--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I always tend to think that composing is…" description: "\"I always tend to think that composing is not playing an instrument, composing is having something in your head that's steaming and it has to go out. It..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a09/alexandre-desplat-4905_always_i-always-tend-to-think-that-composing-is_2142664.png" --- # I always tend to think that composing is not playing an… ![“I always tend to think that composing is not playing an instrument, composing is having something in your head that's steaming and it has to go out. It has to become sounds and be written. It's an emotion that you can't repress.” quote by Alexandre Desplat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a09/alexandre-desplat-4905_always_i-always-tend-to-think-that-composing-is_2142664.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a09/alexandre-desplat-4905_always_i-always-tend-to-think-that-composing-is_2142664.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a09/alexandre-desplat-4905_always_i-always-tend-to-think-that-composing-is_2142664.png) > “I always tend to think that composing is not playing an instrument, composing is having something in your head that's steaming and it has to go out. It has to become sounds and be written. It's an emotion that you can't repress.” [Alexandre Desplat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-desplat/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Composing is translating internal,, into audible form, not merely playing an instrument. **In simple terms:** Turning thoughts into music. Key Takeaway Capture and express your inner feelings through sound. Themes creativity expression music composition Mood introspective inspired Type artistic instructional When to use this quote - film scoring - personal songwriting - collaborative projects Key Concepts emotional translation sound design artistic process Questions to Reflect On - How do you capture fleeting emotions in music? - What techniques help transform ideas into sound? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Always](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always/) [Composing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/composing/) [Composing Having](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/composing-having-4467845/) [Composing Playing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/composing-playing-2433165/) [Go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/go/) [Head](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/head/) [Instrument Composing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instrument-composing-4467846/) [Music making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-making/) [Something](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/something/) [Think Composing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-composing-4467844/) [Your](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your/) ## Related quotes > [It's been thrown up to me most of my life: Why don't I just concentrate on conducting or composing or my own playing or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-previn/it-s-been-thrown-up-to-me-most-of-my-life-why-don-t-i-just/) [Andre Previn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-previn/) > [That's why I'm so passionate about making music for movies because you dive in and find the best ideas to bring tolife a collective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-desplat/that-s-why-i-m-so-passionate-about-making-music-for-movies-because/) [Alexandre Desplat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-desplat/) > [Composing is to think. It is to have your mind trying to find what is the best sound that the movie is going for:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-desplat/composing-is-to-think-it-is-to-have-your-mind-trying-to-find-what-is/) [Alexandre Desplat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-desplat/) > [The material of music is sound and silence. Integrating these is composing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cage/the-material-of-music-is-sound-and-silence-integrating-these-is/) [John Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cage/) > [Every orchestra I know, every opera house I know, is desperately looking around trying to find new talent, new composing talent, supporting young composers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esa-pekka-salonen/every-orchestra-i-know-every-opera-house-i-know-is-desperately/) [Esa-Pekka Salonen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esa-pekka-salonen/) > [It is hard work composing a song for a film and showing it to makers: 50% of the tune remains the same, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohit-chauhan/it-is-hard-work-composing-a-song-for-a-film-and-showing-it-to-makers/) [Mohit Chauhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohit-chauhan/) > [I'd always loved poetry and I'd always loved writing music and composing music, but I hadn't thought of putting the two together until around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/i-d-always-loved-poetry-and-i-d-always-loved-writing-music-and/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) > [Every day I lugged my backpack through the halls, waiting for the final bell. Then I'd race home and hole up in my room,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-groban/every-day-i-lugged-my-backpack-through-the-halls-waiting-for-the/) [Josh Groban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-groban/) > [I don't meditate before I play or compose, but I see playing and composing as meditative acts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-swallow/i-don-t-meditate-before-i-play-or-compose-but-i-see-playing-and/) [Steve Swallow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-swallow/) > [I was really into the music of Cream after I finished composing the music for 'BTTB.