"I'm very concerned with the performer, but I'm not too concerned with the listener. It seems to me that if you can interest the performer and make him feel that he's done something really valuable, his playing will convince the audience just that. To write for the audience is just too uncertain. You never know what your audience may be like, but you can usually know what your performers will be like. A good musician has the training to appreciate all sorts of things you might try to do in a piece. A performer will also recognize whether a piece is skillfully written or original -- an audience might not always be so sure."
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Composers from the United StatesPulitzer Prize winnersAcademics from the United StatesPeople from New York CityHarvard University alumni
Original Language: English
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Sources
From American Gothic: An Interview with Elliott Carter (1993) by Andy Carvin.
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Elliott_Carter
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Elliott Carter
Elliott Carter (11 December 1908 – 5 November 2012) was an American composer of classical music.
6 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Elliott Carter →
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