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A few years ago when Horn Matters first launched, we had a random quotation feature that appeared at the top of the site. After a few months I removed the random quotations in an effort to simplify and subtract from the overall design; looking at that list a few days ago, and I was struck by a few quotes in particular.
Henry David Thoreau
The pleasure we feel in music springs from the obedience which is in it.
To a certain degree, pleasure is derived from succeeding at a predictably executed pattern. The hilarious “The Song That Goes Like This” from the Broadway hit Spamalot illustrates this phenomena perfectly with cheeky humor.
(Watch out for the volume on this video. It is very loud.)
Certainly, most popular music we hear on the radio would fit this description. They are typically crafted into a formula that we all recognize and are familiar with; basic chords and harmonic patterns are formed into repetitive cycles of verses, bridges and choruses.
While we might criticize popular music for being formulaic, this is in part what people expect and derive pleasure from when listening to it.
Taking this quotation deeper and more personally as a musician, I think about the many hours spent working on a piece of music – taking it apart bit-by-bit in a thoughtful, disciplined and controlled manner.
Whether it be for a solo recital or a symphonic performance, part of the deep satisfaction derived is from knowing that the successful performance was the result of obedient, disciplined work.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Men succeed when they realize that their failures are the preparation for their victories.
In the diligent pursuit of improvement, failure is more-or-less inevitable. How that failure is dealt with can make a difference between forging ahead or in getting stuck in the mud. The best musicians embrace their mistakes knowing that there is a hidden value in making mistakes.
Along these lines is another famous quote from the inventor Thomas A. Edison:
I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.
Mozart
To talk well and eloquently is a very great art, but that an equally great one is to know the right moment to stop.
As I grow older – and hopefully wiser – knowing when and where to keep my mouth shut has been something that I pay much closer attention to. This has to be one of my most favorite quotations from a composer and it is one that I wish more people would observe, quite frankly.
From “Top Ten List: Who’s the New Guy?!“:
A good piece of blunt advice I learned from my conservatory teacher was this: in any new situation, “keep your mouth shut and your ears open.”
Every established work group has a dynamic history. It pays to understand and appreciated this history before you get too comfortable voicing opinions. For example, it is an easy temptation to speak negatively of a conductor as this can be like a popular sport among some musicians. In some work environments, you may even hear musicians openly complaining or spreading rumors about other musicians!
All acts of gossip aside, knowing when to stay silent is a good skill to have in the music business. When speaking in rehearsals or when discussing musical tastes and politics with colleagues sometimes the old adage of “less is more” is something to keep in mind.
This is not to say that remaining silent and stoic is the answer, but rather to suggest that not every opinion that pops into our heads needs to be immediately spoken aloud. In this day and age of instant satisfaction and reward through social media, this can be a tough, real-world lesson for some to learn.
A final quote from the Bard sums it up perfectly:
Discretion is the better part of valor.
– a quote derived from Shakespeare.
