QuoteProject
I want to say at once that I frankly believe that Irving Berlin is the greatest songwriter that has ever lived.... His songs are exquisite cameos of perfection, and each one of them is as beautiful as its neighbor. Irving Berlin remains, I think, America's Schubert.
George Gershwin
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

George Gershwin praises Irving Berlin as an unparalleled songwriter, comparing his work to that of Schubert.

This quote highlights the exceptional talent of Irving Berlin in the realm of songwriting. Gershwin expresses his belief that Berlin's songs are masterpieces, each showcasing a unique beauty and artistry that places him among the greatest composers in American history. The comparison to Schubert further emphasizes the high regard in which Gershwin holds Berlin's contributions to music.

Themes

Irving BerlinSongwriterMusicArtistryCreativityComparisonGeorge Gershwin

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech celebrating a music festival, one might quote Gershwin to highlight the importance of songwriters like Berlin.

More from George Gershwin

Out of my entire annual output of songs, perhaps two, or at the most three, came as a result of inspiration. We can never rely on inspiration. When we most want it, it does not come.
George GershwinRead
The composer does not sit around and wait for an inspiration to walk up and introduce itself...Making music is actually little else than a matter of invention aided and abetted by emotion. In composing we combine what we know of music with what we feel.
George GershwinRead
Originality is the only thing that counts. But the originator uses material and ideas that occur round him and pass through him. And out of his experience comes the original creation.
George GershwinRead
Summertime And the living is easy Fish are jumpin' And the cotton is high Oh, your daddy's rich And your mama's good lookin' So hush little baby now don't you cry One of these mornin's You're gonna rise up singin' Then you'll spread your wings And take to the sky But til that mornin' Ain't nothin' can harm you With your daddy And your mammy standin' by.
George GershwinRead
For suddenly, I saw you there And through foggy London town The sun was shining everywhere.
George GershwinRead
Music sets up certain vibration which unquestionably results in a physical reaction. Eventually the proper vibration for every person will be found and utilized.
George GershwinRead

Similar quotes

I think of myself as a stylist, and stylists can become notoriously obsessed with the placing of a comma, the weight of a semicolon.
Truman CapoteRead
The arts can enrich all of us in this nation as individuals. The arts can enrich all of our communities and the country. And the arts can connect us to each other like nothing else can.
Michelle ObamaRead
I grew up watching period dramas, as we all did in the 1980s and '90s - endless adaptations of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens - and I loved them. But I never saw anyone like me in them, so I decided to find a story to erode the excuses for me not doing one.
David OyelowoRead
Nobody ever told me, 'Art is this.' This was good luck in a way because I would have had to spend half of my life forgetting everything that I had been told, which is what happens with most students in schools of fine arts.
Fernando BoteroRead
Any time you get two people in a room who disagree about anything, the time of day, there is a scene to be written. That's what I look for.
Aaron SorkinRead
I believe if you come out of a movie and the first thing you say is, 'The cinematography was beautiful,' it's a bad movie.
John WatersRead

A little wisdom, now and then

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

Quote by George Gershwin | QuoteProject