Cornel West Quotes

Words are music, really.

Music is nothing else but wild sounds civilized into time and tune.

From a very early period of my life I have derived the highest enjoyment from listening to music, especially to melody, which is to me the most pleasing form of composition.

Here's how I understand music. If you can play the same bunch of noise twice, it's music. To go beyond that is supercilious and pontificating.

Music is a reservoir... of sounds.

You know, when I hear music, I just hear the whole thing.

Music is the cup which holds the wine of silence.

The only form of music is melody, without melody music is not feasible, and music and melody are quite inseparable.

Melody is the essence of music. I compare a good melodist to a fine racer, and counterpointists to hack post-horses; therefore be advised, let well alone and remember the old Italian proverb: Chi sa più, meno sa— Who knows most, knows least.

Music is first, lyrics are secondary.

Music is about textures as well as melody.

Music has a poetry of its own, and that poetry is called melody.

Because if you've got the wit, you can make anything into a melody, ultimately.

For me, making music just starts with a simple melody, and lyrics will come sometime after that.

Interplay and interaction are the integral parts of music - they're as important as the notes.

After conducting Wagner, Beethoven's triple concerto is like taking an Alka Seltzer.

Music is the divine way to tell beautiful, poetic things to the heart.

It's a combination of melody and lyrics, not one without the other. It's a confluence of these different elements that makes something powerful.

How to play music may be known. At the commencement of the piece, all the parts should sound together. As it proceeds, they should be in harmony while severally distinct and flowing without break, and thus on to the conclusion.

When I think of music, I think of music in totality, complete.

Music is well said to be the speech of angels.

Music is intended and designed for sentient beings that have hopes and purposes and emotions.

To be a good improviser, you have to study composition as a parallel. Because what improvisation is, on a high level, is spontaneous composition.

Improvising is writing, too - there was no music and now there's music. So that's composition. And any time you take any sort of a performance liberty, you're making a compositional choice. I don't know a serious performer who hasn't made compositional decisions, who hasn't engaged in the art of composition.

Essentially I'm a melody person in a rhythm age, and that's what Broadway is really about, the songs.