My music is best understood by children and animals.
Igor StravinskyRead
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Stravinsky reflects on feeling out of place in his time and suggests he would have thrived in a simpler, more traditional artistic environment.
Igor Stravinsky expresses a sense of timelessness and misalignment with the era in which he lived. He believes that his temperament and talents are better aligned with a life of quiet creativity and devotion, akin to that of Johann Sebastian Bach, where he could focus on regular compositions for worship rather than the complexities and demands of the modern world. This sentiment highlights the challenge artists often face in navigating their unique gifts within the frameworks and expectations of their time.
Themes
StravinskyArtCreativityTraditionMusic
In practice
Example use cases
During an art seminar discussing the challenges artists face, this quote can illustrate the difficulty of fitting into contemporary expectations.
More from Igor Stravinsky
All quotes →Conductors' careers are made for the most part with 'Romantic' music. 'Classic' music eliminates the conductor; we do not remember him in it.
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.
Igor StravinskyRead
Invention presupposes imagination but should not be confused with it.
Igor StravinskyRead
A composer is not only an architect but also an inventor, and he should not build houses in which he cannot live.
Igor StravinskyRead
Music must be listened to; it is not enough to hear it. A duck hears also.
Igor StravinskyRead
Similar quotes
To be creative means to connect. It's to abolish the gap between the body, the mind and the soul, between science and art, between fiction and nonfiction.
Nawal El SaadawiRead
Music straightjackets a poem and prevents it from breathing on its own, whereas it liberates a lyric. Poetry doesn't need music; lyrics do.
Stephen SondheimRead
When a dish works, it works for everyone, whether you're Asian, European, African, American or anybody else.
Joel RobuchonRead
The pages are still blank, but there is a miraculous feeling of the words being there, written in invisible ink and clamoring to become visible.
Vladimir NabokovRead
Painting is silent poetry, and poetry is painting that speaks.
PlutarchRead
When you have a few cake formulas and filling ideas in your repertoire, you will find that it's pretty much an assembly job - you can mix and match a different way every time.
Julia ChildRead