Tonight, tonight, won't be just any night. Tonight there will be no morning star.
Stephen SondheimRead
Making lyrics feel natural, sit on music in such a way that you don't feel the effort of the author, so that they shine and bubble and rise and fall, is very, very hard to do. Whereas you can sit at the piano and just play and feel you're making art.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Creating seamless and expressive lyrics in music is a challenging task that can contrast with the more natural act of playing an instrument.
This quote by Stephen Sondheim emphasizes the difficulty of crafting lyrics that feel inherent to the music, suggesting that this seamless integration is a complex artistic endeavor. In contrast, he notes that simply playing an instrument, like a piano, can feel more instinctive and effortless, allowing the musician to express themselves freely and create art without the same level of complication.
Themes
LyricsMusicArtCreativityExpression
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a speech about the challenges of songwriting.
More from Stephen Sondheim
All quotes →After the Rodgers and Hammerstein revolution, songs became part of the story, as opposed to just entertainments in between comedy scenes.
Stephen SondheimRead
Musical comedies aren't written, they are rewritten.
Stephen SondheimRead
Let Pirelli's / Miracle Elixir / Activate your roots, sir... Keep it off your boots, sir- / Eats right through. Yes, get Pirelli's! / Use a bottle of it! / Ladies seem to love it... Flies do, too!
Stephen SondheimRead
Art, in itself, is an attempt to bring order out of chaos.
Stephen SondheimRead
Careful the spell you cast, not just on children. Sometimes the spell may last Past what you can see And turn against you... Careful the tale you tell. That is the spell.
Stephen SondheimRead
Similar quotes
An exhibition is in many ways a series of conversations. Between the artist and viewer, curator and viewer, and between the works of art themselves. It clicks when an exhibition feels like it has answered some questions, and raised even more.
Thelma GoldenRead
Everything is art. Everything is politics.
Ai WeiweiRead
I like to be buttoned onto tradition. The thing is to improve it, twist it and mold it; to make something new of it; not to deny it. The riches of history can be plucked at any point.
Philip JohnsonRead
Great innovations, powerful interactions and real art are often produced by someone in a state of wonder. Looking around with stars in your eyes and amazement at the tools that are available to you can inspire generosity and creativity and connection
Seth GodinRead
For art to be reality, the whole sensuous being must be caught up in the experience.
Margaret MeadRead
Music is art, and art is important and rare. Important, rare things are valuable. Valuable things should be paid for. It’s my opinion that music should not be free, and my prediction is that individual artists and their labels will someday decide what an album’s price point is. I hope they don’t underestimate themselves or undervalue their art.
Taylor SwiftRead