--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My musical life started with hearing and…" description: "\"My musical life started with hearing and being fascinated by contemporary music.\" — Elliott Carter" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d91/elliott-carter-23733_contemporary_my-musical-life-started-with-hearing-and_1937574.png" --- # My musical life started with hearing and being fascinated… ![“My musical life started with hearing and being fascinated by contemporary music.” quote by Elliott Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d91/elliott-carter-23733_contemporary_my-musical-life-started-with-hearing-and_1937574.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d91/elliott-carter-23733_contemporary_my-musical-life-started-with-hearing-and_1937574.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d91/elliott-carter-23733_contemporary_my-musical-life-started-with-hearing-and_1937574.png) > “My musical life started with hearing and being fascinated by contemporary music.” [Elliott Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-carter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. His musical journey began with curiosity and fascination for contemporary sounds. **In simple terms:** Curiosity sparked a musical path. Key Takeaway Explore new artistic forms. Themes creativity curiosity music Mood enthusiastic inquisitive Type artistic inspirational When to use this quote - learning new instruments - attending concerts - collaborations - creative workshops Key Concepts innovation contemporary composition artistic development Questions to Reflect On - What draws you to new music? - How does fascination shape artistic growth? A Different Perspective May not reflect later influences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Contemporary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemporary/) [Contemporary music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemporary-music/) [Fascinated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fascinated/) [Fascinated Contemporary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fascinated-contemporary-3067210/) [Hearing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hearing/) [Hearing Fascinated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hearing-fascinated-3067209/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Started](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-started/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Musical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/musical/) [Musical life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/musical-life/) [Started Hearing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started-hearing-3067211/) ## Related quotes > [When I first got into the studio once again, and I started hearing the beats, the anger and bitterness was coming out of me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-sunshine/when-i-first-got-into-the-studio-once-again-and-i-started-hearing-the/) [Tony Sunshine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-sunshine/) > [I mean the public likes it more in Europe than they do here because the state supported organizations have felt that playing contemporary music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-carter/i-mean-the-public-likes-it-more-in-europe-than-they-do-here-because/) [Elliott Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-carter/) > [The first thing that struck me about contemporary music in general had been thatthere was not much interest in rhythm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-carter/the-first-thing-that-struck-me-about-contemporary-music-in-general/) [Elliott Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-carter/) > [These wealthy people were very interested in contemporary music. They wanted to help diffuse it and get it to be known to other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-carter/these-wealthy-people-were-very-interested-in-contemporary-music-they/) [Elliott Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-carter/) > [Then, when the Depression came, all of this changed completely. Since that time, the entire public is of a very different sort and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-carter/then-when-the-depression-came-all-of-this-changed-completely-since/) [Elliott Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-carter/) > [The new sound-sphere is global. It ripples at great speed across languages, ideologies, frontiers and races. The economics of this musical Esperanto is staggering.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/the-new-sound-sphere-is-global-it-ripples-at-great-speed-across/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [Maybe in my personal life, but as far as my career, I've been offered some humongous things in my career and didn't take them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-louis-walker/maybe-in-my-personal-life-but-as-far-as-my-career-i-ve-been-offered/) [Joe Louis Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-louis-walker/) > [There's the usual suspects in there, Green Day and The Clash and The Smiths, yeah, but there's also Ella and Frank, even Dino, some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cohn/there-s-the-usual-suspects-in-there-green-day-and-the-clash-and-the/) [Rachel Cohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cohn/) > [I was born with music inside me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-charles/i-was-born-with-music-inside-me/) [Ray Charles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-charles/) > [My personal life, my musical life, my life as an artist - almost everything has pointed all these little arrows that make up which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/my-personal-life-my-musical-life-my-life-as-an-artist-almost/) [Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/) > [You know, when you are doing a musical you have no life - you are