Appropriate Quote by Pierre Boulez
“Why compose works that have to be re-created every time they are performed? Because definitive, once-and-for-all developments seem no longer appropriate to musical thought as it is today, or to the actual state that we have reached in the evolution of musical technique, which is increasingly concerned with the investigation of a relative world, a permanent 'discovering' rather like the state of 'permanent revolution'.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: "The Future of Music" (1975)
Boulez argues that music must remain fluid, never fixed, to reflect evolving artistic thought and technique.
In simple terms: Music should stay adaptable, not static.
Embrace change in creative practice.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- concert programming
- composition workshops
- music education
- performance practice
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How can performers balance tradition with continual reinvention?
- What risks arise from perpetual change?
Fixed works may limit innovation and audience engagement.