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The peculiar characteristic of classical music is that it is really better than it sounds.

— Edgar Wilson Nye Attributed

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Variants

Wagner's music is better than it sounds (attested in an obituary; see The Quote Verifier)

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Music

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The emphasis of study upon a particular aspect of music is in itself ideological because it contains implications about the music's value.

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Music is well said to be the speech of angels.

Thomas Carlyle Critical and Miscellaneous Essays (1827)

Music has no subject beyond the combinations of notes we hear, for music speaks not only by means of sounds, it speaks nothing but sound.

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Above the pitch, out of tune, and off the hinges.

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Edgar Wilson Nye (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.