Arnold Schoenberg

Music Austrian-American 1874 – 1951 101 quotes

An Austrian-born American composer, music theorist, teacher, writer, and painter, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School.

Quotes by Arnold Schoenberg

I have never been afraid to break with tradition.

Interview 1949

Music is a form of communication that transcends words.

Style and Idea 1937

The artist is a seeker of truth.

Theory of Harmony 1911

I have always believed in the power of music to transform lives.

Interview 1949

Music is a universal language.

Style and Idea 1937

The artist's vision is his most valuable asset.

Theory of Harmony 1911

I have always been a student of music, and I will continue to learn until my last breath.

Interview 1949

Music is a reflection of the human condition.

Style and Idea 1937

The artist's imagination is his greatest tool.

Theory of Harmony 1911

I have always been driven by a passion for music.

Interview 1949

Music is an expression of the soul.

Style and Idea 1937

My music is not lovely; it is not meant to be lovely.

Speech 1930

The law alone can give us freedom.

Letter 1910

I live in a world of numbers.

Personal reflection 1945

Music must be new, otherwise it is not music.

Essay 1909

Harmony is the analysis of the vertical, melody of the horizontal.

Book 1911

To be a genius is to be misunderstood.

Aphorism 1925

I am not a modern composer; I am a composer of the future.

Speech 1932

Silence is the best expression of scorn.

Letter 1905

Art is the expression of the eternal.

Interview 1940