I try to give to my music the spiritual quality, very deep in the soul, which does something even if you are not realizing it or analyzing it - that's the duty of the music.
Ravi ShankarRead
I used to think there was something dirty about being paid for something which is a sacred thing to do. I can't disconnect the act of writing music from the act of prayer. If anyone tries to stop me working, it feels like someone is trying to stop me from taking communion.
Interpretation
The quote expresses the deep connection between the act of creating music and a sacred, spiritual experience.
John Tavener articulates his belief that music composition is not merely a profession, but a sacred act akin to prayer or communion. He suggests that the act of creating music holds profound spiritual significance for him, making it difficult to view this artistic endeavor as something to be commodified or separated from its spiritual essence.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of art in education, one might use this quote to emphasize the sacred nature of creative expression.
I try to give to my music the spiritual quality, very deep in the soul, which does something even if you are not realizing it or analyzing it - that's the duty of the music.
In the writing process, the more the story cooks, the better. The brain works for you even when you are at rest. I find dreams particularly useful. I myself think a great deal before I go to sleep and the details sometimes unfold in the dream.
I think the drummer should sit back there and play some drums, and never mind about the tunes. Just get up there and wail behind whoever is sitting up there playing the solo. And this is what is lacking, definitely lacking in music today.
In order to fully realize how bad a popular play can be, it is necessary to see it twice.
For me it remains an open question whether [this work] pertains to the realm of mathematics or to that of art.
When music is crashing around us, when you hear the same five songs on the radio that aren't really saying much, we can always go back to great music. Great music always lives on.
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