--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In music, the punctuation is absolutely…" description: "\"In music, the punctuation is absolutely strict, the bars and rests are absolutely defined. But our punctuation cannot be quite strict, because we have ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8da/ralph-richardson-36297_audience_in-music-the-punctuation-is-absolutely-s_2819770.jpg" --- # In music, the punctuation is absolutely strict, the bars… ![“In music, the punctuation is absolutely strict, the bars and rests are absolutely defined. But our punctuation cannot be quite strict, because we have to relate it to the audience. In other words we are continually changing the score.” quote by Ralph Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8da/ralph-richardson-36297_audience_in-music-the-punctuation-is-absolutely-s_2819770.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8da/ralph-richardson-36297_audience_in-music-the-punctuation-is-absolutely-s_2819770.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8da/ralph-richardson-36297_audience_in-music-the-punctuation-is-absolutely-s_2819770.jpg) > “In music, the punctuation is absolutely strict, the bars and rests are absolutely defined. But our punctuation cannot be quite strict, because we have to relate it to the audience. In other words we are continually changing the score.” [Ralph Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-richardson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Music performance requires flexible timing to connect with listeners, unlike strict written notation. **In simple terms:** Performance must adapt to audience. Key Takeaway Adjust timing to engage listeners. Themes music performance communication Mood reflective creative Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - concerts - live streaming - teaching music - rehearsals Key Concepts interpretation audience engagement Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance structure and spontaneity? - When does flexibility enhance a piece? A Different Perspective Rigid timing can hinder emotional impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) ## Related quotes > [“Cruelty to punctuation is quite unlegislated: you can get away with pulling the legs off semicolons; shrivelling question marks on the garden path under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/cruelty-to-punctuation-is-quite-unlegislated-you-can-get-away-with/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“You didn’t put a semicolon there — God did.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-brownn/you-didn-t-put-a-semicolon-there-god-did/) [Eleanor Brownn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-brownn/) > [I still put punctuation in my texts. If it's an 'I', I make sure it's a capital.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-cowell/i-still-put-punctuation-in-my-texts-if-it-s-an-i-i-make-sure-it-s-a/) [Simon Cowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-cowell/) > [I want to change my punctuation. I long for exclamation marks, but I'm drowning in ellipses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-marion/i-want-to-change-my-punctuation-i-long-for-exclamation-marks-but-i-m/) [Isaac Marion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-marion/) > [The Biblical text does not have punctuation marks like periods and question marks. Where we end sentences is a matter of interpretation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/the-biblical-text-does-not-have-punctuation-marks-like-periods-and/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [When we study Shakespeare on the page, for academic purposes, we may require all kinds of help. Generally, we read him in modern spelling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fenton/when-we-study-shakespeare-on-the-page-for-academic-purposes-we-may/) [James Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fenton/) > [“I'm a big believer in random capitalization. The rules of capitalization are so unfair to the words in the middle. (32)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-m-a-big-believer-in-random-capitalization-the-rules-of/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Give a civil servant a good case and he'll wreck it with clichés, bad punctuation, double negatives, and convoluted apology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-clark/give-a-civil-servant-a-good-case-and-he-ll-wreck-it-with-clich-s-bad/) [Alan Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-clark/) > [“April 6—Today, I learned, the comma, this is, a, comma (,) a period, with, a tail, Miss Kinnian, says its, importent, because, it makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/april-6-today-i-learned-the-comma-this-is-a-comma-a-period-with-a/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [In writing, punctuation plays the role of body language. It helps readers hear you the way you want to be heard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-baker/in-writing-punctuation-plays-the-role-of-body-language-it-helps/) [Russell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-baker/) > [Punctuation marks are the traffic signals of language: they tell us to slow down, notice this, take a detour, and stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/punctuation-marks-are-the-traffic-signals-of-language-they-tell-us-to/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [One of the things I like about my job is that it draws on the entire person: not just your knowledge of grammar and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-norris/one-of-the-things-i-like-about-my-job-is-that-it-draws-on-the-entire/) [Mary Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-norris/) > [Everyone suffers; life is pain; and death is the final punctuation at the end of that sentence, so deal with it. I really think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/everyone-suffers-life-is-pain-and-death-is-the-final-punctuation-at/) [Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/) > [You know, you'd hide behind a Public Enemy or Ice Cube, or Bruce Springsteen, or U2, because they spoke for you. But now everybody's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ice-t/you-know-you-d-hide-behind-a-public-enemy-or-ice-cube-or-bruce/) [Ice T](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ice-t/) > [“In the United States, periods and commas go inside the quotation mark. In Britain, they go outside the quotation mark. Squiggly said, “No.” (United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mignon-fogarty/in-the-united-states-periods-and-commas-go-inside-the-quotation-mark/) Mignon Fogarty ## More by Ralph Richardson > [“I always had the idea that when I was older I'd get frightfully clever. I'd get awfully learned, I'd get