--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I belong to a tradition, it is a…" description: "\"If I belong to a tradition, it is a tradition that makes the masterpiece tell the performer what to do, and not the performer telling the piece what it..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/083/alfred-brendel-34013_belong_if-i-belong-to-a-tradition-it-is-a-tradi_803742.jpg" --- # If I belong to a tradition, it is a tradition that makes… ![“If I belong to a tradition, it is a tradition that makes the masterpiece tell the performer what to do, and not the performer telling the piece what it should be like, or the composer what he ought to have composed.” quote by Alfred Brendel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/083/alfred-brendel-34013_belong_if-i-belong-to-a-tradition-it-is-a-tradi_803742.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/083/alfred-brendel-34013_belong_if-i-belong-to-a-tradition-it-is-a-tradi_803742.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/083/alfred-brendel-34013_belong_if-i-belong-to-a-tradition-it-is-a-tradi_803742.jpg) > “If I belong to a tradition, it is a tradition that makes the masterpiece tell the performer what to do, and not the performer telling the piece what it should be like, or the composer what he ought to have composed.” [Alfred Brendel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-brendel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A tradition should guide the performer, not the performer dictate the piece, nor the composer dictate it entirely. **In simple terms:** Tradition guides performance, not the reverse. Key Takeaway Respect the tradition’s intent. Themes music performance tradition interpretation Mood reflective inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - classical concerts - music education - rehearsal - recording sessions Key Concepts artistic authority creative restraint historical context Questions to Reflect On - How does tradition shape your artistic choices? - When should you deviate from tradition? A Different Perspective Traditions may stifle innovation if followed rigidly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Composer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/composer/) [Masterpiece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masterpiece/) [Performer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performer/) [Tradition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tradition/) ## Related quotes > [If I belong to a tradition it is a tradition that makes the masterpiece tell the performer what he should do and not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-brendel/if-i-belong-to-a-tradition-it-is-a-tradition-that-makes-the-2/) [Alfred Brendel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-brendel/) > [“So what does story telling give a piece? Ultimately this is their brand.  This is their story which makes them different from the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-merrett/so-what-does-story-telling-give-a-piece-ultimately-this-is-their/) [Julie Merrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-merrett/) > [It is a cultural tradition that makes New Orleans what it is. It also represents the roots of American music and an important part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-taylor/it-is-a-cultural-tradition-that-makes-new-orleans-what-it-is-it-also/) [Bill Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-taylor/) > [“Tradition makes people want to cling to their identity. Change is the enemy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/tradition-makes-people-want-to-cling-to-their-identity-change-is-the/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I belong to a tradition that believes that the death of a single child is a blemish on creation...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/i-belong-to-a-tradition-that-believes-that-the-death-of-a-single/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Human beings need to belong to a tradition and equally need to know about the world in which they find themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-gunn-allen/human-beings-need-to-belong-to-a-tradition-and-equally-need-to-know/) [Paula Gunn Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-gunn-allen/) > [I detest tradition for tradition's sake; the half-alive; that which is not real. I feel no hatred of individuals, but of customs, traditions; superstitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-stieglitz/i-detest-tradition-for-tradition-s-sake-the-half-alive-that-which-is/) [Alfred Stieglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-stieglitz/) > [My true function within a society which embraces all of us is to continue an age-old tradition. This tradition is to create images from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tippett/my-true-function-within-a-society-which-embraces-all-of-us-is-to/) [Michael Tippett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tippett/) > [Tradition is no longer a continuity but a series of sharp breaks. The modern tradition is the tradition of revolt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/tradition-is-no-longer-a-continuity-but-a-series-of-sharp-breaks-the/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [The emphasis on original, individual work in the past years has done a great deal to produce a crop of eccentric fakes and has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-french-sloan/the-emphasis-on-original-individual-work-in-the-past-years-has-done-a/) [John French Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-french-sloan/) > [The trouble with a series as it gets older is it can feel like a tradition, and tradition is the enemy of