Quotes by Composers

A good composer does not imitate; he steals. Igor Stravinsky

Good Imitate Composer Steals He Does

Now I have children of my own. They ask their mother what will I be. Will I be handsome, will I be rich? Jay Livingston

Mother Will Own Rich My Own Handsome Children Ask Now

I have a lot of friends who get up most mornings and go to jobs they absolutely hate. I don't think that's what life is about and I'm so fortunate that I actually love what I do. Jerry Herman

Life Love Hate Think Jobs About Absolutely Mornings Most Go Lot Up Friends Get Fortunate Who Actually

If there is anyone here whom I have not insulted, I beg his pardon. Johannes Brahms

Pardon Insulted His Beg Anyone Whom Here

If you have a successful run, everything comes to you. Nothing succeeds like success. John Barry

Success You Nothing Everything Run Like Succeeds Successful

There is no such thing as an empty space or an empty time. There is always something to see, something to hear. In fact, try as we may to make a silence, we cannot. John Cage

Time Silence Try Space Empty Space We Cannot See Something Fact Make Empty Always Hear May In Fact Cannot Thing

I have nothing to say, I am saying it, and that is poetry. John Cage

Saying Nothing Say Poetry Am

We need not destroy the past. It is gone. John Cage

Past Gone Destroy Need

As a youngster, I never dreamed there could be a career actually earning a living writing music. John Williams

Music Writing Living Earning Dreamed Could Never Youngster Actually Career

I'm not a frustrated concert composer, and the concert pieces I've done have been a small part of my work. What I've sought there is instruction, variation from the demands of film and relief from its restrictions. John Williams

Work Relief Composer Variation Restrictions Small Small Part Part Demands Pieces Instruction Concert Sought Been Done Frustrated Film

I used to look at composing music as problem solving. But as I get older, it's not about problem solving anymore. There are no solutions, because there are no problems. You just turn the tap and it flows out. John Zorn

The opposite of war is not peace, it's creation. Jonathan Larson

War Peace Creation Opposite

Music can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable. Leonard Bernstein

Music Communicate Unknowable Name

The key to the mystery of a great artist is that for reasons unknown, he will give away his energies and his life just to make sure that one note follows another... and leaves us with the feeling that something is right in the world. Leonard Bernstein

Life Great World Key Will Feeling Great Artist Unknown Follows Give Something Mystery He Make Another Sure Leaves His Artist Just Energies Note Us Reasons Away Right

I'm not interested in having an orchestra sound like itself. I want it to sound like the composer. Leonard Bernstein

Composer Having Like Sound Itself Orchestra Want Not Interested Interested

Boulez seemed to me to be a guy who wrote laws. Like a company lawyer. Luc Ferrari

Me Lawyer Seemed Guy Laws Like Wrote Who Company

A great poet is the most precious jewel of a nation. Ludwig van Beethoven

Great Poet Nation Most Precious Jewel

The barriers are not erected which can say to aspiring talents and industry, 'Thus far and no farther.' Ludwig van Beethoven

Say Thus Talents Industry Which Far Aspiring Farther Barriers

Friends applaud, the comedy is over. Ludwig van Beethoven

Comedy Over Friends Applaud

There ought to be an artistic depot where the artist need only hand in his artwork in order to receive what he asks for. As things are, one must be half a business man, and how can one understand - good heavens! - that's what I really call troublesome. Ludwig van Beethoven

Good Man Business Half Ought Must Only Troublesome He Call Understand How His Hand Artist Artistic Heavens Artwork Where Order Ask Really Things Receive Need