Quotes by Composers

Wagner is a composer who has beautiful moments but awful quarter hours. Gioachino Rossini

Beautiful Composer Hours Quarter Wagner Who Moments Awful

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

Life Work Music Me My Life Music Is My Life Well Because

The record company started as an adjunct to that, to give young composers their first recorded performances; to give young musicians their first debut on a recording. These are all things that big record companies would never touch because there is no money in it! Gunther Schuller

Musicians Money Recording First Big Young Adjunct Would All Things Composers Record Record Companies Record Company Touch Give Recorded Never Performance Because Debut Companies Company Things Started

So now, thirty years, forty years later, I mean, I could find a whole orchestra of a thousand to put these things together in New York City alone. In those days, if I could scrape up twenty musicians to do this it was something extraordinary. Gunther Schuller

Alone Musicians Together Thirty Extraordinary Later Those Thousand City Find Something Could Put New Days Years Up York Scrape Orchestra New York New York City Mean If I Could Forty Forty Years Whole Twenty Now Things

But somehow, I felt no inclination to be interested in it in any amateur way, let alone professional, until suddenly I became interested. And the first thing I did was to compose: not play an instrument, but to compose. Gunther Schuller

Because I have sixty years of being a professional composer, conductor, musician, whatever, and you develop a lot of friendships and you get involved with a lot of sort of long-term commitments and obligations. Gunther Schuller

You Obligations Whatever Musician Composer Develop Long-Term Involved Sort Because Years Lot Conductor Friendships Get Commitments Being Sixty Professional

As rich as Cincinnati was in live music, New York was even more. Gunther Schuller

Music Rich Live Cincinnati More New York New York Live Music Even

And it is this sense that some of us have to contribute to the culture, to the society in ways that may hurt financially, so what? We do it because we are born to do it, we feel we have no other choice and so be it. Gunther Schuller

Hurt Culture Sense Society Other Ways Financially Some Born Feel Because Contribute May Us Choice

After the war, once the bop revolution had taken hold, there were all kinds of young musicians, talented young musicians, who were ready for this fusion of classical and jazz. Gunther Schuller

War Musicians Revolution Young Jazz Once Fusion Kinds Classical Had Taken Talented Ready Were Hold After Who

The call of love sounds very hollow among these immobile rocks. Gustav Mahler

Love Immobile Call Sounds Rocks Very Hollow Among

I beg of you... never assume an inner or an outer pose, never a disguise. Gustav Mahler

You Disguise Assume Outer Never Beg Inner Pose

I have become a different person. I don't know whether this person is better, he certainly is not happier. Gustav Mahler

Better Become He Know Person Different Whether Happier Different Person Certainly

The impressions of the spriritual experiences gave my future life its form and content. Gustav Mahler

Life Future Gave Future Life Content Impressions Experiences Form

Discipline, work. Work, discipline. Gustav Mahler

Work Discipline

Never let oneself be guided by the opinion of one's contemporaries. Continue steadfastly on one's way. Gustav Mahler

Way Guided Oneself Never Contemporaries Opinion Continue

The longer you live and the more you learn, the more clearly you will feel the difference between the few men who are truly great and the mere virtuosi. Gustav Mahler

Great You Will Men Few Live More Mere Feel Between Clearly Longer Learn Truly Few Men Difference Who

Even if people censure me, they should do so hat in hand. Gustav Mahler

Me People Hat Hand Censure Should Even

I also had a brother who was like me a musician and a composer. A man of great talent, far more gifted than I. He died very young... he killed himself in the prime of his life. Gustav Mahler

Life Great Me Man Young Musician Gifted Brother Composer More Had He Prime Talent Great Talent Like Also Himself His Very Than Died Far Who

If I weren't the way I am, I shouldn't write my symphonies. Gustav Mahler

Symphonies Way Write Am Were

It should be one's sole endeavor to see everything afresh and create it anew. Gustav Mahler

Endeavor Everything Sole Anew See Create Should

The real art of conducting consists in transitions. Gustav Mahler

Music Art Consists Real Conducting Transitions