If I don't practice one day, I know it; two days, the critics know it; three days, the public knows it.
Jascha HeifetzRead
I occasionally play works by contemporary composers and for two reasons. First to discourage the composer from writing any more and secondly to remind myself how much I appreciate Beethoven.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote humorously suggests that listening to contemporary music can enhance one's appreciation of classical music.
Jascha Heifetz presents a witty perspective on the experience of listening to music. By stating that he plays works by contemporary composers, he implies that these modern compositions serve as a benchmark that makes him appreciate the timeless quality and genius of Beethoven's music even more. The humor lies in his admission that he plays contemporary works both to discourage their creation and as a personal reminder of the superior nature of classical music.
Themes
MusicContemporaryBeethovenAppreciationComposers
In practice
Example use cases
This quote is perfect for a discussion about the evolution of music in a lecture on music appreciation.
More from Jascha Heifetz
All quotes βCriticism does not disturb me, for I am my own severest critic. Always in my playing I strive to surpass myself, and it is this constant struggle that makes music fascinating to me.
Jascha HeifetzRead
No matter what side of the argument you are on, you always find people on your side that you wish were on the other.
Jascha HeifetzRead
Can you appreciate music without playing it? Yes, you can. You can appreciate baseball without playing it. Many people attend a football game merely for the crowd, the excitement, the color.
Jascha HeifetzRead
Similar quotes
What makes us feel drawn to music is that our whole being is music: our mind and body, the nature in which we live, the nature which has made us, all that is beneath and around us, it is all music.
Hazrat Inayat KhanRead
I shall, in due time, be a Poet.
Ada LovelaceRead
I think the more the listener can contribute to the song, the better; the more they become part of the song, and they fill in the blanks. Rather than tell them everything, you save your details for things that exist. Like what color the ashtray is. How far away the doorway was. So when you're talking about intangible things like emotions, the listener can fill in the blanks and you just draw the foundation.
John PrineRead
I've made movies that I thought were okay, but then I was very good. And sometimes you're in a movie and you think, 'I wish more people saw that' - because you're good. And it just works out that the movie gets lost. But that's show business.
Christopher WalkenRead
I always feel that whatever isn't necessary shouldn't be in a poem.
Mary OliverRead
My introduction to art history was like everybody else's. You see an art history book that has works by Rembrandt and Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Yes, these things are great. But I don't see a reflection of myself in any of these things I'm looking at.
Kerry James MarshallRead