Music is the arithmetic of sounds as optics is the geometry of light.
Claude DebussyRead
People come to music to seek oblivion: is that not also a form of deception?
Interpretation
What this quote means
Debussy suggests that seeking escape through music may be misleading.
In this quote, Claude Debussy reflects on the purpose of music in people's lives, stating that many turn to music as a means of escaping their reality or seeking oblivion. However, he questions whether this pursuit of escape is inherently deceptive, implying that it can lead individuals away from confronting the truths of their existence, thus highlighting the complex relationship between art and reality.
Themes
MusicOblivionDeceptionArtEmotion
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the therapeutic effects of music, one might say, 'As Debussy noted, people come to music to seek oblivion.'
More from Claude Debussy
All quotes →The colour of my soul is iron-grey and sad bats wheel about the steeple of my dreams.
Claude DebussyRead
On those who overanalyze his music: When you tear the wings off a butterfly, it is no longer a butterfly
Claude DebussyRead
But music, don't you know, is a dream from which the veils have been lifted. It's not even the expression of a feeling, it's the feeling itself.
Claude DebussyRead
Some people wish above all to conform to the rules, I wish only to render what I can hear.
Claude DebussyRead
Art is the most beautiful deception of all!
Claude DebussyRead
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