Funny quotes by composers.

[llamaman]

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.

[Barbosa-piano]

 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...

[thierry13]

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 !!

[JCarey]

"I am God." - Alexander Scriabin

[perfect_pitch]

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.

[thracozaag]

  *At Jascha Heifetz's debut*
Misha Elman: "Hot in here, isn't it?"
Godowsky (I think): "Not for pianists!"

koji

[keys]

"Too many pieces of music finish too long after the end."
- Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)

[Motrax]

"I can't listen to that much Wagner. I start getting the urge to conquer Poland." - Woody Allen

[pianonut]

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."

[ckprbnh]

"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.

[Barbosa-piano]

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.

[thracozaag]

Another Rock gem: "If the check is good, the acoustics are good."

koji

[llamaman]

"Too many pieces of music finish too long after the end."
- Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)

He can't talk (IMO that is)

[pianohopper]

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."