American - Musician | October 1, 1903 - November 5, 1989
Perfection itself is imperfection.
Vladimir Horowitz
PerfectionImperfectionItself
My future is in my past and my past is my present. I must now make the present my future.
FuturePastPresentNowMustMake
Behind the notes, something different is told, and that's what the interpreter must find out. He may sit down and play one passage one way and then perhaps exaggerate the next, but, in any event, he must do something with the music. The worst thing is not to do anything.
MusicFindDownPlayWayWorst
I am a general. My soldiers are the keys and I have to command them.
LeadershipI AmSoldiersGeneralAm
I loved singing. But can you imagine my voice in an opera house?
SingingVoiceLovedYouHouseOpera
It is important for the musician to learn as much about the composer as possible and to study the music he has written. Then, even a short piece by Brahms or Chopin can be played with much more understanding.
MusicShortLearnUnderstandingMore
My face is my passport.
FacePassport
I was a terrible student. For me, to take a book home was a trial.
HomeMeBookStudentTakeTerrible
Scriabin slept with Chopin under his pillow, and I slept with Wagner under mine. I could not concentrate on memorizing Bach fugues, but I had all of 'Gotterdammerung' in my fingers.
PillowFingersMineConcentrateHis
The most important thing is to make a percussive instrument a singing instrument. Teachers should stress this aspect in their instruction, but it seems that very few of them actually do.
StressSingingImportantTeachers
Imitation is a caricature. Any imitation. Find out for yourself.
YourselfFindImitationOutAny
For me, the intellect is always the guide but not the goal of the performance. Three things have to be coordinated, and not one must stick out. Not too much intellect because it can become scholastic. Not too much heart because it can become schmaltz. Not too much technique because you become a mechanic.
HeartMePerformanceMechanicGoal
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