1432 quotes by composers for you to enjoy

What I think of as style - and I've gotten to this over years of really thinking about it - is that style is the unconscious choices I make. John Corigliano

Style Think Thinking About Unconscious Over Make Gotten Years Really Choices

The structural thinking I use in the concert hall is unnecessary to most film projects, and most film composers make better use of the enormous range of pop and other materials and techniques required of them than I probably would, faced with the same challenge. John Corigliano

Better Challenge Thinking Enormous Other Projects Range Unnecessary Would Composers Faced Structural Most Make Concert Concert Hall Hall Materials Than Same Them Pop Required Use Film Techniques

You become a great composer when you win a Pulitzer. But I think that now it's a completely meaningless award. John Corigliano

Great You Win Become Think Composer Meaningless Award Now Pulitzer

Eighty percent of my pieces gravitate towards an A, as a tonal thing, not at the beginning, but somewhere in it. John Corigliano

Somewhere Beginning Percent Towards Pieces Eighty Thing Gravitate Tonal

The thing I regret most about my life are those inane photos of me with icons. They used to come down here and dress me up, and I just tolerated it. It's my fault. But I shouldn't have done it. They literally brought down costumes, candles, and icons! It was unbelievable stupidity. John Tavener

Life Me Regret Fault Stupidity My Life Down Those Photos Dress Unbelievable Brought About Costumes Come Most Up Done Just Candles Literally Icons Used Tolerated Thing Here

The music is something outside myself that's also inside myself... Music and a sense of another presence always went hand in hand. Even when I was three, I would improvise music, and my maternal grandfather would act as an audience and used to applaud. I would imitate things like thunder and rain. John Tavener

Music Myself Rain Three Improvise Sense Imitate Would Inside Something Outside Thunder Like Also Another Audience Always Maternal Hand Hand-In-Hand Grandfather Act Used Even Applaud Things Presence

My consultant keeps telling me sudden death could come at any moment. John Tavener

Death Me Telling Consultant Could Come Any Moment Sudden Keeps

I was having these terrible back pains, and then one day in Switzerland, things got very bad. My wife Maryanna called the hotel doctor, but I don't remember any of this, I was out of it. I had an operation, and I was nearly lost. John Tavener

In his late quartets, Beethoven introduces an element that shouldn't be there, that should be left for meditation, though I love them. I can see that through them came Wagner and Mahler and Schoenberg and Berg. And then came Tracey Emin. And I can see it all as one downward path. John Tavener

Love Path Meditation Late Though See Mahler Through Came Wagner His Beethoven Left Them Then Should Element Downward

My way towards God has been to write music. John Tavener

Music God Way Has-Been Write Towards Been

I think there will always be a possibility that God doesn't exist because He is infinitude and into that infinitude must come that possibility. John Tavener

God Will Think Possibility Must He Come Because Always Exist

I've written a very long piece of music recently, the 'Veil of the Temple,' which lasts about seven hours. It's really a kind of vigil. It takes place during the night, waiting for the resurrection of Christ. John Tavener

When I talk of primordial innocence, I hear it in Sufi music with the nay flute. I see it in Coptic icons, in most traditional art, particularly art of the American Indian. I find the texts extraordinarily beautiful and very childlike and very simple. I've been particularly interested in American Indian texts. John Tavener

Beautiful Music Art Simple Innocence Extraordinarily Flute Find Indian See Primordial Most Particularly Talk Traditional Hear Been Texts Very American Childlike Interested Icons Nay Sufi

'The Whale' was in the category of so-called serious music, and yet it brings together a wide series of musical styles. It was influenced by people such as The Beatles, the spirit of the times, and I think 'The Whale' certainly had a pop element to it. John Tavener

When we see Rey, we want to hear Rey's theme, and when the Force is referred to or felt, we want to hear the Force theme, and so on. We hope that these references make sense to the fans and make the aural connections that we want them to have. John Williams

Hope Fans Sense See Force Make Felt Hear References Aural Referred Want Them Theme Connections

To continue to work, to continue to love what you do, is certainly a contributing element to one's longevity and health. John Williams

Work Love Health You Longevity Continue Contributing To Love Certainly Element

I feel very lucky, and the work that I do doesn't depend on much. If your vision's still good, and your hands - I have no arthritis in my hands, and I play the piano very easily - I don't think there's any reason to deprive oneself of the fun of working. Music is so rewarding. John Williams

Work Music Good Vision Depend Think Easily Oneself Piano Feel Still Very Arthritis Hands Any Rewarding Deprive Much Working Your Reason Fun Lucky Play

I always wrote music for my friends, but my focus was on playing piano. I didn't think I'd be quite good enough to be a soloist, but I believed that if I worked hard enough, I could work as a player, a teacher. John Williams

Work Teacher Music Good Focus Think Enough Could Piano Wrote Always Friends Quite Worked Hard Believed Player Playing

The Olympics are a wonderful metaphor for world cooperation, the kind of international competition that's wholesome and healthy, an interplay between countries that represents the best in all of us. John Williams

Best Wonderful World Competition Healthy Kind Between Countries Metaphor Represents Us International Wholesome Cooperation Olympics

I fell in love immediately with Daisy Ridley. She is just a superstar born. John Williams

Love Immediately Born Superstar Fell She Just Daisy

Quotes by Composers