­
  • Register
  • |
  • Sign in
Skip to content
skip to navigation

Classic FM

Listen

On Air Now

Calm Classics with Myleene Klass 10pm - 1am

Calm Classics with Myleene Klass

Now Playing

The Wand of Youth Suite No.1 Opus 1a (2) Edward Elgar Download 'The Wand of Youth Suite No.1 Opus 1a (2)' on iTunes

The Wand of Youth Suite No.1 Opus 1a (2) artwork
  • Playlist
  • Schedule
  • Home
  • Radio
  • News
  • Discover Music
  • Composers
  • Artists
  • Win
  • Store
  • Charity
  • Podcasts
  • Events
  • Dating
  • Sign in / Register
  • Follow us on:
    Follow Classic FM on Facebook
    Follow Classic FM on Instagram
    Follow Classic FM on Youtube

Discover Music

  • Discover Music Home
  • Periods & Genres
  • Occasions
  • Mood
  • Instruments
  • Music Theory
  • Music Education
  • Humour
  • Women in Music
  • Lyrics
  • More Classic FM

Grumpy composer quotes: 12 humbug moments

Facebook share

Composers aren't always the most cheerful of people, and when they were really grumpy they came out with amazing, whiny, complaining zingers like this. Humbug, anyone?

  1. grumpy composer quotes

    1. Bach

    "If I decide to be an idiot, then I'll be an idiot on my own accord." - J.S. Bach

  2. grumpy composer quotes

    2. Debussy

    "People don't very much like things that are beautiful — they are so far from their nasty little minds." - Claude Debussy

  3. grumpy composer quotes

    3. Mozart

    "Our riches, being in our brains, die with us... Unless of course someone chops off our head, in which case, we won't need them anyway." - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

  4. grumpy composer quotes

    4. Copland

    "I don't compose. I assemble materials."

  5. grumpy composer quotes

    5. Wagner

    "Music has taken a bad turn; these young people have no idea how to write a melody, they just give us shavings." - Richard Wagner

  6. grumpy composer quotes

    6. Stravinsky

    "To listen is an effort, and just to hear is no merit. A duck hears also." - Igor Stravinsky

  7. grumpy composer quotes

    7. Tchaikovsky

    "To regret the past, to hope in the future, and never to be satisfied with the present: that is what I spend my whole life doing." - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

  8. grumpy composer quotes

    8. Satie

    "When I was young I was told, 'you'll see when you're fifty.' I am fifty and I haven't seen a thing." - Erik Satie

  9. grumpy composer quotes

    9. Brahms

    "If there is anyone present whom I have not insulted, I beg his pardon." Johannes Brahms

  10. grumpy composer quotes

    10. Cage

    "There is poetry as soon as we realise that we possess nothing." - John Cage

  11. grumpy composer quotes

    11. Bizet

    "What a beautiful art, but what a wretched profession." - Goerges Bizet

  12. grumpy composer quotes

    12. Beethoven

    "Music is like a dream. One that I cannot hear." - Ludwig van Beethoven

Facebook share

Discover music

See more Discover music

Netflix releases series inspired by Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons’

What classical music is featured in Netflix’s The Four Seasons, and how is it inspired by Vivaldi’s masterpiece?

23 hours ago

Vivaldi

Young audience members can enjoy classical concerts at a low price across the UK

15 cheap classical music concert ticket schemes for young audiences

1 day ago

‘Sinners’ composer Ludwig Göransson breaks down his movie soundtrack

‘Sinners’ composer Ludwig Göransson breaks down his movie soundtrack

3 days ago

87-year-old pianist moves judges with original composition

87-year-old veteran moves ‘The Piano’ judges to tears with original composition

4 days ago

Videos

10 of the best pieces of classical music written in the 20th century

10 incredible 20th-century classical works that would change music forever

5 days ago

Wales v Australia

Welsh national anthem: what are the English and Welsh lyrics to ‘Land Of My Fathers’?

5 days ago

Best classical music

See more Best classical music

The 15 most famous tunes in classical music

The 15 most famous tunes in classical music

Best symphonies: Ludwig van Beethoven, Antonin Dvorak and Florence Price

The 15 greatest symphonies of all time

4 eras of classical music

The 4 eras of classical music: a quick guide

A young Marin Alsop, Sir Simon Rattle, and Seiji Ozawa conduct their respective orchestras.

The 25 greatest conductors of all time

Hildegard von Bingen, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Edward Elgar among the greatest composers in classical music history.

The 30 greatest classical music composers of all time

Classic FM Live Playlists

See more Classic FM Live Playlists

Classic FM Hall of Fame

Classic FM Pet Classics

Classic FM Video Game Music

Essential Classical

Classic FM’s Baby Bedtime

Classic FM Revision

Browse by

See more Browse by

Periods & genres

Occasions

Moods

Instruments

Mood

See more Mood

Studying

Relaxing

Happy

Epic

Romantic

Baby

Occasions

See more Occasions

Wedding

Memorial

Valentine’s Day

Christmas

Latest on Classic FM

The fascinating history of the opera glove – which originated in the 16th century

Opera gloves: what’s the history of the fashion items that originated in the 16th century?

MADAME BUTTERFLY Poster for Puccini's opera

Giacomo Puccini: Madame Butterfly – short opera summary

Puccini

10 pieces of classical music to commemorate VE Day 80

10 pieces of classical music to commemorate VE Day 80

Best World War II film scores: Atonement, Saving Private Ryan, The Imitation Game

10 of the greatest Second World War movie soundtracks

11 greatest uses of opera in Hollywood films

11 most memorable uses of opera in films

Alexander Armstrong narrates a VE Day concert by the Parliament Choir and Sinfonia Smith Square in Westminster Hall in the Palace of Westminster

Classic FM on VE Day 80: join us for special concerts and premieres and send your requests

What’s the story behind Ravel’s ‘Boléro’, and why is it so controversial?

What’s the story behind Ravel’s ‘Boléro’, and why is it so controversial?

Ravel

Bizet composing 'Carmen' at the piano  French composer, 1838-1875

Georges Bizet: Carmen – short opera summary

Sue Perkins to present Classic FM’s Race to Antarctica with HX Hurtigruten Expeditions

Sue Perkins to present Classic FM travel series ‘Race to the Galápagos Islands’ with HX

Singing the Canadian national anthem before Juno Cup hockey action in Moose Jaw, Sask

What are the lyrics to the Canadian national anthem ‘O Canada’?

Back to top

Also on Classic FM

  • Listen to Global Player
  • Classic FM Breakfast with Dan Walker
  • John Williams
  • Alexander Armstrong on Classic FM
  • Quizzes
  • Leonard Bernstein
  • Mozart
  • Debussy
  • Music theory
  • Instruments
  • Classic FM Live
  • Brahms
  • Vivaldi
  • Bach
  • Tchaikovsky
  • Chopin
  • Andrea Bocelli
  • Florence Price
  • Beethoven
  • Best classical music
  • Classic FM Requests
  • Best pianists
  • Harry Potter music
  • Star Wars soundtrack
  • Composer or pasta
  • Music for Studying
  • Best violinists
  • Classical music tearjerkers
  • Relaxing classical

Useful Links

  • Contact Us
  • Help
  • How To Listen
  • About Classic FM
  • Company Details
  • Cookies
  • Privacy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Advertise
  • Global Jobs

Download the app

Get it on the app store Get it on Google Play

Follow Us

Follow Classic FM on Facebook
Follow Classic FM on Instagram
Follow Classic FM on Youtube
© Global 2025
30 Leicester Square, London, WC2H 7LA
Privacy Manager