--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A lot of what a composer does has to do…" description: "\"A lot of what a composer does has to do with storytelling, and there are different ways of fusing music with picture to express different storytelling ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f67/howard-shore-14455_composer_a-lot-of-what-a-composer-does-has-to-do_2306679.jpg" --- # A lot of what a composer does has to do with storytelling… ![“A lot of what a composer does has to do with storytelling, and there are different ways of fusing music with picture to express different storytelling ideas.” quote by Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f67/howard-shore-14455_composer_a-lot-of-what-a-composer-does-has-to-do_2306679.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f67/howard-shore-14455_composer_a-lot-of-what-a-composer-does-has-to-do_2306679.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f67/howard-shore-14455_composer_a-lot-of-what-a-composer-does-has-to-do_2306679.jpg) > “A lot of what a composer does has to do with storytelling, and there are different ways of fusing music with picture to express different storytelling ideas.” [Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Music must serve narrative, merging sound and image to convey story in varied ways. **In simple terms:** Music tells stories alongside images. Key Takeaway Blend music with visuals to enhance narrative. Themes storytelling music film creativity Mood inspirational reflective Type analytical creative When to use this quote - Film scoring - advertising - theatre productions - video games Key Concepts Narrative integration audio-visual synergy Questions to Reflect On - How can you use music to highlight a character’s inner conflict? - What musical techniques best support visual storytelling? A Different Perspective Music alone cannot convey plot without visual context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Composer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/composer/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Picture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/picture/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) ## Related quotes > [It's a fun thing to do, to put yourself in the service of something if you think you can add an interpretation. It's no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/it-s-a-fun-thing-to-do-to-put-yourself-in-the-service-of-something-if/) [Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/) > [I don't assume, because I can write screenplays, that I know how to write a novel. It's a very different world. There's a craft…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-rosenberg/i-don-t-assume-because-i-can-write-screenplays-that-i-know-how-to/) [Melissa Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-rosenberg/) > [I'm interested in everything. I don't see why Borges can't work along with Neil Gaiman, or Stephen King can't be mixed with Balzac. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/i-m-interested-in-everything-i-don-t-see-why-borges-can-t-work-along/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [The thing that I love about working at 'GMA' the most is the storytelling - there are so many different genres on that show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-palmer/the-thing-that-i-love-about-working-at-gma-the-most-is-the/) [Jesse Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-palmer/) > [Web series is a new format, where everything, from the writing to storytelling is different. As an actor you have to approach it differently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-kulkarni/web-series-is-a-new-format-where-everything-from-the-writing-to/) [Atul Kulkarni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-kulkarni/) > [Storytelling has changed. Shows like 'Adventure Time' have taken storytelling in a different direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/genndy-tartakovsky/storytelling-has-changed-shows-like-adventure-time-have-taken/) [Genndy Tartakovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/genndy-tartakovsky/) > [With movies and TV, storytelling, it's a different medium. I really love it, but I'm one part of many, many pieces of that puzzle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-lewis/with-movies-and-tv-storytelling-it-s-a-different-medium-i-really-love/) [Juliette Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-lewis/) > [A good composer does not imitate; he steals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/igor-stravinsky/a-good-composer-does-not-imitate-he-steals/) [Igor Stravinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/igor-stravinsky/) > [I've come up with another formulation about style: that it's essentially a manifestation of a certain habitual set of limitations. It's what a composer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tenney/i-ve-come-up-with-another-formulation-about-style-that-it-s/) James Tenney > [The composer does not want the self-sufficiency of a richly complex text: he or she wants to feel that the text is something in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/the-composer-does-not-want-the-self-sufficiency-of-a-richly-complex/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) > [The great composer does not set to work because he is inspired, but becomes inspired because he is working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-newman/the-great-composer-does-not-set-to-work-because-he-is-inspired-but-2/) [Ernest Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-newman/) > [The great composer does not set to work because he is inspired, but becomes inspired because he is working. Beethoven, Wagner, Bach and Mozart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-newman/the-great-composer-does-not-set-to-work-because-he-is-inspired-but/) [Ernest Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-newman/) > [The