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
Like family, we are tied to each other. This is what all good musicians understand.
The future of rock belongs to women.
When you're a Chicago artist, to play Lollapalooza, that's not a normal thing. It's artists on a path to a certain place that do that. Chief Keef did it; Kids These Days did it; Cool Kids did it. And I'm the next Cool-Kids-Chief, if you will.
Hell, nobody knows where jazz is going to go. There may be a kid right now in Chitlin Switch, Georgia, who is going to come along and upset everybody.
Sonnymoon and Quadrants are a couple of bands that really inspire me in terms of the melodics of things and certain tones and just what feels good. It takes me back to the type of music that I grew up on in my household. We played a lot of gangsta rap, but we also played a lot of oldies, and I think that mix is part of what inspires my sound.
Things like guitars and ukuleles, you should never part with it, because there will probably be good, healthy times spent, just playing and writing.
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