suspense, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-moffat/the-trouble-with-a-series-as-it-gets-older-is-it-can-feel-like-a/) [Steven Moffat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-moffat/) > [It's time to realise that tradition is fantastic but if because of tradition and only tradition you lose everyone it's less fantastic so you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-mouratoglou/it-s-time-to-realise-that-tradition-is-fantastic-but-if-because-of/) [Patrick Mouratoglou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-mouratoglou/) > [“because human lives are composed in precisely such a fashion. They are composed like music”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kundera-milan/because-human-lives-are-composed-in-precisely-such-a-fashion-they-are/) [Kundera Milan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kundera-milan/) > [I must say I've always composed music from the point of view of the performers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-piston/i-must-say-i-ve-always-composed-music-from-the-point-of-view-of-the/) Walter Piston > [I believe so, but at first he must know. He must know in which spirit Beethoven has composed this piece. He must try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-masur/i-believe-so-but-at-first-he-must-know-he-must-know-in-which-spirit/) [Kurt Masur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-masur/) ## More by Alfred Brendel > [In his larger forms, Schubert is a wanderer. He likes to move at the edge of the precipice, and does so with the assurance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-brendel/in-his-larger-forms-schubert-is-a-wanderer-he-likes-to-move-at-the/) [Alfred Brendel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-brendel/) > [Art gives a sense of order, life is basically chaotic, and there's a tension between them. A sense of order comes from chaos and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-brendel/art-gives-a-sense-of-order-life-is-basically-chaotic-and-there-s-a/) [Alfred Brendel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-brendel/) > [I want to make music. That means I prefer the Steinway piano.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-brendel/i-want-to-make-music-that-means-i-prefer-the-steinway-piano/) [Alfred Brendel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-brendel/) > [The word 'listen' contains the same letters as the word 'silent.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-brendel/the-word-listen-contains-the-same-letters-as-the-word-silent/) [Alfred Brendel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-brendel/) > [I have a great need to learn what the norm is by dealing with what is not the norm... with the grotesque and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-brendel/i-have-a-great-need-to-learn-what-the-norm-is-by-dealing-with-what-is/) [Alfred Brendel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-brendel/) > [You need three or five hands to play Ligeti.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-brendel/you-need-three-or-five-hands-to-play-ligeti/) [Alfred Brendel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-brendel/) > [If I belong to a tradition it is a tradition that makes the masterpiece tell the performer what he should do and not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-brendel/if-i-belong-to-a-tradition-it-is-a-tradition-that-makes-the-2/) [Alfred Brendel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-brendel/) > [Silence... is the essence of the music itself, the vital ingredient that makes it possible for the music to exist at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-brendel/silence-is-the-essence-of-the-music-itself-the-vital-ingredient-that/) [Alfred Brendel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-brendel/) > [A work of art is like a person: it has more than one soul in its breast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-brendel/a-work-of-art-is-like-a-person-it-has-more-than-one-soul-in-its-breast/) [Alfred Brendel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-brendel/) > [Silence ought also to be the core of each concert. Remember the anagram: listen = silent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-brendel/silence-ought-also-to-be-the-core-of-each-concert-remember-the/) [Alfred Brendel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-brendel/) > [“Self-discovery is a slower process but a more natural one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-brendel/self-discovery-is-a-slower-process-but-a-more-natural-one/) [Alfred Brendel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-brendel/) > [You have to be aware of all the latent possibilities that give a work its special character - its atmosphere, its moods, its contrasts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-brendel/you-have-to-be-aware-of-all-the-latent-possibilities-that-give-a-work/) [Alfred Brendel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-brendel/) > [I'm coming back to what you said about seeing and listening and hearing. I had to think of a remark that I heard yesterday,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-brendel/i-m-coming-back-to-what-you-said-about-seeing-and-listening-and/) [Alfred Brendel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-brendel/) [Explore all 14 Alfred Brendel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-brendel/) ## More Belong quotes > [How come I end up where I started How come I end up where I belong... You used to be alright What happened?