Johannes Brahms Quotes

"Without craftsmanship, inspiration is a mere reed shaken in the wind."
- Johannes Brahms
(Related: Inspiration, Wind)

"Those who enjoy their own emotionally bad health and who habitually fill their own minds with the rank poisons of suspicion, jealousy and hatred, as a rule take umbrage at those who refuse to do likewise, and they find a perverted relief in trying to denigrate them."
- Johannes Brahms
(Related: Health, Hatred, Jealousy, Rank, Suspicion, Trying)

"Straight-away the ideas flow in upon me, directly from God, and not only do I see distinct themes in my mind's eye, but they are clothed in the right forms, harmonies, and orchestration."
- Johannes Brahms
(Related: God, Ideas, Eye, Mind, Right)

"If there is anyone here whom I have not insulted, I beg his pardon."
- Johannes Brahms

"I sometimes ponder on variation form and it seems to me it ought to be more restrained, purer."
- Johannes Brahms

"Composers in the old days used to keep strictly to the base of the theme, as their real subject. Beethoven varies the melody, harmony and rhythms so beautifully."
- Johannes Brahms
(Related: Composers, Harmony, Old)

"A symphony is no joke."
- Johannes Brahms

"It is not hard to compose, but what is fabulously hard is to leave the superfluous notes under the table."
- Johannes Brahms