To send light into the darkness of men's hearts - such is the duty of the artist.
Robert SchumannRead
We have learned to express the more delicate nuances of feeling by penetrating more deeply into the mysteries of harmony.
Interpretation
This quote highlights the profound connection between emotional expression and musical harmony.
Robert Schumann emphasizes that as artists and musicians, we have developed our ability to convey complex emotions by exploring and understanding the intricate aspects of harmony in music. This suggests that the depth of emotional expression in art is closely tied to our mastery of its technical elements.
In practice
During a music appreciation class, this quote can illustrate the depth of emotional communication in compositions.
To send light into the darkness of men's hearts - such 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.
I feel the need of attaining the maximum of intensity with the minimum of means. It is this which has led me to give my painting a character of even greater bareness.
My first plays were amazingly bad, but I had a teacher who thought I had promise, and he kept working with me. I finally went to a summer workshop before my senior year with people like Sam Shepard and Maria Irene Fornes who encouraged me to write from my subconscious, and suddenly all this material about culture clash came out.
When people say that moviegoing is dead, I go, 'OK, so the makers of 'Get Out' should've sold that movie to a platform? Then they don't have this insane, crazy success theatrically all over the world.'
I didn't start out to be a movie star. I started out to be an actor.
The very best design, I feel, is that which resonates so deeply that people can't help but discover something within themselves when they see it.
Writing is like shouting into the world. So when someone shouts back, it's a really big deal. To have people who read hundreds and hundreds of books a year say, 'Hey, we thought this was really great,' that's a huge self-esteem boost.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.