--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There were sharp little blows in the…" description: "\"“There were sharp little blows in the music, and waves of quick, fine notes that burst and rolled like the thin, clear ringing of broken glass. There w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5c/ayn-rand-59_broken-glass_there-were-sharp-little-blows-in-the-mus_334804.jpg" --- # There were sharp little blows in the music, and waves of… ![“There were sharp little blows in the music, and waves of quick, fine notes that burst and rolled like the thin, clear ringing of broken glass. There were slow notes, as if the cords of the violins trembled in hesitation, tense with the fullness of sound, taking a few measured steps before the leap…” quote by Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5c/ayn-rand-59_broken-glass_there-were-sharp-little-blows-in-the-mus_334804.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5c/ayn-rand-59_broken-glass_there-were-sharp-little-blows-in-the-mus_334804.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5c/ayn-rand-59_broken-glass_there-were-sharp-little-blows-in-the-mus_334804.jpg) > ““There were sharp little blows in the music, and waves of quick, fine notes that burst and rolled like the thin, clear ringing of broken glass. There were slow notes, as if the cords of the violins trembled in hesitation, tense with the fullness of sound, taking a few measured steps before the leap into the explosion of laughter.”” [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage describes music that shifts from delicate, glass‑like notes to hesitant, trembling strings, then erupts into joyous, explosive sound. **In simple terms:** Music moves from subtle to bold, ending in laughter. Key Takeaway Notice how tension builds before release. Themes music emotion contrast progression Mood reflective evocative Type descriptive literary When to use this quote - listening to orchestral works - composing - music therapy - performance analysis Key Concepts aesthetic dynamics expressiveness Questions to Reflect On - How does tension shape your emotional response? - What moments in life feel like a musical crescendo? A Different Perspective The metaphor may over‑dramatize sound, obscuring simple enjoyment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Broken glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken-glass/) [Laughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughter/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Music Waves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-waves-1383340/) [Notes Burst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notes-burst-3125112/) [Slow Notes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slow-notes-3125114/) [Violins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violins/) [Violins Trembled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violins-trembled-3125113/) ## Related quotes > [Music waves eternal wands,-- Enchantress of the souls of mortals!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-clarence-stedman/music-waves-eternal-wands-enchantress-of-the-souls-of-mortals/) [Edmund Clarence Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-clarence-stedman/) > [“The notes burst from her fingers, staggering at first, but then more confidently as the emotion in the music took over. It was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/the-notes-burst-from-her-fingers-staggering-at-first-but-then-more/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [“Who is John Galt?" The light was ebbing, and Eddie Willers could not distinguish the bum's face. The bum had said it simply, without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/who-is-john-galt-the-light-was-ebbing-and-eddie-willers-could-not/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [The celebrated painter Gainsborough got as much pleasure from seeing violins as from hearing them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/the-celebrated-painter-gainsborough-got-as-much-pleasure-from-seeing/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [One cannot inherit a talent for the violin - there are no violins in nature. 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Being crazier still could only help.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-don-t-need-to-sleep-to-play-i-m-crazy-anyway-being-crazier-still/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) ## More by Ayn Rand > [There are no white lies, there is only the blackest of destruction, and a white lie is the blackest of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/there-are-no-white-lies-there-is-only-the-blackest-of-destruction-and/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [She watched the prairies the rivers, the towns slipping past at an untouchable distance below - and she noted that the sense of detachment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-watched-the-prairies-the-rivers-the-towns-slipping-past-at-an/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“This was reality, she thought, this sense of clear outlines, of purpose, of lightness, of hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/this-was-reality-she-thought-this-sense-of-clear-outlines-of-purpose/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [A “collective” mind does not exist. 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She thought: To find a feeling that would hold, as their sum, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/there-was-still-one-response-the-greatest-that-she-had-missed-she/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Inflation is not caused by the actions of private citizens, but by the government: by an artificial expansion of the money supply required to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/inflation-is-not-caused-by-the-actions-of-private-citizens-but-by-the/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“We are fornicating in the sight of six billion people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/we-are-fornicating-in-the-sight-of-six-billion-people/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“She was fifteen when it occurred to her for the first time that women did not run railroads and that people might object. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-was-fifteen-when-it-occurred-to-her-for-the-first-time-that-women/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Fransisco, you're some kind of very high nobility, aren't you?" He answered, "Not yet. The reason my family has lasted for such a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/fransisco-you-re-some-kind-of-very-high-nobility-aren-t-you-he/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Have you felt it too? Have you seen how your best friends love everything about you- except the things that count? 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