To send light into the darkness of men's hearts - such is the duty of the artist.
Interpretation
Artists have a responsibility to illuminate and inspire others through their work.
This quote emphasizes the profound role of artists in society, suggesting that their primary duty is to bring understanding, hope, and enlightenment to those who may be lost or struggling. By creating art, which serves as a form of light, they help to illuminate the deeper emotions and truths within the human experience, transforming darkness into a space of possibility and connection.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of creativity, one might say, 'As Robert Schumann said, to send light into the darkness of men's hearts 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.
For me, music is always the language which permits one to converse with the Beyond.
Some people like to paint pictures, or do gardening, or build a boat in the basement. Other people get a tremendous pleasure out of the kitchen, because cooking is just as creative and imaginative an activity as drawing, or wood carving, or music.
Acting is all about relating to the people on stage with you, even in plays that break the fourth wall. Clowning, for the most part, is the opposite. If somebody in the audience sneezes, I can count on it: I don't even have to look at Shiner; he'll have his handkerchief out. It's all about all of us in the room together.
Imagining [The Wizard of Oz] without Judy Garland is a bit like dancing on wet cement: you can do it, but why would you want to?
The world has kissed my Soul with its pain, asking for its return in Songs.
Fashion comes and goes but style lasts forever
You're never quite sure where the song is going, because you might not find the word to rhyme with the end of the line. You have to find associative meaning to get you there. So it's rather like doing a crossword puzzle backwards. A kind of strange, three-dimensional, abstract crossword puzzle.
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