5,814 quotes
Music had always been the handmaid of the Roman liturgy.
Richard Morris
Clergyman · English · 1833 – 1894
As usual the Liberals offer a mixture of sound and original ideas. Unfortunately none of the sound ideas is original and none of the original ideas is sound.
Harold MacMillan
Politician · English · 1894 – 1986
I call architecture frozen music.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Poet · German · 1749 – 1832
Music is a performance and needs the audience.
Michael Tippett
Composer · English · 1905 – 1998
In symphonic music, when you are conducting, you do the same thing. You are feeling the whole orchestra, thinking ahead so you can prepare for a change.
David Amram
Composer · American · b. 1930
My parents did not have any interest in music.
Maurice Jarre
Composer · French · b. 1924
Whenever I felt happy about having discovered something, the first encounter, not only with the public, with other musicians, with specialists, etc, was that they rejected it.
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Composer · German · 1928 – 2007
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
Composer · German · b. 1922
People say that the Beavis voice doesn't sound like me or some other voices. Butt-Head I think sounds like me.
Mike Judge
Producer · American · b. 1962
Music is an agreeable harmony for the honor of God and the permissible delights of the soul.
Johannes Sebastian Bach
Composer
It is so characteristic, that just when the mechanics of reproduction are so vastly improved, there are fewer and fewer people who know how the music should be played.
Ludwig Wittgenstein
Philosopher · Austrian · 1889 – 1951
Writing has laws of perspective, of light and shade just as painting does, or music. If you are born knowing them, fine. If not, learn them. Then rearrange the rules to suit yourself.
Truman Capote
Novelist · American · 1924 – 1984
In aptitude tests, I scored highest in music.
Conrad Hall
Artist · American · 1926 – 2003
But I never listen to music while I'm writing.
Stephen Greenblatt
Critic · American · b. 1943
Reviewing music or reviewing anything is a writing job. It's nice if you are experienced in the field you are writing about, but writing is what you are doing.
Virgil Thomson
Composer · American · 1896 – 1989
His life, though none too long, Was never dull: Of woman, wine and song Bill had his full.
Robert Service
Poet · Scottish · 1874 – 1958
When there were financial difficulties they still managed to provide us with music and art lessons.
Jerome Isaac Friedman
Physicist · American · b. 1930
If you already have a piece of music ingrained in your body, why would you not play it?
Keith Jarrett
Composer · American · b. 1945
It's often the case with directors that they don't like to share credit, which is the case of Stanley. He would prefer just A Film By Stanley Kubrick including music and everything.
Terry Southern
Writer · American · 1924 – 1995
Of all the arts, music is really the most abstract.
Leo Ornstein
Composer · American · 1892 – 2002
I sound like Homer. I mean Winslow Homer.
Charles Olson
Poet · American · 1910 – 1970
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
Composer · American · b. 1929
My life has been one great big joke, a dance that's walked a song that's spoke, I laugh so hard I almost choke when I think about myself.
Maya Angelou
Poet · American · b. 1928
A musicologist is a man who can read music but can't hear it.
Thomas Beecham
Composer · English · 1879 – 1961
The Siren waits thee, singing song for song.
Walter Savage Landor
Poet · English · 1775 – 1864
I think we're in a very low point of music right now.
Toil without song is like a weary journey without an end.
H. P. Lovecraft
Novelist · American · 1890 – 1937
Right now, more people enjoy movies, music, television and movies than they do video games.
J Allard
Scientist · American
Why do they cover Paul's songs but never mine?
Yoko Ono
Artist · American · b. 1933
Religion is no more possible without prayer than poetry without language, or music without atmosphere.
James Martineau
Philosopher · English · 1805 – 1900
A system of morality which is based on relative emotional values is a mere illusion, a thoroughly vulgar conception which has nothing sound in it and nothing true.
Socrates
Philosopher · Greek
However in countries outside of Japan I think game music is still a potential growth market that has not yet developed to the extent that we are seeing in Japan.
Nobuo Uematsu
Composer · Japanese · b. 1959
I think maybe chance works better in a situation like music because music exists over a period of time, and you don't maintain constantly the you can't refer back from one area to another area.
Robert Rauschenberg
Artist · American · 1925 – 2008
Spin Me Round was number one all over the world, everywhere. It changed the face of pop music, no question. We took technology further than Trevor Horn.
Pete Waterman
Producer · English · b. 1947
Although technical discussions are interesting to composers, I suspect that the truly magical and spiritual powers of music arise from deeper levels of our psyche.
Handcuffing the ability of states and localities to develop clean fuels in the cheapest possible way, using local resources, is not sound or sensible policy.
Jan Schakowsky
Politician · American · b. 1944
I believe the term modulation denotes in music the uninterrupted shift from one key to another: I do not know the term for change of rhythm without change of measure.
Allen Tate
Poet · American · 1899 – 1979
I wanted to capture the excitement of house music, almost like a four-four beat, and the best way to do that was to use a language that was rhythmic and performative.
Irvine Welsh
Novelist · Scottish · b. 1961
The character of instrumental music... lets the emotions radiate and shine in their own character without presuming to display them as real or imaginary representations.
Franz Liszt
Composer · Hungarian · 1811 – 1886
Even Catholic parishes today are not wanting for talent. But no serious singer or organist will get anywhere near the typical music program, at least if he wants to retain his self-respect.
The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul.
In poetic language, in which the sign as such takes on an autonomous value, this sound symbolism becomes an actual factor and creates a sort of accompaniment to the signified.
Roman Jakobson
Scientist · Russian · 1896 – 1982
There is pleasure in the pathless woods, there is rapture in the lonely shore, there is society where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in its roar; I love not Man the less, but Nature more.
George Byron
Poet · Scottish · 1788 – 1824
We have closely monitored the ups and downs of recruiting and retention trends for many years and have been quick to sound the alarm when challenges came into view.
John M. McHugh
Politician · American · b. 1948
Life is a song - sing it. Life is a game - play it. Life is a challenge - meet it. Life is a dream - realize it. Life is a sacrifice - offer it. Life is love - enjoy it.
Sai Baba
Leader · Indian
I mean the public likes it more in Europe than they do here because the state supported organizations have felt that playing contemporary music was part of the education of the public.
Elliott Carter
Composer · American · b. 1908
They were singing in French, but the melody was freedom and any American could understand that.
Audie Murphy
Soldier · American · 1924 – 1971
The project which we developed, however, was for a sound piece and I was initially curious that a sculptor should be interested in working with a musician, especially on a project for radio.
Gavin Bryars
Composer · English · b. 1943
