… lend your ears to music, open your eyes to painting, and … stop thinking! Just ask yourself whether the work has enabled you to “walk about” into a hitherto unknown world. If the answer is yes, what more do you want?
Wassily KandinskyRead
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
What this quote means
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.
Themes
MusicSpiritualityCreationArtSacred
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of art in education, one might use this quote to emphasize the sacred nature of creative expression.
Similar quotes
All art is a kind of confession.
James A. BaldwinRead
You have to go out there and give a piece of yourself -- your life, your soul. And you better give the audience everything you can -- physically, emotionally, musically. Then maybe they'll accept you and give you a standing ovation at the end.
Neil DiamondRead
It's a two-dimensional gig being a singer, and you can get lost in your own tedium and repetition.
Robert PlantRead
The film medium is some sort of magic. I think also it's a magic that every frame comes and stands still for a fraction of a second and then it darkens. A half part of the time when you see a picture you sit in complete darkness. Isn't that fascinating? That is magic.
Ingmar BergmanRead
Let me fall out of the window/ With confetti in my hair
Tom WaitsRead