My music is best understood by children and animals.
Igor StravinskyRead
The trouble with music appreciation in general is that people are taught to have too much respect for music they should be taught to love it instead.
Interpretation
Stravinsky emphasizes that music should be enjoyed and loved rather than just respected.
In this quote, Igor Stravinsky critiques the way music appreciation is often taught, suggesting that the focus should not merely be on respecting music for its technical qualities or historical significance. Instead, he argues that the genuine experience of music comes from developing a deep love and appreciation for it, which allows individuals to connect with it on a more personal and emotional level.
In practice
During a music festival, I shared this quote to emphasize the joy of experiencing live performances.
My music is best understood by children and animals.
Conductors' careers are made for the most part with 'Romantic' music. 'Classic' music eliminates the conductor; we do not remember him in it.
Invention presupposes imagination but should not be confused with it.
I was born out of due time in the sense that by temperament and talent I should have been more suited for the life of a small Bach, living in anonymity and composing regularly for an established service and for God.
A composer is not only an architect but also an inventor, and he should not build houses in which he cannot live.
Music must be listened to; it is not enough to hear it. A duck hears also.
When I was a child, I used to paint intently. The older I become, and the closer death approaches, the brighter my life gets day by day.
I'm in the acting business. That's the ego business.
I find that when I get on stage now, I don't want to perform a lot of my songs because they don't feel like me. So I want to make songs that are timeless.
Creative writers are always greater than the causes that they represent.
Why be in music, why write songs, if you can't use them to explore life or an idealized vision of life? I believe a lot of our lives are spent asleep, and what I've been trying to do is hold on to those moments when a little spark cuts through the fog and nudges you.
Acting isn't really a creative profession. It's an interpretative one.
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