Quotes by Composers

When you write for an orchestra, the sky's the limit. Michael Giacchino

You Sky Write Limit Orchestra

When I was a kid, there was no DVD, no VHS. The only way to re-live a movie once it was out of the theater was to listen to its film score. Michael Giacchino

Once Way Kid Out Only Score Listen Movie Theater Film

There's always a question of duration, there's a question of who the orchestra is. No one is free to write what you want - you collaborate on a film score, and one of the good things is that someone else's work is motivating you. Michael Nyman

Music is a performance and needs the audience. Michael Tippett

Music Needs Performance Audience

Characters are an extreme form in Shakespeare's theater. Michael Tippett

Extreme Characters Shakespeare Form Theater

Conductors don't suffer, they are part of the performance. Michael Tippett

Part Performance Conductors Suffer

I think we're all pretty odd. Michael Tippett

Think Pretty Odd

I'm outside the music I've made. I have no interest in it. Michael Tippett

Music Made No Interest Outside Interest

I've seldom become nostalgic or settled. Michael Tippett

Become Settled Seldom Nostalgic

Nature has different times. Michael Tippett

Nature Times Different Different Times

Public notice does not necessarily accord with internal fulfilment. Michael Tippett

Does Accord Public Notice Fulfilment Internal Necessarily

The nearest figure to myself would be Shakespeare. Michael Tippett

Myself Would Would-Be Shakespeare Figure Nearest

This is something special. You can attempt to have a kind of non-living music. Michael Tippett

Music You Kind Something Something Special Attempt Special

I would listen to something on the radio and try to tap out the melody, then the harmonies. Michel Legrand

Try Harmonies Melody Out Would Something Tap Listen Then Radio

I have a very strange melodic gift: melodies come to me effortlessly. Michel Legrand

Me Strange Gift Melodic Melodies Come Very Effortlessly

Here is how I work: when I think that a film needs to have a principal theme, I search for a melody. Michel Legrand

Work Needs Think Melody Principal How Theme Search Film Here

Thanks to nanny, I've got a deep understanding of Russian tales. Modest Mussorgsky

Understanding Thanks Russian Tales Nanny Got Deep

Music is essentially built upon primitive memory structures. Morton Feldman

Music Memory Structures Primitive Built Essentially

No one has the Houdini school of composition. Morton Feldman

School Composition No-One Houdini

Any professional knows that the flute and the piano is a boring combination. All you've got to arrive at is a kind of typical gestural crap, right? You might agree, though you wouldn't call it gestural crap. Morton Feldman

You Typical Flute Though Kind Boring Piano Combination Call Knows Got Arrive Any Crap Might Professional Agree Right