I spent a good deal of time last night collecting quotes for a game that I am planning to have my students play at the September Surprise tonight. There’s a handy composer category of quotes on the brainy quote site – from which I pulled all the quotes. Although you can’t be 100% sure of the accuracy of the wording, a person’s quotes do certainly give you a little glimpse into their beliefs and worldview. And some of them were quite comic! Here are a few that I found humorous:
“At least I have the modesty to admit that lack of modesty is one of my failings.” – Hector Berlioz
“To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan, and not quite enough time.” – Leonard Bernstein
“If there is anyone here whom I have not insulted, I beg his pardon.” – Johannes Brahms
“The old idea of a composer suddenly having a terrific idea and sitting up all night to write it is nonsense. Nighttime is for sleeping.” – Benjamin Britten
“Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind.” – Gioachino Rossini
“One can’t judge Wagner’s opera Lohengrin after a first hearing, and I certainly don’t intend to hear it a second time.” – Gioachino Rossini
“I may not be a first-rate composer, but I am a first-class second-rate composer.” – Richard Strauss
“Too many pieces of music finish too long after the end.” – Igor Stravinsky
Anyone have any other favorite or funny quotes to add?
“All music is folk music. I ain’t never heard no horse sing.”
–Louis Armstrong
The British conductor Thomas Beecham is my all time favourite for quotes. If you do a web search you will come across them. My favourites are the ones about Stockhausen and a certain female cello player (both too rude to post here! ). However this one is also very good:
Brass bands are all very well in their place – outdoors and several miles away.
I only wish he was still alive when I was playing on the London orchestral scene.