Quotes on Music and Opera: “I Understand”

Music and opera can be complex and overwhelming, but they can also be incredibly beautiful and moving. In this blog post, we’ll explore some of the best quotes on music and opera, to help you understand and appreciate these art forms more.

Introduction

Music is often thought of as a language that everyone can understand, regardless of their native tongue. This is especially true of opera, which combines music and drama to create a uniquely powerful form of communication.

In this collection of quotes on music and opera, you’ll find everything from pleasurable anecdotes to deeply moving reflections on the power of these art forms. Whether you’re a musician or an opera lover yourself, or simply someone who appreciates the beauty of great art, we hope you’ll find something to enjoy in these words.

What is music?

Quotes about music can be interesting, entertaining, and even inspiring. They can also be thought-provoking and offer a new perspective on music. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the most famous and not-so-famous quotes about music.

Emotion

“Music is the universal language of mankind.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“Music is well said to be the speech of angels.” – Thomas Carlyle

“If music be the food of love, play on.” – William Shakespeare

“Music is the soul of language.” – Max Heindel

“Music is the strongest form of magic.” – Marilyn Manson

“Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom. If you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn.” – Charlie Parker

Memory

“Music is the universal language of mankind.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“If music be the food of love, play on.” – William Shakespeare

“Music is the shorthand of emotion.” – Leo Tolstoy

“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.” – Bob Marley

Creativity

“To me, music is an expression of emotion. It’s about communicating something that’s deep inside you, something that you couldn’t put into words, or even if you could, it would be much more difficult to express. Music is the language of the heart.”
-Maya Angelou

What is opera?

Opera is a musical art form that originated in Italy in the late 16th century. It is a hybrid form that combines music, drama, and visual arts. Opera is usually sung in a foreign language, and it is often considered to be a highbrow art form.

A form of musical theatre

Opera is a form of musical theatre in which the stories are told in song and dance, with the parts of the story being sung by the characters in the opera.

Opera is usually written in Italian, German or French, and the first professional opera house was opened in Venice in 1637. Opera spread quickly throughout Europe, and by the early 1800s, it had reached America.

Most operas are based on historical or mythical stories, and many have been adapted from other works such as plays or novels. The music of an opera is written by a composer, and the libretto (the story) is usually written by a different person.

Opera is usually performed in an opera house, which has a stage area and an orchestra pit where the musicians play. The singer (or singers) performing the lead role(s) in an opera are called “principal singers” or “stars”.

A combination of music, drama, and often dance

Opera is a combination of music, drama, and often dance that tells a story using singing instead of spoken dialogue. It is usually set to music that has been specifically composed for it, and the singers are accompanied by a group of instrumentalists called an orchestra.

While operas can be quite long, they are usually divided into distinct sections called acts. Each act usually contains one or more scenes, and each scene typically features one or more musical numbers. These musical numbers can include solo singing (called an aria), duets, ensembles, or choruses.

While opera has its origins in the 16th century, it didn’t really become popular until the 18th century. The most famous operas were composed in the 19th century, and many of them are still performed today. Some of the most popular operas include Carmen, The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, La traviata, and Aida.

Quotes on music

“I understand what you say, but I cannot fathom what you mean.” – T.S. Eliot

“Music is the universal language of mankind.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“Music is the universal language of mankind.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“There is no fortune in this world that can compare with the inexhaustible store of music which lies hidden in the hearts of all men.” – Jean Paul Richter

“Opera is when a guy gets stabbed in the back and, instead of bleeding, he sings.” – Robert Benchley

“Music is well said to be the speech of angels.” – Thomas Carlyle

“Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” – Berthold Auerbach

“Music is the art which is most nigh to tears and memory.” – Oscar Wilde

“Music is the art which is most nigh to tears and memory.” – Oscar Wilde
“Music is well said to be the speech of angels.” – Thomas Carlyle
“If music be the food of love, play on.” – Shakespeare
“Music is the universal language of mankind.” – Longfellow
“Music… will help dissolve your perplexities and purify your character and sensibilities, and in time of care and sorrow, will keep a fountain of joy alive within you.” – Dietrich Bonhoeppe

“If music be the food of love, play on.” – William Shakespeare

This quote, spoken by the character Duke Orsino in Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night, is often used to describe the power of music. In the play, Duke Orsino is in love with the Countess Olivia and he is using music to try and win her over. The quote means that music has the power to make people feel things, even love.

Quotes on opera

“I understand,” said the Skeleton, “that you are an admirer of music?” “I am,” replied the Ghost; “and I understand that you are an admirer of opera?” “I am,” replied the Skeleton.

“Opera is when a guy gets stabbed in the back and, instead of dying, he sings.” – Robert Benchley

Opera is a form of theatre in which music has a leading role and the parts are taken by singers, but is distinct from musical theatre. Such a “work” (the literal translation of “opera”) is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librettist and incorporates a number of the performing arts, such as acting, scenery, costumes, and sometimes dance or ballet. The performance is typically given in an opera house, accompanied by an orchestra or smaller musical ensemble, which since the early 19th century has been led by a conductor.

Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance. The performers in opera generally include not only singers but also dancers (such as in ballet productions) and occasionally mimes and other specialist performers such as jugglers. Opera is chiefly associated with European classical music tradition, especially that of Italy and Austria in the 17th to 19th centuries. It enjoyed considerable popularity in other countries as well in the late 19th to mid-2020 century including Russia (where it was known as Russian Opera), Spain (where Zarzuela derives from it), Scandinavia, Latin America, Asia, and Africa.

“An opera begins long before the curtain goes up and ends long after it has come down. It starts in my imagination, it becomes my life, and it stays part of my life long after I have left the opera house.” – Maria Callas

Callas was one of the most famous and respected opera singers of her time. She was known for her unique and powerful voice, as well as her dramatic interpretations of opera roles. This quote speaks to the passion that Callas felt for opera, and how it became an integral part of her life.

“Opera is when a guy is stabbed in the back and you can still hear the knife.” – Robert Benchley

“Opera is when a guy is stabbed in the back and you can still hear the knife.” – Robert Benchley

“If life were an opera, what part would you sing?” – Mason Cooley

“Opera is where a guy gets stabbed in the back, and instead of dying, he sings.” – Robert Benard

“The difference between thunder and lightning? Lightning never strikes twice in the same place. Opera does.” – Jay Emdure

“To understand opera you must be able to count up to about twenty, hear two notes at once, pretend they make a chord, and have no sense of time.” – David Del Tredici