I love high-minded quotes and here are two from the violinist Henri Temianka. He is the dapper fellow in the picture above which was taken in 1932. I had to look up something relative to my book and I found these two quotes.
Take it, Mr. Temianka:
“You have a choice: to create, or not to create.”
“There are three fool-proof ways to avoid criticism: Say nothing, do nothing, be nothing.”
Those are just on Wikipedia! Imagine what else is out there. How funny, this mild-mannered guy and he comes out with these firebrand statements. I will have to get a hold of Mr. Temianka's book, "Facing the Music." It was published in 1973 and my guess is it is out of print.
As you can read on the Wikipedia page, Henri Temianka used to play chamber music with Pennario and Piatigorsky "and other luminaries." I like that word, luminaries. They used to play chamber music professionally and also for fun. The Wikipedia entry has something on that. Mr. Temianka wrote in his book:
“The happiest times have always been when we have chamber music at our house -- veritable orgies of informal music-making, gastronomy, and story-swapping, with everybody in shirtsleeves. The warmth of musical and human empathy is unique. As we play, unrehearsed, a quartet of Beethoven or Mozart, there are extraordinary flashes of insight, thrilling moments of truth when we share the same concept of an exquisite phrase, sculpt the same melodic line, linger and savor the same ritardando or diminuendo. In those moments we spontaneously look up from our music, exchanging ecstatic smiles and glances. It is a level of spiritual communication granted few human beings.”
"In shirtsleeves." That is so quaint! To get the idea now, you would have to say that people were sitting around in T-shirts. Well, everyone sits around in T-shirts anyway. There is no formality now but back then gentlemen always wore jackets and ties, is my understanding.
A different era.
OK, back to work. I have a choice today: to create, or not to create.
You heard the man.
You don't have a choice,the human being was created to create,it's a basic emotion.I really love your blog...cheers
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