If a composer has a nice wife and some nice children, how can he let the children starve on his dissonances? Charles Ives More Quotes by Charles Ives More Quotes From Charles Ives If idioms are more to be born than to be selected, then the things of life and human nature that a man has grown up with--(not that one man's experience is better than another's, but that it is 'his.')--may give him something better in his substance and manner than an over-long period of superimposed idiomatic education which quite likely doesn't fit his constitution. My father used to say, 'If a poet knows more about a horse than he does about heaven, he might better stick to the horse, and some day the horse may carry him into heaven' Charles Ives horsemenfather My God! What has sound got to do with music? Charles Ives sound Every great inspiration is but an experiment. Charles Ives experimentsmusicinspiration Music is one of the ways that God has of beating in on man. Charles Ives music-ismenway Vagueness is at times an indication of nearness to a perfect truth. Charles Ives vaguenessindicationperfect One thing I am certain of is that, if I have done anything good in music, it was, first, because of my father, and second, because of my wife Charles Ives wifedonefather Most of the forward movements of life in general ... have been the work of essentially religiously-minded people. Charles Ives forward-movementmovementpeople For the man of talent affects to call his transgressions of the laws of sense trivial and to count them nothing considerd with his devotion to his art. Charles Ives lawmenart In 'thinking up' music I usually have some kind of a brass band with wings on it in back of my mind. Charles Ives brass-bandswingsthinking Expression, to a great extent, is a matter of terms, and terms are anyone's. The meaning of 'God' may have a billion interpretations if there be that many souls in the world Charles Ives soulexpressionworld It is conceivable that what is unified form to the author or composer may of necessity be formless to his audience. Charles Ives composerformmay All melodious poets shall be hoarse as street ballads, when once the penetrating keynote of nature and spirit is sounded-the earth-beat, sea-beat, heart-beat, which make the tune to which the sun rolls, and the globule of blood and the sap of the trees. Charles Ives seaheartblood Expression, to a great extent, is a matter of terms, and terms are anyone's. Charles Ives termexpressionmatter
