If they cut off both hands, I will compose music anyway holding the pen in my teeth.
Dmitri ShostakovichRead
I write music, it’s performed. After all, my music says it all. It doesn’t need historical and hysterical commentaries. In the long run, any words about music are less important than the music.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Music speaks for itself and transcends verbal explanations.
Dmitri Shostakovich emphasizes the intrinsic value and power of music, suggesting that it conveys emotions and ideas more effectively than any analysis or commentary could. He believes that the essence of music lies in its ability to communicate directly with the listener, making any verbal interpretation secondary to the experience of the music itself.
Themes
MusicExpressionImportanceArtCommunication
In practice
Example use cases
During a music appreciation class, to emphasize the power of music over words.
More from Dmitri Shostakovich
All quotes →What you have in your head, put down on paper. The head is a fragile vessel.
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When a man is in despair, it means that he still believes in something.
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Real music is always revolutionary, for it cements the ranks of the people; it arouses them and leads them onward.
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The best way to hold on to something is to pay no attention to it. The things you love too much perish. You have to treat everything with irony, especially the things you hold dear. There's more of a chance then that they'll survive.
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Football is the ballet of the masses.
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