You cannot imagine how it spoils one to have been a child prodigy.

I find little in the works of Beethoven, Berlioz, Wagner and others when they are led by a conductor who functions like a windmill.

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

I did not compose my work as one might put on a church vestment... rather it sprung from the truly fervent faith of my heart, such as I have felt it since my childhood.

I carry a deep sadness of the heart which must now and then break out in sound.

Oral musical traditions are rooted in assured and scrupulous faith.

Mournful and yet grand is the destiny of the artist.