“There are melodies that must have words… and melodies that sing themselves without words.”

— Isaac Leib Peretz

Mekubolim, 1906. Alle Verk, vi. 53.
Context: There are melodies that must have words... and melodies that sing themselves without words. The latter are of a higher grade. But these, too, depend on a voice and lips,... hence are not yet altogether pure, not yet genuine spirit. Genuine melody sings itself without a voice. It sings inside, within the heart, in man's very entrails!

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "There are melodies that must have words… and melodies that sing themselves without words." by Isaac Leib Peretz?

Isaac Leib Peretz photo

Isaac Leib Peretz61

Yiddish language author and playwright 1852–1915

Related quotes

“With Moondance, I wrote the melody first. I played the melody on a soprano sax and I knew I had a song so I wrote lyrics to go with the melody. That's the way I wrote that one. I don't really have any words to particularly describe the song, sophisticated is probably the word I'm looking for. For me, Moondance is a sophisticated song. Frank Sinatra wouldn't be out of place singing that.”

Van Morrison (1945) Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician

As quoted in Celtic Crossroads: The Art of Van Morrison (1997) by Brian Hinton, p. 106

“Genuine melody sings itself without a voice. It sings inside, within the heart, in man's very entrails!”

Isaac Leib Peretz (1852–1915) Yiddish language author and playwright

Mekubolim, 1906. Alle Verk, vi. 53.
Context: There are melodies that must have words... and melodies that sing themselves without words. The latter are of a higher grade. But these, too, depend on a voice and lips,... hence are not yet altogether pure, not yet genuine spirit. Genuine melody sings itself without a voice. It sings inside, within the heart, in man's very entrails!

“Once positioned on their(children's) lips,
even the scariest of words
come out as a melodious lisp.”

Suman Pokhrel (1967) Nepali poet, lyricist, playwright, translator and artist

<span class="plainlinks"> Children http://www.occupypoetry.net/children_1/</span> <br class="br">From Poetry

“A letter depends on how you read it, a melody on how you sing it.”

Isaac Leib Peretz (1852–1915) Yiddish language author and playwright

A Gilgul fun a Nign, 1901. Alle Verk, vi. 33.

“Without the meed of some melodious tear.”

John Milton Lycidas

Source: Lycidas (1637), Line 14

“I have not played the cello in front of an audience since long years but I think I must do it this time. I am going to play a melody from the Catalonian folklore: The singing of the Birds. Birds, when in the sky, go singing: Peace, peace, peace. And this is a melody that Bach, Beethoven and all great people would have admired and loved. And, in addition, it springs up from the soul of my country: Catalonia.”

Pablo Casals (1876–1973) Catalan cellist and conductor

Medal of Peace acceptance

“Her every tone is music's own,
Like those of morning birds,
And something more than melody
Dwells ever in her words.”

Edward Coote Pinkney (1802–1828) American poet, lawyer, sailor, professor, and editor

A Health, reported in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919).

“Locked in a struggle for the right combination
Of words in a melody line,
I took a walk along the riverbank of my imagination.
Golden clouds were shuffling the sunshine.”

Paul Simon (1941) American musician, songwriter and producer

Everything About It Is a Love Song
Song lyrics, Surprise (2006)

“God sings, we hum along, and there are many melodies, but it's all one song - one same, wonderful, human song.”

Mitch Albom (1958) American author

Source: Have a Little Faith: a True Story

“Sing us a song you're the piano man
Sing us a song tonight.
Well we're all in the mood for a melody
And you've got us feeling alright.”

Billy Joel (1949) American singer-songwriter and pianist

Piano Man.
Song lyrics, Piano Man (1973)

Related topics