QuoteProject
I like any and all of my associations with music: writing, playing, and listening. We write and play from our perspective, and the audience listens from its perspective. If and when we agree, I am lucky.
Duke Ellington
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Music is a collaborative art form where both the creator and the audience bring their unique perspectives.

This quote by Duke Ellington emphasizes the shared experience of music between the creator and the listener. It highlights how both parties come from their own perspectives, and when those perspectives align, it creates a moment of connection and appreciation. Ellington suggests that this harmonious agreement is a fortunate and meaningful outcome in the realm of music, where the creative process is inherently personal, yet designed for shared enjoyment.

Themes

MusicPerspectiveAssociationCreativeAudience

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be used at a music appreciation event to highlight the connection between musicians and their audience.

More from Duke Ellington

I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues.
Duke EllingtonRead
Tomorrow is in the wings waiting for you to sound her entrance fanfare.
Duke EllingtonRead
There is no art without intention.
Duke EllingtonRead
There is nothing to keeping a band together. You simply have to have a gimmick, and the gimmick I use is to pay them money!
Duke EllingtonRead
Gray skies are just clouds passing over.
Duke EllingtonRead
Playing 'bop' is like playing Scrabble with all the vowels missing.
Duke EllingtonRead

Similar quotes

I'm uncomfortable with the focus on the poet and not on the poem.
Yusef KomunyakaaRead
What use having a great depth of field, if there is not an adequate depth of feeling?
W. Eugene SmithRead
As a filmmaker, I believe in trying to make movies that invite the audience to be part of the film; in other words, there are some films where I'm just a spectator and am simply observing from the front seat. What I try to do is draw the audience into the film and have them participate in what's happening onscreen.
Peter JacksonRead
Sometimes I get it right and I sometimes I get it wrong. But fashion is all about having fun. I think fashion has been hijacked by the fashion industry creating rules on what one should wear and I feel like breaking the mold and seeing that the world won’t crumble.
Helena Bonham CarterRead
That which is not worth contemplating in life, is not worth recreating in art.
Ayn RandRead
Great art transcends its culture and touches on that which is eternal.
Madeleine L'EngleRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.

Quote by Duke Ellington | QuoteProject