Steve Reich Quotes

I think that music is still a mystery to most people. It kind of goes through most people without a specific thought. They feel the music, which is what's supposed to happen. They're not supposed to be curious about who wrote the music; they're supposed to feel what the show is trying to get them to feel. So if I help get that feeling across, that's good enough for me.

It's fun to move people musically.

Music is about communication, and the chemistry between an audience and the orchestra is absolutely essential; the performance does not exist in a bubble.

I've never understood people who play up the artifice of music.

As a songwriter, that's really what you hope for - to make that connection with your audience.

I just love music, and I love what music does for people.

Hopefully, somebody who's hearing my music, it's relatable to them, and it strikes a cord with them.

My goal is to connect with people emotionally. I take life’s experiences and translate them into music — music that hopefully creates an impact on the listener.

I write music, and I want people to listen to it and care about it and have it make some difference in their lives. When I'm fortunate for that to happen, then of course I feel very, very good about it.

Art is a personal gift that changes the recipient. The medium doesn't matter. The intent does.

I really do like seeing other people perform my music. It's one of the most rewarding things for me, so it's worth the extra work.

I don't want to make music for people who don't care about music.

When I perform, I like to immerse myself in the music, and I just try to get off on the diversity of music.

I think listening to real classic soul material made me learn how to feel music that's sung.

We hope that eventually there would be an occasion which I can personally prove that game music can in fact impress many different people and move them.

A musician has to find a way to make his music mean something special - spiritually or however you can.

To me, the technique was almost irrelevant; it was what was coming across.

I haven't been to many music events where somebody was performing and it actually made me cry.

I can relate to soul, R&B... whatever people want to call me is fine. I just hope it makes them feel something.

When I go to a gig and I hear a song that I really like, a song that hits home to me or hits an emotional nerve, if I could ever recreate that for someone, that would be the ultimate goal.

Art is something that opens up and enhances your emotions and that's what I like to think I'm doing.

Sometimes I think to talk too much about music almost cheapens it.

I don't see how they can with most of my pieces, but I think it's unfortunate that they can through familiarity with flashy performances of a great deal of other music.

But the greatest thing about music is putting it out there for people to figure out. You want the listener to find the song on their own. If you give too much away, it takes away from the imagination.

How we absorb music is unique. I know what I do. When I'm listening to music, I tend to find myself in a song. That's what really makes you connect is if you feel what that song is saying.