“Possible musical forms are as limitless as the exterior forms of crystals.”
Aspects of 20th Century Music (1975) by Gary Wittlich and Richard P. DeLone
Context: There is an idea, the basis of an internal structure, expanded and split into different shapes or groups of sound constantly changing in shape, direction, and speed, attracted and repulsed by various forces. The form of the work is a consequence of this interaction. Possible musical forms are as limitless as the exterior forms of crystals.
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Edgard Varèse 5
French composer 1883–1965Related quotes
In 'The Problem of Increasing Human Energy: With Special Reference to the Harnessing of the Sun’s Energy', Century Illustrated Magazine (Jun 1900), 60, No. 2, 180.
As quoted in The Times [London] (18 May 1990)
1990s
The Crystal Cabinet, st. 2
1800s, Poems from the Pickering Manuscript (c. 1805)
Notes Toward a Supreme Fiction (1942), It Must Be Abstract
“Jazz music is a form of accelerated unconcern.”
Un certain sourire (1955, A Certain Smile, translated 1956)
The Development of Quantum Mechanics (1933)
Context: The interest of research workers has frequently been focused on the phenomenon of regularly shaped crystals suddenly forming from a liquid, e. g. a supersaturated salt solution. According to the atomic theory the forming force in this process is to a certain extent the symmetry characteristic of the solution to Schrödinger's wave equation, and to that extent crystallization is explained by the atomic theory. Nevertheless this process retains a statistical and — one might almost say — historical element which cannot be further reduced: even when the state of the liquid is completely known before crystallization, the shape of the crystal is not determined by the laws of quantum mechanics. The formation of regular shapes is just far more probable than that of a shapeless lump. But the ultimate shape owes its genesis partly to an element of chance which in principle cannot be analysed further.
“Rap music is the only vital form of music introduced since punk rock.”
As quoted in M.E.A.T (1991-09).
Interviews (1989-1994), Print