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryuichi-sakamoto/i-was-really-into-the-music-of-cream-after-i-finished-composing-the/) [Ryuichi Sakamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryuichi-sakamoto/) > [Even though, theoretically, being a composer and being a songwriter are the same thing, in my brain, they are completely different. When I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bacon/even-though-theoretically-being-a-composer-and-being-a-songwriter-are/) [Michael Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bacon/) > [I'm the only actor who has done everything, right from anchoring shows to composing and singing songs to theatre to movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javed-jaffrey/i-m-the-only-actor-who-has-done-everything-right-from-anchoring-shows/) [Javed Jaffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javed-jaffrey/) > [Composing a piece of music is very feminine. It is sensitive, emotional, contemplative. By comparison, doing housework is positively masculine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kolb/composing-a-piece-of-music-is-very-feminine-it-is-sensitive-emotional/) [Barbara Kolb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kolb/) > [As human beings, we are the only organisms that create for the sheer stupid pleasure of doing so. Whether it's laying out a garden,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hamel/as-human-beings-we-are-the-only-organisms-that-create-for-the-sheer/) [Gary Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hamel/) > [Playing is much, much harder than composing in my opinion, becoming a player. If you want to be a player for all your life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-powell/playing-is-much-much-harder-than-composing-in-my-opinion-becoming-a/) [John Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-powell/) ## More by Alexandre Desplat > [When synthesizers appeared everyone was a composer suddenly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-desplat/when-synthesizers-appeared-everyone-was-a-composer-suddenly/) [Alexandre Desplat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-desplat/) > [I've been pretty lucky to work with directors who were quite influenced by European cinema.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-desplat/i-ve-been-pretty-lucky-to-work-with-directors-who-were-quite/) [Alexandre Desplat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-desplat/) > [I guess the passion I have for cinema is as strong as the one that I have for music. And I've always tried to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-desplat/i-guess-the-passion-i-have-for-cinema-is-as-strong-as-the-one-that-i/) [Alexandre Desplat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-desplat/) > [That's the main lesson I've learned from working in the theater: respect the dramaturgy. I don't want to overwhelm everything with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-desplat/that-s-the-main-lesson-i-ve-learned-from-working-in-the-theater/) [Alexandre Desplat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-desplat/) > [I'm not a script composer. I'm a film composer and my brain is excited by images and moving elements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-desplat/i-m-not-a-script-composer-i-m-a-film-composer-and-my-brain-is-excited/) [Alexandre Desplat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-desplat/) > [There are some moments in your life and in your career when you meet a movie and the director that suddenly just turns you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-desplat/there-are-some-moments-in-your-life-and-in-your-career-when-you-meet/) [Alexandre Desplat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-desplat/) > [I never thought the orchestra should be big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-desplat/i-never-thought-the-orchestra-should-be-big/) [Alexandre Desplat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-desplat/) > [The main difference I'd say is that European cinema has always used less music than American cinema for historical reasons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-desplat/the-main-difference-i-d-say-is-that-european-cinema-has-always-used/) [Alexandre Desplat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-desplat/) > [Mozart for me is the No. 1 composer. His music is not just joy or sadness. It's deep emotion with a touch of lightness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-desplat/mozart-for-me-is-the-no-1-composer-his-music-is-not-just-joy-or/) [Alexandre Desplat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-desplat/) > [I liked 'The Darjeeling Limited' very much. There was a melancholy about that film that I liked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-desplat/i-liked-the-darjeeling-limited-very-much-there-was-a-melancholy-about/) [Alexandre Desplat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-desplat/) > [When you work on animation, the music has a great task: to create a sound and melodies and mood and atmosphere and energy dedicated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-desplat/when-you-work-on-animation-the-music-has-a-great-task-to-create-a/) [Alexandre Desplat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-desplat/) > [My parents had a lot of movie soundtracks that they brought back from the States. So very early on I heard film music at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-desplat/my-parents-had-a-lot-of-movie-soundtracks-that-they-brought-back-from/) [Alexandre Desplat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-desplat/) > [It's very hard to understand what's happening in someone's brain and what goes into their experience and their death, and the music has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-desplat/it-s-very-hard-to-understand-what-s-happening-in-someone-s-brain-and/) [Alexandre Desplat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-desplat/) > [It's not easy to write an understated score over a loud one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-desplat/it-s-not-easy-to-write-an-understated-score-over-a-loud-one/) [Alexandre Desplat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-desplat/) > [As a child brought up in Paris, I dreamed of America, that lost world my parents had left behind - it was in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-desplat/as-a-child-brought-up-in-paris-i-dreamed-of-america-that-lost-world/) [Alexandre Desplat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-desplat/) [Explore all 105 Alexandre Desplat quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-desplat/) ## More Always quotes > [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/) [Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/) [William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I have really good lateral movement. I've always had quick lateral movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-rivers/i-have-really-good-lateral-movement-i-ve-always-had-quick-lateral/) [Austin Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-rivers/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/) [Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. 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