Pierre Schaeffer Quotes

I do not think that music keeps evolving. It evolved through Bach; since then, in my humble opinion, all the innovations added nothing.

Music has to change. I don't want to stay the same forever.

I think music has gone through a period of something very severe, rather radical, rather the way painting did with cubism.

You need the past as a guideline. The history of music is a good basis, but to escape that stuff, that tortuous rulebook, you have to learn it first. It's kind of like religion - once you've written the Bible, that's it, move on.

To keep creating something with this type of music, you have to take it out of the box.

I love traditional music. But in any culture around the world, there is the historic and cultural music and everything that's been passed down and passed down, and hopefully you take that, and then you take it, you know, the next distance, and then somebody else takes it the next distance.

Music in general is looking for something new overall.

There is a terrible conservatism, like a cancer, right in the heartlands of music-making, a tremendous resistance to change, an absolute horror of the idea that more people might connect with music. That infuriates me more than I can say.

I'm very much a traditionalist, but I think it's important to know about tradition so that you can evolve the music you are deciding to make.

Nothing I'm doing musically is revolutionary in any way, shape, or form.

Music is constantly developing and changing.

I can see that if this was an album done 10 or 15 years ago we could see we were moving on to some place else.

I am optimistic about the future of music.

I grew up listening to everything. I have such a love for music, but I don't want to make the same album over and over again.

Music is changing. I'm just doing what I'm doing, and hopefully in the next 20, 30 years, some kids can take what I'm doing and change it again. If the music doesn't move, then it's dead.

The average Englishman has no idea of the dynamism in the music scene here.

I've seen and learned enough to keep my music fresh and spread out.

If our history can challenge the next wave of musicians to keep moving and changing, to keep spiritually hungry and horny, that's what it's all about.

Me and Jerry left because we felt we weren't getting anywhere playing our old songs in tiny clubs. The group was getting stale and staying behind the times.

The reflection of the world is blues, that's where that part of the music is at. Then you got this other kind of music that's tryin' to come around.

From my time in 'King Crimson,' I'd describe a Progressive band as one that keeps trying to break musical barriers, and keeps trying to do new music.

When we started making electronic music I imagined that the reaction we got from the rock musicians must have been similar to the one the beat groups got from people like my dad.

Since the dawn of recorded music, every generation has felt shocked by the musical tastes of the next.

I made records in the past that are as traditional as any other country records that have been made, but at the same time the records have a contemporary slant on it too.

Like many musicians, I don't look back much... only concentrate on what music I'm doing, and occasionally look ahead.