Pierre Schaeffer Quotes & Sayings

“Sound is the vocabulary of nature.”

“Take a sound from whatever source, a note on a violin, a scream, a moan, a creaking door, and there is always this symmetry between the sound basis, which is complex and has numerous characteristics which emerge through a process of comparison within our perception.”

“It's ridiculous that time and time again we need a radioactive cloud coming out of a nuclear power-station to remind us that atomic energy is extraordinarily dangerous.”

“The only hope is that our civilization will collapse at a certain point, as always happens in history. Then, out of barbarity, a renaissance.”

“Barbarians always think of themselves as the bringers of civilization.”

“Has it struck you that the music which is regarded as the most sublime in western civilization, which is the music of Bach, is called baroque?”

“The world changes materially. Science makes advances in technology and understanding. But the world of humanity doesn't change.”

“People who share the same language, French or Chinese or whatever, have the same vocal cords and emit sounds which are basically the same, as they come from the same throats and lungs.”

“The moment at which music reveals its true nature is contained in the ancient exercise of the theme with variations. The complete mystery of music is explained right there.”

“First, it doesn't surprise me that traditional music has experienced a kind of exhaustion in the 20th century - not forgetting that many musicians started to look outside the traditional structures of tonality.”