To send light into the darkness of men's hearts - such is the duty of the artist.
Robert SchumannRead
People compose for many reasons, to become immortal; because the piano happens to be open; because they want to become a millionaire; because of the praise of friends; because they have looked into a pair of beautiful eyes; or for no reason whatsoever.
Interpretation
Composers create music for various motivations, ranging from personal expression to external rewards.
This quote by Robert Schumann highlights the diverse inspirations behind musical composition. Composers may seek immortality through their art, feel moved by the beauty around them, or simply respond to the sheer joy of creating, demonstrating that the act of composing can be driven by both profound and trivial motivations.
In practice
During a speech at a music festival to inspire young composers.
To send light into the darkness of men's hearts - such is the duty of the artist.
It was an unforgettable picture to see Chopin sitting at the piano like a clairvoyant, lost in his dreams; to see how his vision communicated itself through his playing, and how, at the end of each piece, he had the sad habit of running one finger over the length of the plaintive keyboard, as though to tear himself forcibly away from his dream.
I am so fresh in soul and spirit that life gushes and bubbles around me in a thousand springs.
Think it a vile habit to alter works of good composers, to omit parts of them, or to insert new-fashioned ornaments. This is the greatest insult you can offer to Art.
You write to become immortal, or because the piano happens to be open, or you've looked into a pair of beautiful eyes.
Endeavour to play easy pieces well and with elegance; that is better than to play difficult pieces badly.
The language of art is celestial in origin and can only be understood by the chosen.
Television shows are not like cars or operating systems, and they are not best made by engineers or coders in the same assembly line manner as consumer products which need to be of uniform size, shape, and quality.
I'll be writing songs till I die. There's just no question.
If there is a magic in story writing, and I am convinced that there is, no one has ever been able to reduce it to a recipe that can be passed from one person to another. The formula seems to lie solely in the aching urge of the writer to convey something he feels important to the reader. If the writer has that urge, he may sometimes but by no means always find the way to do it.
Photography is a very lonely medium. There’s a kind of beautiful loneliness in voyeurism. And that’s why I’m a photographer.
Painting is not made to decorate apartments. It's an offensive and defensive weapon against the enemy. (about Guernica).
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