--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I believe so, but at first he must know…" description: "\"I believe so, but at first he must know. He must know in which spirit Beethoven has composed this piece. He must try to study that. And he must find ou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bc/kurt-masur-23002_beethoven_i-believe-so-but-at-first-he-must-know-h_77036.jpg" --- # I believe so, but at first he must know. He must know in… ![“I believe so, but at first he must know. He must know in which spirit Beethoven has composed this piece. He must try to study that. And he must find out in which station of life of Beethoven he did.” quote by Kurt Masur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bc/kurt-masur-23002_beethoven_i-believe-so-but-at-first-he-must-know-h_77036.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bc/kurt-masur-23002_beethoven_i-believe-so-but-at-first-he-must-know-h_77036.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bc/kurt-masur-23002_beethoven_i-believe-so-but-at-first-he-must-know-h_77036.jpg) > “I believe so, but at first he must know. He must know in which spirit Beethoven has composed this piece. He must try to study that. And he must find out in which station of life of Beethoven he did.” [Kurt Masur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-masur/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding a composer's personal context is essential to interpreting their work accurately. **In simple terms:** Interpretation requires knowledge of the creator's life. Key Takeaway Context informs meaning. Themes interpretation historical context artistic intent musicology biography Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type analytical educational When to use this quote - music analysis - performance preparation - educational lecture - program notes Key Concepts composer's mindset period of creation emotional state Practical Applications - curating concerts - writing scholarly articles Questions to Reflect On - How does a composer's life influence their music? - What methods reveal a work's original spirit? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) ## Related quotes > [I recently did a piece for the Boston Pops and John Williams, and I hope that it's as well a composed piece as I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-maxwell-davies/i-recently-did-a-piece-for-the-boston-pops-and-john-williams-and-i/) [Peter Maxwell Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-maxwell-davies/) > [Da Vinci painted one Mona Lisa. Beethoven composed one Fifth Symphony. And God made one version of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/da-vinci-painted-one-mona-lisa-beethoven-composed-one-fifth-symphony/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [Life is like music, it must be composed by ear, feeling and instinct, not by rule. Nevertheless one had better know the rules, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-like-music-it-must-be-composed-by-ear-feeling-and-instinct/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I guess we're all composed of a lot of mistakes; we just have to figure out how to take our mistakes and make something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-martin-beckner/i-guess-we-re-all-composed-of-a-lot-of-mistakes-we-just-have-to/) [K. Martin Beckner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-martin-beckner/) > [If one wants to go on living, one must evolve. Before, when we composed, we would start by a series of music themes. Once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-leigh/if-one-wants-to-go-on-living-one-must-evolve-before-when-we-composed/) [Mitch Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-leigh/) > [I have composed music for many city-based movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-antony/i-have-composed-music-for-many-city-based-movies/) [Vijay Antony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-antony/) > [“Forever is composed of nows. Das 'Für immer' besteht aus vielen 'jetzt'.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/forever-is-composed-of-nows-das-f-r-immer-besteht-aus-vielen-jetzt/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [When I composed, I heard my music played by the orchestra within days of completion of the score. No master at a conservatory, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-previn/when-i-composed-i-heard-my-music-played-by-the-orchestra-within-days/) [Andre Previn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-previn/) > [I'm calm and composed, and I don't expect a lot from anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naga-chaitanya/i-m-calm-and-composed-and-i-don-t-expect-a-lot-from-anyone/) [Naga Chaitanya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naga-chaitanya/) > [When I met Zaeden, I bonded well with him he had an instrumental piece ready so we worked on it, composed, and added lyrics.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ankit-tiwari/when-i-met-zaeden-i-bonded-well-with-him-he-had-an-instrumental-piece/) [Ankit Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ankit-tiwari/) > [It is with a company as it is with a punch, everything depends upon the ingredients of which it in composed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/it-is-with-a-company-as-it-is-with-a-punch-everything-depends-upon/) [Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/) > [Has a world composed of "us" and "not us" been invaded at last?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bisco-hatori/has-a-world-composed-of-us-and-not-us-been-invaded-at-last/) [Bisco Hatori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bisco-hatori/) > [Clearly, 9/11 would have to be some of the best work that I've done because I was working without a template, and that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashleigh-banfield/clearly-9-11-would-have-to-be-some-of-the-best-work-that-i-ve-done/) [Ashleigh Banfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashleigh-banfield/) > [“because human lives are composed in precisely such a fashion. They are composed like music”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kundera-milan/because-human-lives-are-composed-in-precisely-such-a-fashion-they-are/) [Kundera Milan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kundera-milan/) > [I must say I've always composed music from the point of view of the performers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-piston/i-must-say-i-ve-always-composed-music-from-the-point-of-view-of-the/) Walter Piston ## More by Kurt Masur > [You know as I started as a shy young conductor, I always wanted to cooperate. To build up the musicians. To help them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-masur/you-know-as-i-started-as-a-shy-young-conductor-i-always-wanted-to/) [Kurt Masur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-masur/) > [You have to change your mind with every orchestra because every orchestra has a different character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-masur/you-have-to-change-your-mind-with-every-orchestra-because-every/) [Kurt Masur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-masur/) > [And to understand this, I think this is a most important point where I would like always to be understood what we do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-masur/and-to-understand-this-i-think-this-is-a-most-important-point-where-i/) [Kurt Masur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-masur/) > [Since the composer has said everything, if you discover everything, it will be enough and you will be a happy man. Don't try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-masur/since-the-composer-has-said-everything-if-you-discover-everything-it/) [Kurt Masur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-masur/) > [I always imagined that to bring an orchestra to play together is not enough for a conductor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-masur/i-always-imagined-that-to-bring-an-orchestra-to-play-together-is-not/) [Kurt