Stalin."

"Then, after the war it was impossible to travel, after so many years of Hitler and Stalin."

Gyorgy Ligeti, Hungarian Composer

War, Travel, Years

24

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