---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My own position is, that it is largely up…"
description: "\"My own position is, that it is largely up to the work itself to suggest the nature of these referential points without dimensions in and through the pr..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/991/brian-ferneyhough-17806_distance_my-own-position-is-that-it-is-largely-up_2410971.jpg"
---

#  My own position is, that it is largely up to the work…

![“My own position is, that it is largely up to the work itself to suggest the nature of these referential points without dimensions in and through the processes by which the distance between them is maintained.” quote by Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/991/brian-ferneyhough-17806_distance_my-own-position-is-that-it-is-largely-up_2410971.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/991/brian-ferneyhough-17806_distance_my-own-position-is-that-it-is-largely-up_2410971.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/991/brian-ferneyhough-17806_distance_my-own-position-is-that-it-is-largely-up_2410971.jpg)

> “My own position is, that it is largely up to the work itself to suggest the nature of these referential points without dimensions in and through the processes by which the distance between them is maintained.”

[Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The work itself defines reference points, and the processes keep their distances stable.

**In simple terms:** The piece creates its own reference framework.

Key Takeaway

Let the work guide its own structure.

Themes

music theory referentiality process structure

Mood

analytical introspective

Type

theoretical academic

When to use this quote

- compositional analysis
- performance practice
- educational workshops

Key Concepts

semiotics temporal distance relational dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- How does a composition self‑define meaning?
- What role do listeners play in maintaining referential distance?

A Different Perspective

May overlook listener interpretation and external context.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Dimensions Processes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dimensions-processes-6069977/) [Distance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distance/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Nature Referential](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-referential-6069978/) [Own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/own/) [Position](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/position/) [Position Largely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/position-largely-6069976/) [Referential](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/referential-3391553/) [Referential Points](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/referential-points-6069975/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/)

## Related quotes

> [“Please, Oh please, publish me in your collection of self-referential sentences!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-r-hofstadter/please-oh-please-publish-me-in-your-collection-of-self-referential/)

[Douglas R. Hofstadter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-r-hofstadter/)

> [“Don't you just love self-referential logic?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perrotta-paolo/don-t-you-just-love-self-referential-logic/)

[Perrotta Paolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perrotta-paolo/)

> [The sectaries of a persecuted religion, depressed by fear, animated with resentment, and perhaps heated by enthusiasm, are seldom in a proper temper of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-sectaries-of-a-persecuted-religion-depressed-by-fear-animated/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [To be a champion long-distance runner you have to run on the edge of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toshihiko-seko/to-be-a-champion-long-distance-runner-you-have-to-run-on-the-edge-of/)

[Toshihiko Seko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toshihiko-seko/)

> [Combining the experience of a seasoned university president with the analysis of a respected legal scholar, Derek Bok explores what he concludes are 'signs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-h-t-rhodes/combining-the-experience-of-a-seasoned-university-president-with-the/)

[Frank H. T. Rhodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-h-t-rhodes/)

> [I've never bought this idea of taking a therapeutic distance. If I see a student or house staff cry, I take great faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/i-ve-never-bought-this-idea-of-taking-a-therapeutic-distance-if-i-see/)

[Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/)

> [Memories seem to surface in no particular order, with no time attached. Yesterday can seem as distant as last year. My life now consists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-olsson/memories-seem-to-surface-in-no-particular-order-with-no-time-attached/)

[Linda Olsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-olsson/)

> [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/)

> [When somebody mentions that I did a play with George C. Scott, I'm like, it can't have happened. What was I doing on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/when-somebody-mentions-that-i-did-a-play-with-george-c-scott-i-m-like/)

[Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/)

> [At a distance, we cannot conceive of the authority of a despot who knows all his subjects on sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/at-a-distance-we-cannot-conceive-of-the-authority-of-a-despot-who/)

[Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/)

> [Prison experience puts distance between me and any person who hasn't been there, done that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcconnell/prison-experience-puts-distance-between-me-and-any-person-who-hasn-t/)

[Patricia McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcconnell/)

> [Distance sometimes endears friendship, and absence sweeteneth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howell/distance-sometimes-endears-friendship-and-absence-sweeteneth-it/)

[James Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howell/)

> [I think hair gel was invented to make it easier to identify assholes from a distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-think-hair-gel-was-invented-to-make-it-easier-to-identify-assholes/)

[Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/)

> [I raised another shot. "That sound you hear is the heads of moral conservatives spontaneously exploding in the distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-thurman/i-raised-another-shot-that-sound-you-hear-is-the-heads-of-moral/)

[Rob Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-thurman/)

> [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Brian Ferneyhough

> [In my model, important interference phenomena arise when individual strata come into contact. These chaotic fluctuations are, I suppose, what my music is really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/in-my-model-important-interference-phenomena-arise-when-individual/)

[Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/)

> [Sometimes one can be so closely involved with things that the larger context is lost to view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/sometimes-one-can-be-so-closely-involved-with-things-that-the-larger/)

[Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/)

> [Certainly being in California has encouraged a sustained commitment to rethinking the nature, purposes, and relevance of the contemporary arts, specifically music, for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/certainly-being-in-california-has-encouraged-a-sustained-commitment/)

[Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/)

> [There would seem to be a limit, even for an art preoccupied with boundaries and transgressions, beyond which a work reaches its breaking point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/there-would-seem-to-be-a-limit-even-for-an-art-preoccupied-with/)

[Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/)

> [Composers dialogue - and obsessively, bitterly argue - with other composers, often over the span of several centuries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/composers-dialogue-and-obsessively-bitterly-argue-with-other/)

[Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/)

> [In my own recent String Trio I attempt to superimpose two quite different sets of formal strategies, both of which, ultimately, refer back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/in-my-own-recent-string-trio-i-attempt-to-superimpose-two-quite/)

[Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/)

> [I don't see 'lines of force' as being destructive, except to the extent that they are exclusively traceable through observance of the path of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/i-don-t-see-lines-of-force-as-being-destructive-except-to-the-extent/)

[Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/)

> [Hence my obstinate emphasis on stylistic continuity from work to work rather than specific sibling relationships between the individual work and other members of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/hence-my-obstinate-emphasis-on-stylistic-continuity-from-work-to-work/)

[Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/)

> [So: we're all tired. Now what? Manuscripts written in Club Med?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/so-we-re-all-tired-now-what-manuscripts-written-in-club-med/)

[Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/)

> [The past nine years in San Diego have represented such a period of questioning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/the-past-nine-years-in-san-diego-have-represented-such-a-period-of/)

[Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/)

> [If nothing is at risk, nothing is established.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/if-nothing-is-at-risk-nothing-is-established/)

[Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/)

> [I would not say that I was, these days, a 'student' of philosophy, although in my youth I was quite deeply involved with certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/i-would-not-say-that-i-was-these-days-a-student-of-philosophy/)

[Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/)

> [The Western musical canon came about not merely by accumulation, but by opposition and subversion, both to the ruling powers on whom composers depended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/the-western-musical-canon-came-about-not-merely-by-accumulation-but/)

[Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/)

> [By reason of weird translation, many such sets of instructions read like poems anyhow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/by-reason-of-weird-translation-many-such-sets-of-instructions-read/)

[Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/)

> [If the work of art is to continue pursuing the vision of both being in and of the world but nevertheless in some fashion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/if-the-work-of-art-is-to-continue-pursuing-the-vision-of-both-being/)

[Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/)

[Explore all 36 Brian Ferneyhough quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/)

## More Distance quotes

> [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I raised another shot. "That sound you hear is the heads of moral conservatives spontaneously exploding in the distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-thurman/i-raised-another-shot-that-sound-you-hear-is-the-heads-of-moral/)

[Rob Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-thurman/)

> [I think hair gel was invented to make it easier to identify assholes from a distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-think-hair-gel-was-invented-to-make-it-easier-to-identify-assholes/)

[Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/)

> [Distance sometimes endears friendship, and absence sweeteneth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howell/distance-sometimes-endears-friendship-and-absence-sweeteneth-it/)

[James Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howell/)

> [Prison experience puts distance between me and any person who hasn't been there, done that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcconnell/prison-experience-puts-distance-between-me-and-any-person-who-hasn-t/)

[Patricia McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcconnell/)

> [At a distance, we cannot conceive of the authority of a despot who knows all his subjects on sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/at-a-distance-we-cannot-conceive-of-the-authority-of-a-despot-who/)

[Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/)

> [When somebody mentions that I did a play with George C. Scott, I'm like, it can't have happened. What was I doing on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/when-somebody-mentions-that-i-did-a-play-with-george-c-scott-i-m-like/)

[Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/)

> [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/)

> [Memories seem to surface in no particular order, with no time attached. Yesterday can seem as distant as last year. My life now consists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-olsson/memories-seem-to-surface-in-no-particular-order-with-no-time-attached/)

[Linda Olsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-olsson/)

> [I've never bought this idea of taking a therapeutic distance. If I see a student or house staff cry, I take great faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/i-ve-never-bought-this-idea-of-taking-a-therapeutic-distance-if-i-see/)

[Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/)

> [Combining the experience of a seasoned university president with the analysis of a respected legal scholar, Derek Bok explores what he concludes are 'signs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-h-t-rhodes/combining-the-experience-of-a-seasoned-university-president-with-the/)

[Frank H. T. Rhodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-h-t-rhodes/)

> [To be a champion long-distance runner you have to run on the edge of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toshihiko-seko/to-be-a-champion-long-distance-runner-you-have-to-run-on-the-edge-of/)

[Toshihiko Seko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toshihiko-seko/)

> [The sectaries of a persecuted religion, depressed by fear, animated with resentment, and perhaps heated by enthusiasm, are seldom in a proper temper of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-sectaries-of-a-persecuted-religion-depressed-by-fear-animated/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [Within walking distance of any spot on Earth there's probably more than enough mystery to investigate in a lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alix-kates-shulman/within-walking-distance-of-any-spot-on-earth-there-s-probably-more/)

[Alix Kates Shulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alix-kates-shulman/)

> [It takes a little more time to get into the role, but not very much more. In making a record you don't have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/it-takes-a-little-more-time-to-get-into-the-role-but-not-very-much/)

[Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/)

[Browse all 3,296 Distance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distance/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "My own position is, that it is largely up to the work itself to suggest the nature of these referential points without dimensions in and through the processes by which the distance between them is maintained.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Brian Ferneyhough"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/my-own-position-is-that-it-is-largely-up-to-the-work-itself-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Distance"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/my-own-position-is-that-it-is-largely-up-to-the-work-itself-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/991/brian-ferneyhough-17806_distance_my-own-position-is-that-it-is-largely-up_2410971.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/991/brian-ferneyhough-17806_distance_my-own-position-is-that-it-is-largely-up_2410971.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/991/brian-ferneyhough-17806_distance_my-own-position-is-that-it-is-largely-up_2410971.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“My own position is, that it is largely up to the work itself to suggest the nature of these referential…” — Brian Ferneyhough",
                "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": "Brian Ferneyhough",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-ferneyhough/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "My own position is, that it...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/my-own-position-is-that-it-is-largely-up-to-the-work-itself-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-ferneyhough/my-own-position-is-that-it-is-largely-up-to-the-work-itself-to/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```