jolly sage. People would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-richardson/i-always-had-the-idea-that-when-i-was-older-i-d-get-frightfully/) [Ralph Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-richardson/) > [Dead? No excuse for laying off work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-richardson/dead-no-excuse-for-laying-off-work/) [Ralph Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-richardson/) > [Acting is merely the art of keeping a large group of people from coughing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-richardson/acting-is-merely-the-art-of-keeping-a-large-group-of-people-from/) [Ralph Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-richardson/) > [Actors are the jockeys of literature. Others supply the horses, the plays, and we simply make them run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-richardson/actors-are-the-jockeys-of-literature-others-supply-the-horses-the/) [Ralph Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-richardson/) > [You've got to perform in a role hundreds of times. In keeping it fresh one can become a large, madly humming, demented refrigerator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-richardson/you-ve-got-to-perform-in-a-role-hundreds-of-times-in-keeping-it-fresh/) [Ralph Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-richardson/) > [If a man without a sense of smell declared that this yellow rose that I hold had no scent, we should know that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-richardson/if-a-man-without-a-sense-of-smell-declared-that-this-yellow-rose-that/) [Ralph Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-richardson/) > [The most precious things in speech are pauses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-richardson/the-most-precious-things-in-speech-are-pauses/) [Ralph Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-richardson/) > [Acting is the ability to dream on cue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-richardson/acting-is-the-ability-to-dream-on-cue/) [Ralph Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-richardson/) > [Acting is a strange business; one day it's there, and the next day nowhere to be seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-richardson/acting-is-a-strange-business-one-day-it-s-there-and-the-next-day/) [Ralph Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-richardson/) > [I like talking to engineers best. They built bridges, they're very precise, very disciplined, yet I find they have roving minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-richardson/i-like-talking-to-engineers-best-they-built-bridges-they-re-very/) [Ralph Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-richardson/) > [Acting: An art which consists of keeping the audience from coughing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-richardson/acting-an-art-which-consists-of-keeping-the-audience-from-coughing/) [Ralph Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-richardson/) > [The most precious things in speech are the pauses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-richardson/the-most-precious-things-in-speech-are-the-pauses/) [Ralph Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-richardson/) [Explore all 13 Ralph Richardson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-richardson/) ## More Audience quotes > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It's those moments, those odd moments that you look for and sometimes by creating this kind of loose atmosphere you find those little moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/it-s-those-moments-those-odd-moments-that-you-look-for-and-sometimes/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [It's the adrenaline rush you only get from being in front of an audience. It's addictive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-saadiq/it-s-the-adrenaline-rush-you-only-get-from-being-in-front-of-an/) [Raphael Saadiq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-saadiq/) > [If I had to speak in front of a Korean audience, I would be hard pressed to sound other than a little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-na/if-i-had-to-speak-in-front-of-a-korean-audience-i-would-be-hard/) [An Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-na/) > [The liveness of theater, and the excitement of experiencing it alongside an audience, is something you can't get at home. That makes the theater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-blaemire/the-liveness-of-theater-and-the-excitement-of-experiencing-it/) [Nick Blaemire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-blaemire/) > [One of the things that touches me most when I play for an audience is that although we may be unable to communicate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/one-of-the-things-that-touches-me-most-when-i-play-for-an-audience-is/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [When you lived it for years and years and years and seen different characters just get pummeled and squashed because 'I said so,' it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arn-anderson/when-you-lived-it-for-years-and-years-and-years-and-seen-different/) [Arn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arn-anderson/) > [“During the first few minutes of your presentation, your job is to assure the audience members that you are not going to waste their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/during-the-first-few-minutes-of-your-presentation-your-job-is-to/) [Dale Ludwig and Greg Owen-Boger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/) > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I don't think about who the audience is for my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-don-t-think-about-who-the-audience-is-for-my-books/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [I feel I have been playing all primary characters. And if your character forms a connect with the audience, it doesn't matter if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angad-bedi/i-feel-i-have-been-playing-all-primary-characters-and-if-your/) [Angad Bedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angad-bedi/) > [When I was playing piano, it was like, 'I'm going to write a song using all the white keys.' My music director, who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/when-i-was-playing-piano-it-was-like-i-m-going-to-write-a-song-using/) [John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/) [Browse all 9,118 Audience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In music, the punctuation is absolutely strict, the bars and rests are absolutely defined. But our punctuation cannot be quite strict, because we have to relate it to the audience. 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