Habit is stronger than willpower or inspirationIn writing, habit seems to be a stronger force than either willpower or inspiration. Consequently there must be some little quality of fierceness until the habit pattern of a certain number of words is established. There is no possibility, in me at least, of saying, “I’ll do it if I feel like it.” One never […]
Berlioz on editorial license“You musicians, you poets, prose-writers, actors, pianists, conductors, whether of third or second or even first rank, you do not have the right to meddle with a Shakespeare or a Beethoven, in order to bestow on them the blessings of your knowledge and taste.” – Hector Berlioz, on tampering with fine creations (in this case, […]
There’s one way to get him to playPeople often begged him to play a little air on the violin, but he refused great lords and his fellow de-bauchers alike. The only person who succeeded in making him play was the Marshal de Grammont. He had a footman called La Lande who later became one of the best violinists in Europe. After a […]
The creative learning process“Creativity is a type of learning process where the teacher and pupil are located in the same individual.” — Arthur Koestler
The inexpressible depth of musicThe inexpressible depth of all music, by virtue of which it floats past us as a paradise quite familiar and yet eternally remote, and is so easy to understand and yet so inexplicable, is due to the fact that it reproduces all the emotions of our innermost being, but entirely without reality and remote from […]
Mozart’s masterpieces“Mozart makes you believe in God – much more than going to church – because it cannot be by chance that such a phenomenon arrives into this world and then passes after thirty-six years, leaving behind such an unbounded number of unparalleled masterpieces.” Sir Georg Solti Source: Kelly, Henry & Foley, John (1998) Classic FM […]
Sondheim on expressionMike Brown interviewers musical theatre composer Stephen Sondhiem: When I venture that his songs might suggest that he has a somewhat jaundiced view of love, he momentarily flares into irritation. ‘How can you tell? Every single song I’ve ever written is sung by a character created by somebody else. Some might have a jaundiced view […]
The Poet and the MusePoet, you are no liar. The world that you imagine is the real one. The melodies of the harp alone know truth, and in this life they can be our only true guides. Cavafy, “The Poet and the Muse”
Be a dreamer“Be a dreamer. If you don’t know how to dream, you’re dead.” – Jim Valvano, American basketball coach
