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Topic: Funny quotes by composers.  (Read 4769 times)

Offline llamaman

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Funny quotes by composers.
on: July 24, 2005, 11:36:02 PM
Anyone else is free to post too (of course)

I was browsing some music-related websites and found some quotes.


Anon.-"All I need to write one of Stravinsky's works is a bottle of ink"

Satie to Debussy after hearing La Mer-"That was great! I especially liked the part at quarter past 11!"

Anon.-"Vivaldi composed not 450 concertos, but 1 concerto, 450 times."


Those are the only ones I remember right now, but I am on a rather strenuous search inside my mind, trying to remember the URL.
Ahh llamas......is there anything they can't do?

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Offline Barbosa-piano

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Re: Funny quotes by composers.
Reply #1 on: July 25, 2005, 07:17:11 PM
 I read a story somewhere that, Rachmaninoff and Kreisler (violinist) were performing. Kreisler had a memory lapse, trying to follow Rachmaninoff (on the piano). Nervously, he asked Rachmaninoff: Where are we at? Rachmaninoff kept on playing every right note and at the same time answered: In Carnegie Hall...

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Offline thierry13

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Re: Funny quotes by composers.
Reply #2 on: July 26, 2005, 06:07:01 AM
I read a story somewhere that, Rachmaninoff and Kreisler (violinist) were performing. Kreisler had a memory lapse, trying to follow Rachmaninoff (on the piano). Nervously, he asked Rachmaninoff: Where are we at? Rachmaninoff kept on playing every right note and at the same time answered: In Carnegie Hall...
hahaha rock on Rach !!

Offline JCarey

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Re: Funny quotes by composers.
Reply #3 on: July 26, 2005, 06:39:29 AM
"I am God." - Alexander Scriabin

Offline perfect_pitch

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Re: Funny quotes by composers.
Reply #4 on: July 27, 2005, 02:05:47 PM
I read a story somewhere that, Rachmaninoff and Kreisler (violinist) were performing. Kreisler had a memory lapse, trying to follow Rachmaninoff (on the piano). Nervously, he asked Rachmaninoff: Where are we at? Rachmaninoff kept on playing every right note and at the same time answered: In Carnegie Hall...



That was great. I hope that was really true. Good ol' rachmaninoff.

Offline thracozaag

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Re: Funny quotes by composers.
Reply #5 on: July 27, 2005, 02:14:32 PM
  *At Jascha Heifetz's debut*
Misha Elman: "Hot in here, isn't it?"
Godowsky (I think): "Not for pianists!"

koji
"We have to reach a certain level before we realize how small we are."--Georges Cziffra

Offline keys

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Re: Funny quotes by composers.
Reply #6 on: July 27, 2005, 05:41:53 PM
"Too many pieces of music finish too long after the end."
- Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)

Offline Motrax

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Re: Funny quotes by composers.
Reply #7 on: July 28, 2005, 02:53:43 AM
"I can't listen to that much Wagner. I start getting the urge to conquer Poland." - Woody Allen
"I always make sure that the lid over the keyboard is open before I start to play." --  Artur Schnabel, after being asked for the secret of piano playing.

Offline pianonut

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Re: Funny quotes by composers.
Reply #8 on: July 28, 2005, 12:04:27 PM
louis armstrong - "we all do 'do, re, mi,' but you got to find the other notes."

victor borge - "i only know two pieces.  one is clair de lune, the other isn't."

liberace - "you know the bank i used to cry all the way to.  i bought it."

james brown - "the only thing that can solve most of our problems is dancing."

do you know why benches fall apart?  it is because they have lids with little tiny hinges so you can store music inside them.  hint:  buy a bench that does not hinge.  buy it for sturdiness.

Offline ckprbnh

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Re: Funny quotes by composers.
Reply #9 on: July 28, 2005, 10:04:57 PM
"If there were a conservatory in Hell, and if one of its talented students was to compose a symphony based on the story of the Seven Plagues of Egypt, and if he had written one similar to Rachmaninoff's, he would have brilliantly accomplished his task and would have delighted the inhabitants of Hell."
- Cesar Cui about the first performance of Rachmaninov's first symphony, when it was conducted by Glazunov who was obviously drunk at the time.

Offline Barbosa-piano

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Re: Funny quotes by composers.
Reply #10 on: July 28, 2005, 10:19:13 PM
That was great. I hope that was really true. Good ol' rachmaninoff.

I am going to look for more funny quotes by him. There is a site with stories written by one of Rachmaninoff's friends. He tells us that story, and that Rachmaninoff was serious at work time, but contrary to what people would say, he always had a good sense of humor and liked to make friendly jokes. He also described Rachmaninoff's passion for cars, and how well he drived. I am going to look for that site.
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Offline thracozaag

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Re: Funny quotes by composers.
Reply #11 on: July 28, 2005, 10:23:05 PM
Another Rock gem: "If the check is good, the acoustics are good."

koji
"We have to reach a certain level before we realize how small we are."--Georges Cziffra

Offline llamaman

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Re: Funny quotes by composers.
Reply #12 on: July 30, 2005, 01:15:53 AM
"Too many pieces of music finish too long after the end."
- Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)



He can't talk :P (IMO that is)
Ahh llamas......is there anything they can't do?

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Offline pianohopper

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Re: Funny quotes by composers.
Reply #13 on: July 30, 2005, 02:27:25 AM
victor borge - "i only know two pieces.  one is clair de lune, the other isn't."

many more Borge quotes-------

on english: "it's your language, i'm just trying to use it."
on beethoven: "the Spanish composer, El Beethoven."
on giuseppi verdi: "joe green...giuseppi verdi is just his stage name."
audience member coughing: "I hope it's not serious." 
audience members coming in late (don't you hate those people!): "excuse me, pardon me, excuse me"
arguing with stagehand about pronunciation of 'F. Liszt', which borge had been reading as "fliszt":  "You don't say M. Ozart, do you?"
giving audience member piece of sheet music: "that'll be 50 cents.  do you know how to read music?  that'll be a dollar."


and another one of my favorites, Oscar Levant: "I'm a concert pianist.  That's a pretentious way of saying I'm unemployed at the moment."
"Today's dog in the alley is tomorrow's moo goo gai pan."  ~ Chinese proverb
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