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“The musical emotion springs precisely from the fact that at each moment the composer withholds or adds more or less than the listener anticipates on the basis of a pattern that he thinks he can guess, but that he is incapable of wholly divining. . . .” quote by Claude Levi-Strauss
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“The musical emotion springs precisely from the fact that at each moment the composer withholds or adds more or less than the listener anticipates on the basis of a pattern that he thinks he can guess, but that he is incapable of wholly divining. . . .”

Claude Levi-Strauss

About This Quote

Source Book: The Raw and the Cooked, Claude Lévi‑Strauss, 1964

Music creates emotional tension by playing with listeners’ expectations, using patterns they think they can predict but cannot fully know.

In simple terms: Music surprises listeners, creating feeling.

Key Takeaway

Embrace uncertainty in creative work.

Themes

creativity expectation emotion

Mood

intrigued reflective

Type

analytical inspirational

When to use this quote

  • composing music
  • film scoring
  • live improvisation
  • educational workshops

Key Concepts

pattern recognition uncertainty aesthetic tension

Questions to Reflect On

  • How do you balance familiarity and surprise?
  • What role does listener expectation play in your art?
A Different Perspective

If patterns are too predictable, the emotional impact may fade.

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