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    22 inspiring composer quotes

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    Classical composers are sometimes just as good at quotes as they are at music. Take a look at these amazing, inspirational quotes from some of the greatest composers of all time.

    1. claude debussy works of art make rules

      1. Claude Debussy

      Claude Debussy: "Works of art make rules; rules do not make works of art."

    2. leonard bernstein not enough time

      2. Leonard Bernstein

      Leonard Bernstein: "To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan, and not quite enough time."

    3. bela bartok competitions are for horses

      3. Bela Bartok

      Bela Bartok: "Competitions are for horses, not artists."

    4. franz liszt mournful yet grand

      4. Franz Liszt

      Franz Liszt: "Mournful and yet grand is the destiny of the artist."

    5. gustav mahler hitting my head

      5. Gustav Mahler

      Gustav Mahler: "I am hitting my head against the walls, but the walls are giving way."

    6. igor stravinsky great artists steal

      6. Igor Stravinsky

      Igor Stravinsky: "Lesser artists borrow, great artists steal."

    7. edward elgar god was against art

      7. Edward Elgar

      Edward Elgar: "I always said God was against art and I still believe it."

    8. johannes brahms without craftsmanship

      8. Johannes Brahms

      Johannes Brahms: "Without craftsmanship, inspiration is a mere reed shaken in the wind."

    9. joseph haydn forced to become original

      9. Joseph Haydn

      Joseph Haydn: "There was no one near to confuse me, so I was forced to become original."

    10. composer quotes

      10. Georges Bizet

      George Bizet: "As a musician I tell you that if you were to suppress adultery, fanaticism, crime, evil, the supernatural, there would no longer be the means for writing one note."

    11. johann sebastian bach obliged to be industrious

      11. Johann Sebastian Bach

      J.S. Bach: "I was obliged to be industrious. Whoever is equally industrious will succeed equally well."

    12. erik satie most modest of animals also the proudest

      12. Erik Satie

      Erik Satie: "The musician is perhaps the most modest of animals, but he is also the proudest."

    13. robert schumann send light into the darkness

      13. Robert Schumann

      Robert Schumann: "To send light into the darkness of men's hearts - such is the duty of the artist."

    14. dmitri shostakovich not satisfied with his previous one

      14. Dmitri Shostakovich

      Dmitri Shostakovich: "A creative artist works on his next composition because he was not satisfied with his previous one."

    15. richard strauss first rate composer

      15. Richard Strauss

      Richard Strauss: "I may not be a first-rate composer, but I am a first-class second-rate composer."

    16. john cage frightened of new ideas

      16. John Cage

      John Cage: "I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones."

    17. karlheinz stockhausen i'm an adventurer

      17. Karlheinz Stockhausen

      Karlheinz Stockhausen: "I'm an adventurer. I like invention, I like discovery."

    18. benjamin britten night time is for sleeping

      18. Benjamin Britten

      Benjamin Britten: "The old idea of a composer suddenly having a terrific idea and sitting up all night to write it is nonsense. Nighttime is for sleeping."

    19. giacomo puccini inspiration is an awakening

      19. Giacomo Puccini

      Giacomo Puccini: "Inspiration is an awakening, a quickening of all man's faculties, and it is manifested in all high artistic achievements."

    20. malcolm arnold the strongest there is

      20. Malcolm Arnold

      Malcolm Arnold: "Music is the social act of communication among people, a gesture of friendship, the strongest there is."

    21. maurice ravel the only love affair i have ever had is with music

      21. Maurice Ravel

      Maurice Ravel: "The only love affair I have ever had was with music."

    22. richard wagner imagination creates reality

      22. Richard Wagner

      Richard Wagner: "Imagination creates reality."

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