doing eight shows a week, so you can't be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-uggams/you-know-when-you-are-doing-a-musical-you-have-no-life-you-are-doing/) [Leslie Uggams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-uggams/) > [My old man Shorty was a huge figure in my musical life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rickey-medlocke/my-old-man-shorty-was-a-huge-figure-in-my-musical-life/) [Rickey Medlocke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rickey-medlocke/) > [The effects of good music are not just because it's new; on the contrary music strikes us more the more familiar we are with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/the-effects-of-good-music-are-not-just-because-it-s-new-on-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [It is cruel, you know, that music should be so beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-britten/it-is-cruel-you-know-that-music-should-be-so-beautiful/) [Benjamin Britten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-britten/) > [Is it not strange, that sheep's guts should hale souls out of men's bodies!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/is-it-not-strange-that-sheep-s-guts-should-hale-souls-out-of-men-s/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) ## More by Elliott Carter > [My entire life has really revolved around music that was written about the time that I was born, 1908, to just before the First…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-carter/my-entire-life-has-really-revolved-around-music-that-was-written/) [Elliott Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-carter/) > [When people listen to my music, I hope that they will notice that if you take a piece by a composer like Schubert, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-carter/when-people-listen-to-my-music-i-hope-that-they-will-notice-that-if/) [Elliott Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-carter/) > [Then, when the Depression came, all of this changed completely. Since that time, the entire public is of a very different sort and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-carter/then-when-the-depression-came-all-of-this-changed-completely-since/) [Elliott Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-carter/) > [Aaron Copland was a man that had a very specific point of view about what music should be which was that, he felt that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-carter/aaron-copland-was-a-man-that-had-a-very-specific-point-of-view-about/) [Elliott Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-carter/) > [These wealthy people were very interested in contemporary music. They wanted to help diffuse it and get it to be known to other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-carter/these-wealthy-people-were-very-interested-in-contemporary-music-they/) [Elliott Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-carter/) > [In any case, Ives encouraged me to go into music even though he himself had such a hard time being a composer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-carter/in-any-case-ives-encouraged-me-to-go-into-music-even-though-he/) [Elliott Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-carter/) > [Well when I was young, when I was very young, when I was a little boy I don't remember the music I heard, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-carter/well-when-i-was-young-when-i-was-very-young-when-i-was-a-little-boy-i/) [Elliott Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-carter/) > [The first thing that struck me about contemporary music in general had been thatthere was not much interest in rhythm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-carter/the-first-thing-that-struck-me-about-contemporary-music-in-general/) [Elliott Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-carter/) > [That was one of the big problems when I was at Harvard studying music. We had to write choral pieces in the style of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-carter/that-was-one-of-the-big-problems-when-i-was-at-harvard-studying-music/) [Elliott Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-carter/) > [Silences between movements are employed only in order to bring the opposing duo to the fore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-carter/silences-between-movements-are-employed-only-in-order-to-bring-the/) [Elliott Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-carter/) > [Since I'm allergic to various things, the army wouldn't accept me during the war, and I got into the Office of War Information, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-carter/since-i-m-allergic-to-various-things-the-army-wouldn-t-accept-me/) [Elliott Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-carter/) > [Talking about a materialistic thing, I get about 13 times more royalties from Europe than I do from America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-carter/talking-about-a-materialistic-thing-i-get-about-13-times-more/) [Elliott Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-carter/) > [Right at the end of the war I wrote a piano sonata, which was written at a time when Sam Barber used to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-carter/right-at-the-end-of-the-war-i-wrote-a-piano-sonata-which-was-written/) [Elliott Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-carter/) > [I've known those pieces ever since I was about 16 or 17; I also at that time was taken to meet Charles Ives whom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-carter/i-ve-known-those-pieces-ever-since-i-was-about-16-or-17-i-also-at/) [Elliott Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-carter/) > [Why write for the orchestra? For one thing it's a very challenging problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-carter/why-write-for-the-orchestra-for-one-thing-it-s-a-very-challenging/) [Elliott Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-carter/) [Explore