greatest composer does not sit down to work because he is inspired, but becomes inspired because he is working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-newman/the-greatest-composer-does-not-sit-down-to-work-because-he-is/) [Ernest Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-newman/) > [When you're making video, you're giving structure to time, which is what a composer does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-viola/when-you-re-making-video-you-re-giving-structure-to-time-which-is/) [Bill Viola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-viola/) > [The composer does not sit around and wait for an inspiration to walk up and introduce itself…Making music is actually little else than a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-gershwin/the-composer-does-not-sit-around-and-wait-for-an-inspiration-to-walk/) [George Gershwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-gershwin/) ## More by Howard Shore > [It is very gratifying to see the music from 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy find a new life on the concert stage as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/it-is-very-gratifying-to-see-the-music-from-the-lord-of-the-rings/) [Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/) > [I read all of the books by Tolkien, including 'The Hobbit,' when I was in my twenties, and his deep love of nature and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/i-read-all-of-the-books-by-tolkien-including-the-hobbit-when-i-was-in/) [Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/) > [I've been writing music since I was 9. I took harmony and counterpoint classes when I was studying the clarinet. So, I've been writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/i-ve-been-writing-music-since-i-was-9-i-took-harmony-and-counterpoint/) [Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/) > [All of the silent films had live music accompaniment, so it's actually a very rich period in music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/all-of-the-silent-films-had-live-music-accompaniment-so-it-s-actually/) [Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/) > [I always believed 'The Fly' to be a classic opera story. It's a tale of love and death, true love surviving in the face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/i-always-believed-the-fly-to-be-a-classic-opera-story-it-s-a-tale-of/) [Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/) > [Composing is sort of an intuitive act. You have to put yourself in the right frame of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/composing-is-sort-of-an-intuitive-act-you-have-to-put-yourself-in-the/) [Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/) > [Theater and film are essentially the same - just different kinds of storytelling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/theater-and-film-are-essentially-the-same-just-different-kinds-of/) [Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/) > [I like to do a lot of research on all of the films I work on. So, I like to read a lot. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/i-like-to-do-a-lot-of-research-on-all-of-the-films-i-work-on-so-i/) [Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/) > [I live in Tuxedo Park, N.Y. and spend time in the West Village, where my wife Elizabeth Cotnoir, a writer-producer and documentary filmmaker, has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/i-live-in-tuxedo-park-n-y-and-spend-time-in-the-west-village-where-my/) [Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/) > [My first score for 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy, 'The Fellowship of the Ring,' was the beginning of my journey into the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/my-first-score-for-the-lord-of-the-rings-trilogy-the-fellowship-of/) [Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/) > [Music is essentially an emotional language, so you want to feel something from the relationships and build music based on those feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/music-is-essentially-an-emotional-language-so-you-want-to-feel/) [Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/) > [The music for 'The Departed' could have been played by an orchestra, but you make a decision about orchestration based on the context of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/the-music-for-the-departed-could-have-been-played-by-an-orchestra-but/) [Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/) > [I usually work with the director and it's just a collaboration between me and the one person. I think you make good movies that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/i-usually-work-with-the-director-and-it-s-just-a-collaboration/) [Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/) > [I always go back to the original material. I want a good connection as the composer and writer of the score to the director…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/i-always-go-back-to-the-original-material-i-want-a-good-connection-as/) [Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/) > [You can find the whole world of a film in one instrument, or you can find a world of sound in the orchestra.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/you-can-find-the-whole-world-of-a-film-in-one-instrument-or-you-can/) [Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/) [Explore all 46 Howard Shore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/) ## More Composer quotes > [A composer knows that music is written by human beings for human beings and that music is a continuation of life, not something separated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanns-eisler/a-composer-knows-that-music-is-written-by-human-beings-for-human/) Hanns Eisler > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-coryell/bruce-katz-is-a-spectacular-talent-he-s-a-brilliant-composer-and/) [Larry Coryell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-coryell/) > [Trombone virtuoso and innovative composer, Papo combines the best of jazz and Latin music to create a genre that is unique and wild. He's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-brecker/trombone-virtuoso-and-innovative-composer-papo-combines-the-best-of/) Michael Brecker > [“- Mom, can I tell them there that I'm Romanian? - Sure, why not tell them? - I was thinking that they wouldn't think...