Masur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-masur/) > [Even my family laughed at me because they thought this young guy who's always stuttering in front of other people should be in front…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-masur/even-my-family-laughed-at-me-because-they-thought-this-young-guy-who/) [Kurt Masur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-masur/) > [Young conductors who are confident enough, they very often have success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-masur/young-conductors-who-are-confident-enough-they-very-often-have-success/) [Kurt Masur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-masur/) > [And at the same time, I had my very first concert at the age of 16. I hadn't heard a symphony orchestra before, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-masur/and-at-the-same-time-i-had-my-very-first-concert-at-the-age-of-16-i/) [Kurt Masur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-masur/) > [At the age of 16, something happened with my finger and the doctor told me, you never can be a organist or pianist, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-masur/at-the-age-of-16-something-happened-with-my-finger-and-the-doctor/) [Kurt Masur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-masur/) > [In South America, I heard the 8th Symphony of Beethoven. And the young conductor thought, Beethoven must be heroic. But this is piece which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-masur/in-south-america-i-heard-the-8th-symphony-of-beethoven-and-the-young/) [Kurt Masur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-masur/) > [And if you are strong enough, then you can grow as a conductor more and more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-masur/and-if-you-are-strong-enough-then-you-can-grow-as-a-conductor-more/) [Kurt Masur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-masur/) > [I was different from most young conductors today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-masur/i-was-different-from-most-young-conductors-today/) [Kurt Masur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-masur/) > [Even I had no opportunity to conduct very many concerts after World War II.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-masur/even-i-had-no-opportunity-to-conduct-very-many-concerts-after-world/) [Kurt Masur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-masur/) > [Very often, if I know the orchestra doesn't know a piece or it's a new piece, I have main ideas about it. But then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-masur/very-often-if-i-know-the-orchestra-doesn-t-know-a-piece-or-it-s-a-new/) [Kurt Masur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-masur/) > [I worked on scores. I went to the musical library in Berlin which is very famous. I discovered that we had scores of Beethoven,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-masur/i-worked-on-scores-i-went-to-the-musical-library-in-berlin-which-is/) [Kurt Masur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-masur/) [Explore all 26 Kurt Masur quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-masur/) ## More Beethoven quotes > [For me, musicians are poets. Beethoven describes himself as a poet of tones, just like Coltrane's a poet of tempo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/for-me-musicians-are-poets-beethoven-describes-himself-as-a-poet-of/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [And now, in honour of the 150th anniversary of Beethoven's death, I would like to play 'Clear the Saloon', er, 'Clair de Lune', by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-borge/and-now-in-honour-of-the-150th-anniversary-of-beethoven-s-death-i/) [Victor Borge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-borge/) > [“That Beethoven was capable of producing the ultimate musical definition of heroism in this context is itself extraordinary, for he was able to evoke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-solomon/that-beethoven-was-capable-of-producing-the-ultimate-musical/) Maynard Solomon > [“He had said it bravely, and that is why one can trust Beethoven when he says other things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster-2/he-had-said-it-bravely-and-that-is-why-one-can-trust-beethoven-when/) [E.M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster-2/) > [The point of recapitulation in the first movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony unleashes one of the most horrifyingly violent episodes in the history of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-mcclary/the-point-of-recapitulation-in-the-first-movement-of-beethoven-s/) [Susan McClary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-mcclary/) > [“You'll have a good, secure life when being alive means more to you than security, love more than money, your freedom more than public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/you-ll-have-a-good-secure-life-when-being-alive-means-more-to-you/) [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) > [I shall never forget Juliek. How could I forget this concert given before an audience of the dead and dying? Even today, when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/i-shall-never-forget-juliek-how-could-i-forget-this-concert-given/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [“Did Beethoven create his symphonies for his glorification? I don't believe it. I believe he created them because the music in his soul demanded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/did-beethoven-create-his-symphonies-for-his-glorification-i-don-t/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“On behalf of all that is good and melodic, Ludwig van Beethoven, I apologize.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-strohmeyer/on-behalf-of-all-that-is-good-and-melodic-ludwig-van-beethoven-i/) [Sarah Strohmeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-strohmeyer/) > [Beethoven can't really be great because his picture isn't on a bubble gum card.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schulz/beethoven-can-t-really-be-great-because-his-picture-isn-t-on-a-bubble/) [Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/) > [“I hope Ludwig van Beethoven gets his cut, Langdon thought, fairly certain that the original inventor of bone conduction technology was the eighteenth-century composer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/i-hope-ludwig-van-beethoven-gets-his-cut-langdon-thought-fairly/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [“A deaf composer's like a cook who's lost his sense of taste. A frog that's lost its webbed feet. A truck driver with his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/a-deaf-composer-s-like-a-cook-who-s-lost-his-sense-of-taste-a-frog/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Pulse as an active means of expression, Stravinsky and Beethoven are the two masters of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esa-pekka-salonen/pulse-as-an-active-means-of-expression-stravinsky-and-beethoven-are/) [Esa-Pekka Salonen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esa-pekka-salonen/) > [I think there are very few people that I would give the title of genius to, really, but Beethoven unquestionably is one of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/i-think-there-are-very-few-people-that-i-would-give-the-title-of/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [I've got that Beethoven energy, that Stravinsky energy. And it's all a gift from the Creator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wadada-leo-smith/i-ve-got-that-beethoven-energy-that-stravinsky-energy-and-it-s-all-a/) [Wadada Leo Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wadada-leo-smith/) Browse all 240 Beethoven quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I believe so, but at first he must know. He must know in which spirit Beethoven has composed this piece. He must try to study that. 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