Quotes by Composer | Beyond Motive 22/27

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Quotes by Composer

"No one can have a higher opinion of him than I have, and I think he's a dirty little beast."

"No one can have a higher opinion of him than I have, and I think he's a dirty little beast."

William Gilbert, British Composer

20

"Or in other works I have also projected the sound in a cube of loudspeakers. The sound can move vertically and diagonally at all speeds around the public."

"Or in other works I have also projected the sound in a cube of loudspeakers. The sound can move vertically and diagonally at all speeds around the public."

Karlheinz Stockhausen, German Composer

20

"A carefree quality is a whole aspect of life that I will never understand. I don't think I have ever been carefree and can't see the pleasure of it."

"A carefree quality is a whole aspect of life that I will never understand. I don't think I have ever been carefree and can't see the pleasure of it."

Carter Burwell, American Composer

Life, Quality, Pleasure, Will

20

"I think that when NASA works on a moon shot, they know too well that all of the people working on it must do their job at 110 percent. Sometimes they probably put in 18 hour days, but they're aiming for the moon, and that's what counts."

"I think that when NASA works on a moon shot, they know too well that all of the people working on it must do their job at 110 percent. Sometimes they probably put in 18 hour days, but they're aiming for the moon, and that's what counts."

Marvin Hamlisch, American Composer

People, Job, Moon

20

"Music should be able to invoke the natural emotions in all human beings. Music is not notes fixed on apiece of paper."

"Music should be able to invoke the natural emotions in all human beings. Music is not notes fixed on apiece of paper."

Toru Takemitsu, Japanese Composer

Music, Emotions

20

"I'm not actually teaching any more, but I am writing pieces for schools all the time, and for kids."

"I'm not actually teaching any more, but I am writing pieces for schools all the time, and for kids."

Peter Maxwell Davies, English Composer

Time, Kids, Schools, Teaching

20

"And once I know what the first page is, then the rest will come."

"And once I know what the first page is, then the rest will come."

William Bolcom, American Composer

First, Rest, Will

20

"He who advises you to be reserved to your friends wishes to betray you without witnesses."

"He who advises you to be reserved to your friends wishes to betray you without witnesses."

Don J. Manuel, American Composer

Friendship, Friends, Wishes

20

"It is true that the eyes dominate the ears in our time."

"It is true that the eyes dominate the ears in our time."

Karlheinz Stockhausen, German Composer

20

"Well, because music is my life and music is not work for me."

"Well, because music is my life and music is not work for me."

Gunther Schuller, American Composer

Life, Music, Work

20

"All music is beautiful."

"All music is beautiful."

Billy Strayhorn, American Composer

20

"So long as the human spirit thrives on this planet, music in some living form will accompany and sustain it and give it expressive meaning."

"So long as the human spirit thrives on this planet, music in some living form will accompany and sustain it and give it expressive meaning."

Aaron Copland, American Composer

Music, Living, Meaning, Spirit

20

"Expression, to a great extent, is a matter of terms, and terms are anyone's. The meaning of 'God' may have a billion interpretations if there be that many souls in the world."

"Expression, to a great extent, is a matter of terms, and terms are anyone's. The meaning of 'God' may have a billion interpretations if there be that many souls in the world."

Charles Ives, American Composer

Expression, May, Meaning, World

20

"I don't care what other critics say, I only hope to be played."

"I don't care what other critics say, I only hope to be played."

Virgil Thomson, American Composer

20

"In the discovery of secret things and in the investigation of hidden causes, stronger reasons are obtained from sure experiments and demonstrated arguments than from probable conjectures and the opinions of philosophical speculators of the common sort."

"In the discovery of secret things and in the investigation of hidden causes, stronger reasons are obtained from sure experiments and demonstrated arguments than from probable conjectures and the opinions of philosophical speculators of the common sort."

William Gilbert, British Composer

Argument, Arguments, Causes, Discovery, Investigation

20

"That's where I began to ask questions that maybe don't have one specific answer. And the more people you get answers from, the richer the environment becomes."

"That's where I began to ask questions that maybe don't have one specific answer. And the more people you get answers from, the richer the environment becomes."

John Zorn, American Composer

People, Answers, Environment, Questions

20

"I would advise my young colleagues, the composers of symphonies, to drop in sometimes at the kindergarten, too. It is there that it is decided whether there will be anybody to understand their works in twenty years' time."

"I would advise my young colleagues, the composers of symphonies, to drop in sometimes at the kindergarten, too. It is there that it is decided whether there will be anybody to understand their works in twenty years' time."

Zoltan Kodaly, Hungarian Composer

Time, Composers, Will, Years

20

"In 'thinking up' music I usually have some kind of a brass band with wings on it in back of my mind."