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-enescu/mom-can-i-tell-them-there-that-i-m-romanian-sure-why-not-tell-them-i/) George Enescu > [The number of e-mails and letters that I get from choreographers, from sculptors, from composers who are being inspired by science is huge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/the-number-of-e-mails-and-letters-that-i-get-from-choreographers-from/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [The architect is very interesting because the architect is the commander, meaning the one who commands all the workers. The architect is also the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-architect-is-very-interesting-because-the-architect-is-the/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [If a composer could state in words what being a composer means, he would no longer need to be a composer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-rorem/if-a-composer-could-state-in-words-what-being-a-composer-means-he/) [Ned Rorem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-rorem/) > [Seen from the point of view of the composer, the most nonsensical practice is that of casting people in musicals who are unable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-gold/seen-from-the-point-of-view-of-the-composer-the-most-nonsensical/) Ernest Gold > [I think there's just been this "thing" that's developed, this way that we have of talking about our music that alienates people. And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/missy-mazzoli/i-think-there-s-just-been-this-thing-that-s-developed-this-way-that/) [Missy Mazzoli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/missy-mazzoli/) > [The ability to understand and deliver comedy and tragedy is extremely rare in one composer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/signe-baumane/the-ability-to-understand-and-deliver-comedy-and-tragedy-is-extremely/) [Signe Baumane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/signe-baumane/) > [When synthesizers appeared everyone was a composer suddenly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-desplat/when-synthesizers-appeared-everyone-was-a-composer-suddenly/) [Alexandre Desplat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-desplat/) > [A mission that comes from the heart to promote these things and to encourage composers to write, then of course they should do it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-andre-hamelin/a-mission-that-comes-from-the-heart-to-promote-these-things-and-to/) [Marc-Andre Hamelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-andre-hamelin/) > [The beauty and genius of a work of art may be reconceived, though its first material expression be destroyed; a vanished harmony may yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-beebe/the-beauty-and-genius-of-a-work-of-art-may-be-reconceived-though-its/) [William Beebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-beebe/) > [Every time I see a film or TV show, I think about how that composer made those choices and how that director envisioned music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lopez/every-time-i-see-a-film-or-tv-show-i-think-about-how-that-composer/) [Robert Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lopez/) > [Like any other composer of opera, I choose a subject not for polemical reasons, but because it contains vivid characters in highly charged dramatic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlisle-floyd/like-any-other-composer-of-opera-i-choose-a-subject-not-for-polemical/) [Carlisle Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlisle-floyd/) [Browse all 885 Composer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/composer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A lot of what a composer does has to do with storytelling, and there are different ways of fusing music with picture to express different storytelling ideas.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Howard Shore" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/a-lot-of-what-a-composer-does-has-to-do-with-storytelling-and-there/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Composer" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/a-lot-of-what-a-composer-does-has-to-do-with-storytelling-and-there/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f67/howard-shore-14455_composer_a-lot-of-what-a-composer-does-has-to-do_2306679.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f67/howard-shore-14455_composer_a-lot-of-what-a-composer-does-has-to-do_2306679.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f67/howard-shore-14455_composer_a-lot-of-what-a-composer-does-has-to-do_2306679.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A lot of what a composer does has to do with storytelling, and there are different ways of fusing music with…” — Howard Shore", "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": "Howard Shore", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A lot of what a composer...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/a-lot-of-what-a-composer-does-has-to-do-with-storytelling-and-there/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/a-lot-of-what-a-composer-does-has-to-do-with-storytelling-and-there/#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 } } ] } ```