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Nevertheless, music will not acknowledge a context greater than itself—social, cultural, or biographical—to which it is conveniently subservient. To paraphrase Goethe's grandiose warning to the scientist: do not look behind the notes, they themselves are the doctrine.

— Charles Rosen The Frontiers of Meaning: Three Informal Lectures on Music (1994)

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Visual delight, sentiment, and exploration become one in the new appreciation of landscape and Nature.

The Romantic Generation (1995)

None of Chopin's contemporaries could rival him for the variety and effectiveness of his treatment of the return.

The Romantic Generation (1995)

It is above all through landscape that music joins Romantic art and literature.

The Romantic Generation (1995)

Understanding music simply means not being irritated or puzzled by it.

The Frontiers of Meaning: Three Informal Lectures on Music (1994)

Schumann's humor is rarely either witty or light: the unrealizable musical structure, the musical motto hidden and partly inaudible, must have stirred his musical fantasy.

The Romantic Generation (1995)

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