"In 'thinking up' music I usually have some kind of a brass band with wings on it in back of my mind."

Charles Ives, American Composer

20

"I was always drawn to Broadway musicals, and obviously composers like Gershwin, Rodgers, Berlin and Porter were writing music that I found wildly impressive."

"I was always drawn to Broadway musicals, and obviously composers like Gershwin, Rodgers, Berlin and Porter were writing music that I found wildly impressive."

Marvin Hamlisch, American Composer

Music, Composers, Writing

20

"Any professional knows that the flute and the piano is a boring combination. All you've got to arrive at is a kind of typical gestural crap, right? You might agree, though you wouldn't call it gestural crap."

"Any professional knows that the flute and the piano is a boring combination. All you've got to arrive at is a kind of typical gestural crap, right? You might agree, though you wouldn't call it gestural crap."

Morton Feldman, American Composer

20

"If listeners aren't carried away to Heaven, I'm failing."

"If listeners aren't carried away to Heaven, I'm failing."

La Monte Young, American Composer

20

"It is important that we are coming up on the millennium because what I am experiencing, just being one person out of billions, is the feeling of acceleration. I experience this through my contact with other people."

"It is important that we are coming up on the millennium because what I am experiencing, just being one person out of billions, is the feeling of acceleration. I experience this through my contact with other people."

Terry Riley, American Composer

Experience, People, Being, Feeling

20

"I have about two or three people, we don't have an office, we don't even have a dedicated phone line. We do it out of our own homes, and we make it work."

"I have about two or three people, we don't have an office, we don't even have a dedicated phone line. We do it out of our own homes, and we make it work."

John Zorn, American Composer

Work, People, Office

20

"Nowadays, if a studio assumes that his film is bad, there is always an executive that gets more nervous than usual and thinks that if they change the music, the film will become a masterpiece."

"Nowadays, if a studio assumes that his film is bad, there is always an executive that gets more nervous than usual and thinks that if they change the music, the film will become a masterpiece."

Maurice Jarre, French Composer

Change, Music, Film, Will

20

"I run around, I listen to a lot of music, go to a lot of concerts. And when I see someone that gases me, I try to go out of my way to involve them somehow in what I'm doing or get involved in what they're doing."

"I run around, I listen to a lot of music, go to a lot of concerts. And when I see someone that gases me, I try to go out of my way to involve them somehow in what I'm doing or get involved in what they're doing."

John Zorn, American Composer

20

"My best film composing experience was with Elia Kazan."

"My best film composing experience was with Elia Kazan."

Alex North, American Composer

Experience, Film

20

"Music is such a problem in the time it takes."

"Music is such a problem in the time it takes."

Harrison Birtwistle, British Composer

20

"The House of Peers, throughout the war, did nothing in particular, and did it very well."

"The House of Peers, throughout the war, did nothing in particular, and did it very well."

William Gilbert, British Composer

19

"The establishment in Britain is certainly against the arts and against education. If something doesn't make a profit, it's invalid, and art doesn't make a profit in that sense."

"The establishment in Britain is certainly against the arts and against education. If something doesn't make a profit, it's invalid, and art doesn't make a profit in that sense."

Peter Maxwell Davies, English Composer

Art, Education, Profit, Sense

19

"Art is the unceasing effort to compete with the beauty of flowers - and never succeeding."

"Art is the unceasing effort to compete with the beauty of flowers - and never succeeding."

Gian Carlo Menotti, Italian Composer

Art, Beauty, Effort, Flowers

19

"Perhaps many of the perplexing problems of the new music could be put into a new light if we were to reintroduce the ancient idea of music being a reflection of nature."

"Perhaps many of the perplexing problems of the new music could be put into a new light if we were to reintroduce the ancient idea of music being a reflection of nature."

George Crumb, American Composer

Music, Nature, Idea, Being

19

"It is never too late to fall in love."

"It is never too late to fall in love."

Sandy Wilson, British Composer

19

"The key to the mystery of a great artist is that for reasons unknown, he will give away his energies and his life just to make sure that one note follows another... and leaves us with the feeling that something is right in the world."

"The key to the mystery of a great artist is that for reasons unknown, he will give away his energies and his life just to make sure that one note follows another... and leaves us with the feeling that something is right in the world."

Leonard Bernstein, American Composer

Life, Artist, Feeling, Key

19

"So I don't really have a clear plan, in terms of music, as to where I want to head in the future."

"So I don't really have a clear plan, in terms of music, as to where I want to head in the future."

