Carla Bley Quotes

One of the most important elements in teaching, conducting, and performing, all three, is listening.

Listening is the key to everything good in music.

Ninety-nine percent of singing is listening and hearing, and so then 1 percent of it is singing.

You know, I think music is very interactive. It's a - it's a language.

Music is its own language - if you don't speak it, it's hard to say what you're trying to do.

Today, with a recording, he can hear the thing enough times until he really gets acquainted with the language, and then he can begin to make an estimate of the intrinsic, aesthetic value of that piece of music.

Of course, there are many, many musicians whose music gives me pleasure, but until I make contact with them, musically or personally, I never assume that anything wonderful will happen.

Music is shared. It's a shared feeling; that's what music is all about. When you listen to a song with someone else, it becomes more than just a song. It defines relationships.

I think it's a very important collaboration between the conductor and the orchestra - especially when the conductor is one more member of the orchestra in the way that you are leading, but also respecting, feeling and building the same way for all the players to understand the music.

People often complain that music is too ambiguous, that what they should think when they hear it is so unclear, whereas everyone understands words. With me, it is exactly the opposite, and not only with regard to an entire speech but also with individual words.

I think music is another language.

You know, I don't like talking about music very much. I have quite the hard time explaining myself.

Through conducting, you express through your arms, through your face and even the body, what you want to tell, so the musicians of the orchestra understand.

If we communicated with something like music, we would never be misunderstood, because there is nothing in music to understand.

For me, the conductor is a person who interprets along with me, and we interpret things together.

I believe that classical music comes through listening and practice, and it can be fun both for the singer or performer and the listener or audience, as long as the performer is taught to recognise the pulse of the audience.

Everyone hears a song a different way and hears timing a different way.

The thing we get to do is bring music to people. I think that's the most important thing we can do. That's the way we show joy. That's the way we show love. That's way we show our gifts to so many.

When I sing, it's different from when I speak in a very interesting way. I think that, when you're singing, a message is carried in a different way. I don't know if that emotion needs a melody.

Music is not a spectator sport, you have to be involved - fully involved - or you get left behind.

What music can do so well is tell the truth in a subjective way.

I believe that music is an international language and deserves to be heard all over the world.

I love learning how people hear my music because everyone has different references.

I really love to play 'Moonlight Sonata' by Beethoven. I can still read music, but I need to practise more. The way your fingers move - it's something that comes from memory. I love music.

I tell young singers not to listen to themselves. What I hear is not what you hear.