So long as the human spirit thrives on this planet, music in some living form will accompany and sustain it and give it expressive meaning.
Aaron CoplandRead
Music that is born complex is not inherently better or worse than music that is born simple.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Complex and simple music are both valuable and valid in their own ways.
Aaron Copland's quote emphasizes that the quality of music is not determined by its complexity but rather by its ability to resonate with listeners. Both complex and simple forms of music can evoke deep emotions and serve meaningful purposes, suggesting that artistic expression transcends technical difficulty.
Themes
MusicComplexitySimplicityArtistic ExpressionQuality
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about different genres of music, you could share this quote to highlight that all forms have their own merits.
More from Aaron Copland
All quotes βI hope my recordings of my own works won't inhibit other people's performances. The brutal fact is that one doesn't always get the exact tempo one wants, although one improves with experience.
Aaron CoplandRead
Someone once asked me... whether I waited for inspiration. My answer was: "Every day!"
Aaron CoplandRead
To stop the flow of music would be like the stopping of time itself, incredible and inconceivable.
Aaron CoplandRead
The whole problem can be stated quite simply by asking "Is there a meaning to music?" My answer would be, "Yes", And "Can you state in so many words what the meaning is?" My answer to that would be "No."
Aaron CoplandRead
You compose because you want to somehow summarize in some permanent form your most basic feelings about being alive, to set down some sort of permanent statement about the way it feels to live now, today.
Aaron CoplandRead
Similar quotes
I don't want to be interesting. I want to be good.
Ludwig Mies Van Der RoheRead
Let us create extraordinary words, on condition that they be put to the most ordinary use and that the entity they designate be made to exist in the same way as the most common object.
Gilles DeleuzeRead
In those days, a gay man was made to feel nothing but shame about his feelings and his sexuality. I wanted my drawings to counteract that, to show gay men being happy and positive about who they were. Oh, I didn't sit down to think this all out carefully. But I knew - right from the start - that my men were going to be proud and happy men!
Tom Of FinlandRead
To speak today of a famous novelist is like speaking of a famous cabinetmaker or speedboat designer. Adjective is inappropriate to noun.
Gore VidalRead
I believe that as a writer and a director, you're only providing the skeleton of a character, and you're hiring actors to fill it out.
Christopher McquarrieRead
I'd like to play for you one of my compositions, my only composition.
Dizzy GillespieRead