To send light into the darkness of men's hearts - such is the duty of the artist.
Interpretation
Artists have a responsibility to illuminate and inspire others through their work.
This quote emphasizes the profound role of artists in society, suggesting that their primary duty is to bring understanding, hope, and enlightenment to those who may be lost or struggling. By creating art, which serves as a form of light, they help to illuminate the deeper emotions and truths within the human experience, transforming darkness into a space of possibility and connection.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of creativity, one might say, 'As Robert Schumann said, to send light into the darkness of men's hearts is the duty of the artist.'
It was an unforgettable picture to see Chopin sitting at the piano like a clairvoyant, lost in his dreams; to see how his vision communicated itself through his playing, and how, at the end of each piece, he had the sad habit of running one finger over the length of the plaintive keyboard, as though to tear himself forcibly away from his dream.
I am so fresh in soul and spirit that life gushes and bubbles around me in a thousand springs.
Think it a vile habit to alter works of good composers, to omit parts of them, or to insert new-fashioned ornaments. This is the greatest insult you can offer to Art.
You write to become immortal, or because the piano happens to be open, or you've looked into a pair of beautiful eyes.
Endeavour to play easy pieces well and with elegance; that is better than to play difficult pieces badly.
For me, music is always the language which permits one to converse with the Beyond.
I never paint dreams or nightmares. I paint my own reality.
I often think of random melodies. And I pretty much hear in my head what I want to do with the orchestra as I'm writing on the piano.
Write what you want bottomless from bottom of the mind.
Beauty is the only thing that time cannot harm. Philosophies fall away like sand, creeds follow one another, but what is beautiful is a joy for all seasons, a possession for all eternity.
I'm a brown girl from a Punjabi pind raised in Toronto. I don't expect literary critics and purists to understand the nuances of my experiences, and the experiences of the people around me... And my tradition holds that there is a magic in the written word. So how I write, what I write of, and why I write all comes naturally.
Music isn't about music, it's about life.
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