Composer Quotes

392 quotes by 291 authors

The greatest composer does not sit down to work because he is inspired, but becomes inspired because he is working. — Ernest Newman
The composer Stravinsky had written a new piece with a difficult violin passage. After it had been in rehearsal for several weeks, the solo violinist… — Thomas Powers
As a composer seeking to remain anonymous I am shy of confessing my musical activity. This is intelligible enough. For others it is their chief… — Alexander Borodin
Once in a while, a teacher gets rewarded with a brilliant student. My two years with Dan Szabo at the New England Conservatory were indeed… — Bob Brookmeyer
Fred Sturm has proven to be a great asset to the musical world as a teacher, composer and author. His gifts have enriched the musical… — Bob Brookmeyer
The Western musical canon came about not merely by accumulation, but by opposition and subversion, both to the ruling powers on whom composers depended for… — Brian Ferneyhough
Any subject is good for opera if the composer feels it so intently he must sing it out. — Gian Carlo Menotti
Composers should write tunes that chauffeurs and errand boys can whistle. — Thomas Beecham
John Barry was the first film composer I was aware of. As a teenager I owned several of his Bond soundtracks. — Carter Burwell
The first requirement for a composer is to be dead. — Arthur Honegger
You can't have Bach, Mozart and Beethoven as your favorite composers. They simply define what music is! — Michael Tilson Thomas
Composers today get a TV script on Friday and have to record on Tuesday. It's just dreadful to impose on gifted talent and expect decent… — Alex North
The difference between the student and the born composer is he really hears the thing, and they have to stage it and manipulate it by… — Leo Ornstein
Bruce Katz is a spectacular talent! He's a brilliant composer and arranger who uses uncommon and unique musical intelligence to redefine jazz and blues far… — Larry Coryell
Perhaps within the next hundred years, science will perfect a process of thought transference from composer to listener. The composer will sit alone on the… — Raymond Scott
The composer must bear in mind that the radio listener does not hear music directly. He hears it only after the sound has passed through… — Raymond Scott
I don't use composers. I research music the way I research the photographs or the facts in my scripts. — Ken Burns
Sibelius justified the austerity of his old age by saying that while other composers were engaged in manufacturing cocktails, he offered the public pure cold… — Neville Cardus
I just have to take my chances like any other composer. — Gordon Getty
I feel that I belong to the 19th century. Some composers' music is very topical. It almost says, 'This is about what I read in… — Gordon Getty

Who Wrote These Composer Quotes

291 authors contributed a total of 392 Composer Quotes, led by these top contributors: