Opera is a musical scenery, a musical atmosphere in which the characters move and talk.
I eat only white foods: eggs, sugar, grated bones, the fat of dead animals; veal, salt, coconut, chicken cooked in white water; fruit mold, rice, turnips; camphorated sausage, dough, cheese (white), cotton salad, and certain fish (skinless).
The musician is perhaps the most modest of animals, but he is also the proudest.
My dream is to be played everywhere, not only at the Opera.
I am by far your superior, but my notorious modesty prevents me from saying so.
I have never written a note I didn't mean.