--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I left Europe in 1987 I did so with…" description: "\"When I left Europe in 1987 I did so with the thought that my relevance as a composition teacher would benefit from a certain cool distance to certain t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7c/brian-ferneyhough-17806_certain_when-i-left-europe-in-1987-i-did-so-with_2056017.png" --- # When I left Europe in 1987 I did so with the thought that… ![“When I left Europe in 1987 I did so with the thought that my relevance as a composition teacher would benefit from a certain cool distance to certain tendencies I had been observing for several years with increasing disquiet.” quote by Brian Ferneyhough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7c/brian-ferneyhough-17806_certain_when-i-left-europe-in-1987-i-did-so-with_2056017.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7c/brian-ferneyhough-17806_certain_when-i-left-europe-in-1987-i-did-so-with_2056017.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7c/brian-ferneyhough-17806_certain_when-i-left-europe-in-1987-i-did-so-with_2056017.png) > “When I left Europe in 1987 I did so with the thought that my relevance as a composition teacher would benefit from a certain cool distance to certain tendencies I had been observing for several years with increasing disquiet.” [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. He left Europe to gain distance from musical trends he found troubling, hoping a fresh perspective would improve his teaching. **In simple terms:** He sought distance to rethink his composing teaching. Key Takeaway Seek distance to gain clarity. Themes art education self‑reflection change career music Mood reflective introspective Type philosophical professional When to use this quote - career transition - artistic development - academic relocation Key Concepts composition pedagogy artistic trends personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What trends did he find unsettling? - How does distance affect creativity? A Different Perspective Distance may isolate from valuable collaborations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Certain Tendencies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain-tendencies-1777539/) [Composition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/composition/) [Composition Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/composition-teacher-3898103/) [Distance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distance/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Europe 1987](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe-1987-3898101/) [Increasing Disquiet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/increasing-disquiet-3898102/) [Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left/) [Observing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/observing/) [Observing Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/observing-years-2619070/) [Relevance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relevance/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) [Tendencies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tendencies/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [“We can only know each other the way we know distant stars: by observing years-old light, gathering outdated information, running calculations and making inferences.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-roth/we-can-only-know-each-other-the-way-we-know-distant-stars-by/) [Gabriel Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-roth/) > [“The first step is to recognize that certain tendencies of our mind are responsible for producing painful effects. 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