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It never seems to occur to people that a man might just want to write a piece of music.

— Ralph Vaughan Williams

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Music

More quotes by Ralph Vaughan Williams

Film contains potentialities for the combination of all the arts such as Wagner never dreamt of.

The art of music above all the other arts is the expression of the soul of a nation.

National Music (1934)

The duty of the words is to say just as much as the music has left unsaid and no more.

I don't know whether I like it, but it's what I meant.

The audience is requested not to refrain from talking during the overture. Otherwise they will know all the tunes before the opera begins.

Note in the score to The Poisoned Kiss (1936)

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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.

Lucy Green

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.

Eduard Hanslick

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

François Rabelais Gargantua and Pantagruel (1532)

Attribution

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