Classical Music Quotes

“There is a reactionary conservative side of classical music, which is not the most exciting side of it. The side that draws me in, there's a real encouragement of risk-taking, going back to masters of that tradition like Beethoven and Bartok and Stravinsky.”

“I think classical dance is not seeing the evolution seen by classical music.”

“It's a small community, the classical music community, along with the excitement of new places and new things and this feeling of being at home wherever you go because that's where your community is.”

“Violinists wear the imprint on their necks with prideFor they are the players of harmony.Pilgrims, too, wear the imprint on their foreheads with prideFor they are the conductors of unity.And Lovers? Why, they are made humble by the imprint on their heartsFor they are merely the instruments of rhapsody.”

“It's hard to find an emblem of cultural, national pride that burns as bright as Israel's success in classical music.”

“Often, I could not find the range of emotions in classical music which I found in the The Rolling Stones and Hendrix. Listening to Bach, I found a deep spirituality and felt elevated above the human level. Yet the feeling and emotions attached to popular music speak to us far more personally, and I couldn't leave that behind.”

“I got my interest in Lotte Lenya and the Brecht-Weill canon from my parents. And I love classical music - I got that from my parents. I love Cole Porter - that I got from my dad.”

“Classical music is the best, and cheapest, mind-altering drug in the world.”

“I became a set designer for opera. I'm a great opera buff, I love classical music, and I needed a time-out.”

“Improvisation is an important part of bluegrass, and I would hasten to add that classical music wasn't always such an improvisational void. Back in the day, everyone's cadenzas were improvised, and improvisation was taught in conservatories.”

“The choreography in films is completely different. I find it easier when I am asked to dance to classical music, but it's a different ball game altogether.”

“In western classical music with an orchestra, you focus the orchestra on melodies and harmony. In African music, the biggest focus is on rhythms and counter-rhythms - the complexity of rhythms.”

“Classical music gives musicians a kick. But African music gives everyone a kick.”

“The origins of Indian classical music, not unlike their western counterparts, lie in the Vedas, the ancient Hindu scriptures of 2,000 years ago.”

“A lot of people may not know how competitive it is to play classical music, because when you think about it, the music that you're playing is music that's been here for years. And all you're trying to do is improve upon it when you play.”

“I suppose I am more comfortable with jazz because I have been playing it that much longer, and also because classical music is a much more disciplined genre.”

“At a certain point, I became a kind of musician that has tunnel vision about jazz. I only listened to jazz and classical music.”