For the virtuoso, musical works are in fact nothing but tragic and moving materializations of his emotions; he is called upon to make them speak, weep, sing and sigh, to recreate them in accordance with his own consciousness. In this way he, like the composer, is a creator, for he must have within himself those passions that he wishes to bring so intensely to life.

Brahms' Variations are better than mine, but mine were written before his.

My sole ambition as a composer is to hurl my javelin into the infinite space of the future.

Oral musical traditions are rooted in assured and scrupulous faith.

Life is only a long and bitter suicide, and faith alone can transform this suicide into a sacrifice.

Music embodies feeling without forcing it to contend and combine with thought, as it is forced in most arts and especially in the art of words.

Inspiration is enough to give expression to the tone in singing, especially when the song is without words.