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/how-come-i-end-up-where-i-started-how-come-i-end-up-where-i-belong/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [Each of us is precious to God because each of us has their name written on the palms of God's hands. And God says…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/each-of-us-is-precious-to-god-because-each-of-us-has-their-name/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Never belong to a crowd; Never belong to a nation; Never belong to a religion; Never belong to a race. Belong to the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/never-belong-to-a-crowd-never-belong-to-a-nation-never-belong-to-a/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I hate this feeling. Like Im here. But, Im not. Like someone cares. But, they dont. Like I belong somewhere else, anywhere but here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hate-this-feeling-like-im-here-but-im-not-like-someone-cares-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As you know, in America there's no rights for the artist, so whatever films I've made kind of belong to the studio, so if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-jewison/as-you-know-in-america-there-s-no-rights-for-the-artist-so-whatever/) [Norman Jewison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-jewison/) > [“When the time comes, everybody’s got to end up where they belong. Only me, I didn’t have a place to call my own. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-the-time-comes-everybody-s-got-to-end-up-where-they-belong-only/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [God has a purpose for us. If he didn't we wouldn't be alive in the first place. We have a calling. We are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-janssen/god-has-a-purpose-for-us-if-he-didn-t-we-wouldn-t-be-alive-in-the/) [Kenny Janssen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-janssen/) > [I thought of how many places there are in the world that belong in this way to someone, who has it in his blood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/i-thought-of-how-many-places-there-are-in-the-world-that-belong-in/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [I belong to a Bohri Muslim family, and for us, food is our biggest celebration. We are used to elaborate five- to six-course meals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nushrat-bharucha/i-belong-to-a-bohri-muslim-family-and-for-us-food-is-our-biggest/) [Nushrat Bharucha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nushrat-bharucha/) > [“You need to belong to yourself, and let others belong to themselves too. You need to be free and detached from things and your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-eriksson/you-need-to-belong-to-yourself-and-let-others-belong-to-themselves/) [Charlotte Eriksson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-eriksson/) > [I want all of my films to belong to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-payne/i-want-all-of-my-films-to-belong-to-me/) [Alexander Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-payne/) > [“Your beliefs, and your beliefs alone, belong to you. You are the only one who is with you for your entire life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-ruiz-jr/your-beliefs-and-your-beliefs-alone-belong-to-you-you-are-the-only/) [Miguel Ruiz Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-ruiz-jr/) > [Earth does not belong to us; we belong to earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chief-seattle/earth-does-not-belong-to-us-we-belong-to-earth/) [Chief Seattle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chief-seattle/) > [I think I know where you belong. I think I know its not with me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-i-know-where-you-belong-i-think-i-know-its-not-with-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There's a compelling reason why I belong in the Hall of Fame, but I understand the argument against me. My career didn't go like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-warner/there-s-a-compelling-reason-why-i-belong-in-the-hall-of-fame-but-i/) [Kurt Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-warner/) Browse all 1,571 Belong quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If I belong to a tradition, it is a tradition that makes the masterpiece tell the performer what to do, and not the performer telling the piece what it should be like, or the composer what he ought to have composed.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alfred Brendel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-brendel/if-i-belong-to-a-tradition-it-is-a-tradition-that-makes-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Belong" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-brendel/if-i-belong-to-a-tradition-it-is-a-tradition-that-makes-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/083/alfred-brendel-34013_belong_if-i-belong-to-a-tradition-it-is-a-tradi_803742.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/083/alfred-brendel-34013_belong_if-i-belong-to-a-tradition-it-is-a-tradi_803742.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/083/alfred-brendel-34013_belong_if-i-belong-to-a-tradition-it-is-a-tradi_803742.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If I belong to a tradition, it is a tradition that makes the masterpiece tell the performer what to do, and…” — Alfred Brendel", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alfred Brendel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-brendel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If I belong to a tradition,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-brendel/if-i-belong-to-a-tradition-it-is-a-tradition-that-makes-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-brendel/if-i-belong-to-a-tradition-it-is-a-tradition-that-makes-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```