all 25 Elliott Carter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-carter/) ## More Contemporary quotes > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [“Men circle like bees around honey, buzzing to communicate their sexual despair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-h-krueger/men-circle-like-bees-around-honey-buzzing-to-communicate-their-sexual/) [Carla H Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-h-krueger/) > [What really concerns me is for Christians to understand the fundamentals of evangelism in a way that is helpful in the contemporary scene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/what-really-concerns-me-is-for-christians-to-understand-the/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [“And for God's sake, don't let her watch Cinderella. What kind of example is that? A mindless twit who can't even remember where she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-chase/and-for-god-s-sake-don-t-let-her-watch-cinderella-what-kind-of/) [Emma Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-chase/) > [On the one hand, we had great filmic spectacles that brought in big audiences, adults as well as primary and secondary school students. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-wajda/on-the-one-hand-we-had-great-filmic-spectacles-that-brought-in-big/) [Andrzej Wajda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-wajda/) > [“No." I pulled away just enough to lock my eyes with his. His crooked smile sent shivers down my spine. His eyes were a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-witter/no-i-pulled-away-just-enough-to-lock-my-eyes-with-his-his-crooked/) [Stephanie Witter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-witter/) > [One of those blocks (that prevent the 'Middle East from entering the mainstream of modernity') is the orthodox tenet that the Koran and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-beichman/one-of-those-blocks-that-prevent-the-middle-east-from-entering-the/) [Arnold Beichman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-beichman/) > [The boundaries between contemporary art and cinema are so rigid. It's unbelievable. The film critics don't know my artwork and the art world doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/the-boundaries-between-contemporary-art-and-cinema-are-so-rigid-it-s/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [I'm educating myself more about world poetry. I know a lot about contemporary American poetry, so I felt I needed to learn more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-joseph/i-m-educating-myself-more-about-world-poetry-i-know-a-lot-about/) [Allison Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-joseph/) > [We have created indoor installations inside museums, like the Wrapped Floor at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago in 1968, and not monumental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christo/we-have-created-indoor-installations-inside-museums-like-the-wrapped/) [Christo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christo/) > [Going back to the noir fiction of the 30s, 40s and 50s. It's very contemporary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goldblum/going-back-to-the-noir-fiction-of-the-30s-40s-and-50s-it-s-very/) [Jeff Goldblum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goldblum/) > [Most of my contemporary grant-getters are now doing something other than painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/most-of-my-contemporary-grant-getters-are-now-doing-something-other/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) > [“The contemporary world has turned its back on the attempt and even on the desire to live reasonably.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/the-contemporary-world-has-turned-its-back-on-the-attempt-and-even-on/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [No, it's interesting to remake a film for the contemporary audience today. I think it's a good idea; it needs to respect the original…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dario-argento/no-it-s-interesting-to-remake-a-film-for-the-contemporary-audience/) [Dario Argento](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dario-argento/) [Browse all 1,586 Contemporary quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemporary/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My musical life started with hearing and being fascinated by contemporary music.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elliott Carter" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-carter/my-musical-life-started-with-hearing-and-being-fascinated-by/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Contemporary" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-carter/my-musical-life-started-with-hearing-and-being-fascinated-by/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d91/elliott-carter-23733_contemporary_my-musical-life-started-with-hearing-and_1937574.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d91/elliott-carter-23733_contemporary_my-musical-life-started-with-hearing-and_1937574.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d91/elliott-carter-23733_contemporary_my-musical-life-started-with-hearing-and_1937574.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My musical life started with hearing and being fascinated by contemporary music.” — Elliott Carter", "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": "Elliott Carter", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-carter/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My musical life started with hearing...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-carter/my-musical-life-started-with-hearing-and-being-fascinated-by/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-carter/my-musical-life-started-with-hearing-and-being-fascinated-by/#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 } } ] } ```