I owe very, very much to Mozart; and if one studies, for instance, the way in which I write for string quartet, then one cannot deny that I have learned this directly from Mozart. And I am proud of it!
Interpretation
Schoenberg acknowledges his debt to Mozart's influence on his compositional style.
In this quote, Arnold Schoenberg expresses his deep admiration and respect for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, admitting that much of his own work, particularly in writing for string quartet, has been shaped by Mozart's techniques and artistry. He takes pride in this influence, highlighting the importance of studying and learning from great masters in the field of music.
In practice
During a lecture on musical influences, one could use this quote to emphasize the importance of learning from the great composers.
I never was very capable of expressing my feelings or emotions in words. I don't know whether this is the cause why I did it in music and also why I did it in painting. Or vice versa: That I had this way as an outlet. I could renounce expressing something in words.
There is still plenty of good music to be written in C major.
I am the slave of an internal power more powerful than my education.
I find above all that the expression, atonal music, is most unfortunate — it is on a par with calling flying the art of not falling, or swimming the art of not drowning.
My music is not modern, it is merely badly played
Remember the first time you went to a show and saw your favorite band. You wore their shirt, and sang every word. You didn't know anything about scene politics, haircuts, or what was cool. All you knew was that this music made you feel different from anyone you shared a locker with. Someone finally understood you. This is what music is about.
It is Billie Holiday who was, and still remains, the greatest single musical influence on me.
I'd like to think that when I sing a song, I can let you know all about the heartbreak, struggle, lies and kicks in the ass I've gotten over the years for being black and everything else, without actually saying a word about it.
The blues tells a story. Every line of the blues has a meaning.
When it comes to grunge or even just Seattle, I think there was one band that made the definitive music of the time. It wasn't us or Nirvana, but Mudhoney. Nirvana delivered it to the world, but Mudhoney were the band of that time and sound.
Theres no way in the world I can feel the same blues the way I used to. When I play in Chicago, Im playing up-to-date, not the blues I was born with. People should hear the pure blues - the blues we used to have when we had no money.
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