Anton Seidl Quotes

The conductor's gift does not always go hand in hand with that of composition; indeed, the union is found much more seldom than is popularly believed.

My music wouldn't sound the way it does if I hadn't had the experience of conducting.

And if you are strong enough, then you can grow as a conductor more and more.

I think to be a good songwriter, you have to be able to play an instrument.

Basically speaking, conducting is quite a healthy profession.

I kind of alternate between conducting and playing and kind of juggling those things, but I don't use a baton.

See, I'm not a very good musician.

Nobody can give a good performance unless the authors and composers have written a good part, a fact which is often overlooked.

I do love using keyboards and I love writing keyboard parts, but I am not a player in the true sense of the word.

Good conductors know when to push and when to lay back. I've known so many great conductors that I'm still doing what I can to learn the craft of this role.

Great musicians are great musicians, whether they're playing a trombone or an electric guitar or a xylophone.

I've been writing and composing songs since I was 5 years old.

A composer is a guy who goes around forcing his will on unsuspecting air molecules, often with the assistance of unsuspecting musicians.

That is basically me, and although I have done many things in my life - conducting, playing piano, and so on - what is fundamental is my being a composer.

Whoever hired me might've just heard 'Refugee.' Well, I'm not the secret to 'Refugee.' The secret to 'Refugee' is the song. But if somebody really good calls me up to play on something because they like the way I played on 'Refugee,' then I wind up playing on another really good song.

I'm not everybody's cup of tea. But sometimes criticism can be hurtful. Be respectful. I'm a good piano player, I can sing well, I write good songs. If you don't like it, fair enough. But give me a break.

Whether it's string writing or whatever, I try to write for what each instrumentalist can do best.

A great song can make a terrible singer sound good, but a good singer - you put a great song on top of that, you're really in great shape!

Music is at once the product of feeling and knowledge, for it requires from its disciples, composers and performers alike, not only talent and enthusiasm, but also that knowledge and perception which are the result of protracted study and reflection.

It's different for people who have not seen a symphony conductor conduct from a chair. I feel very connected to the orchestra in a way that a conductor sometimes does not feel. I think it's more visceral.

I'm kind of the town pump. I think I have a pretty good ear for what sounds good in this style.

I'm an intuitive musician. I have no real technical skills. I can only play six chords on the guitar.

Good conductors know when to let an orchestra lead itself. Ninety percent of what a conductor does comes in the rehearsal - the vision, the structure, the architecture.

There's nothing more frustrating than seeing a conductor say, 'Play softer,' as they're waving their hands in huge gestures.

A good interpreter can take a piece of bad music and make it sound pretty decent, while a bad interpreter can take good music and make it sound cheap. I can tell that some people have a bad taste, and unlike on the piano, they smear around a lot, that is bad taste.