Nobuo Uematsu, Japanese Composer

Music, Future, Want

19

"America tends to worship the modest talent because it doesn't put us in an uncomfortable position vis-a-vis the artist."

"America tends to worship the modest talent because it doesn't put us in an uncomfortable position vis-a-vis the artist."

Carlisle Floyd, American Composer

Talent, America, Artist, Worship

19

"Never play anything that don't sound right. You might not make any money, but at least you won't get hostile with yourself."

"Never play anything that don't sound right. You might not make any money, but at least you won't get hostile with yourself."

Hoagy Carmichael, American Composer

Money, Play, Right, Sound

19

"No, I think that a person writes a poem because they have an inner urge of something that they want to express, and I think it's that inner urge that you want to express when you write a piece of music."

"No, I think that a person writes a poem because they have an inner urge of something that they want to express, and I think it's that inner urge that you want to express when you write a piece of music."

Leo Ornstein, American Composer

19

"The blues are like the fugue in 18th century. It's probably the music that belongs most to our time."

"The blues are like the fugue in 18th century. It's probably the music that belongs most to our time."

Michael Tippett, English Composer

19

"I have been interested in Irish traditional music for the past few years."

"I have been interested in Irish traditional music for the past few years."

Nobuo Uematsu, Japanese Composer

Music, Irish, Past, Years

19

"Whereas Schaeffer and Henry were working like samplers, their idea was to capture those sounds which couldn't be serially calibrated because they were too complex in character."

"Whereas Schaeffer and Henry were working like samplers, their idea was to capture those sounds which couldn't be serially calibrated because they were too complex in character."

Luc Ferrari, French Composer

Idea, Character

19

"We can use techniques in modifying things, in controlling things, but the first impulse has to be something that you simply cannot make just out of technique, or else it becomes perfectly evident that it is nothing but technique that you're exercising."

"We can use techniques in modifying things, in controlling things, but the first impulse has to be something that you simply cannot make just out of technique, or else it becomes perfectly evident that it is nothing but technique that you're exercising."

Leo Ornstein, American Composer

19

"The story of Willie Stark fascinated me because it was tackling the story of a man who outwardly has all the success one could possibly want and who is destroyed by his personal demons."

"The story of Willie Stark fascinated me because it was tackling the story of a man who outwardly has all the success one could possibly want and who is destroyed by his personal demons."

Carlisle Floyd, American Composer

Success, Man, Want

19

"Here is how I work: when I think that a film needs to have a principal theme, I search for a melody."

"Here is how I work: when I think that a film needs to have a principal theme, I search for a melody."

Michel Legrand, French Composer

19

"Musicians own music because music owns them."

"Musicians own music because music owns them."

Virgil Thomson, American Composer

Music, Musicians

19

"The point is not to take the world's opinion as a guiding star but to go one's way in life and working unerringly, neither depressed by failure nor seduced by applause."

"The point is not to take the world's opinion as a guiding star but to go one's way in life and working unerringly, neither depressed by failure nor seduced by applause."

Gustav Mahler, Austrian Composer

Life, Failure, Applause, Opinion

19

"I felt that I had been influenced by being in the city enough and I wanted to go off by myself to see what was going on. I remember going out there and looking in the mirror and thinking I wasn't anything."

"I felt that I had been influenced by being in the city enough and I wanted to go off by myself to see what was going on. I remember going out there and looking in the mirror and thinking I wasn't anything."

Roscoe Mitchell, American Composer

Being, Thinking

19

"And it's very strange, but I think there is something very common - not only in Celtic music - but there is a factor or element in Celtic music that is similar in music that we find in Japan, the United States, Europe, and even China and other Asian countries."

"And it's very strange, but I think there is something very common - not only in Celtic music - but there is a factor or element in Celtic music that is similar in music that we find in Japan, the United States, Europe, and even China and other Asian countries."

Nobuo Uematsu, Japanese Composer

Music, Countries, Europe, states

19

"Writing tonal music now, you are not writing into the 19th Century."

"Writing tonal music now, you are not writing into the 19th Century."

Gavin Bryars, English Composer

Music, Now, Writing

19

"One thing I am certain of is that, if I have done anything good in music, it was, first, because of my father, and second, because of my wife."

"One thing I am certain of is that, if I have done anything good in music, it was, first, because of my father, and second, because of my wife."

Charles Ives, American Composer

Music, Father, Wife, First

19

"I'm approaching a period in my life though where I'd like to be totally absorbed into music, doing concerts, writing something. Basically, that IS what I am doing."

"I'm approaching a period in my life though where I'd like to be totally absorbed into music, doing concerts, writing something. Basically, that IS what I am doing."

Roscoe Mitchell, American Composer

Life, Music, Writing

19

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