Virgil Thomson
FameRank: 4

"Virgil Thomson" was an American composer and critic. He was instrumental in the development of the "American Sound" in classical music. He has been described as a musical modernism/modernist,Dickinson, Peter. 1986. "Stein Satie Cummings Thomson Berners Cage: Toward a Context for the Music of Virgil Thomson". Musical Quarterly 72, no. 3:394–409.Kime, Mary W. 1989. "Modernism and Americana: A Study of 'The Mother of Us All'". Ars Musica Denver 2, no. 1 (Fall): 24–29. a neo-Classicism (music)/neoclassicist, a composer of "an Olympian blend of humanity and detachment" whose "expressive voice was always carefully muted" until his late opera Lord Byron (Thomson)/Lord Byron which, in contrast to all his previous work, exhibited an emotional content that rises to "moments of real passion", and a neo-Romanticism (music)/neoromantic.

If you enjoy these quotes, be sure to check out other famous composers! More Virgil Thomson on Wikipedia.

I've never known a musician who regretted being one. Whatever deceptions life may have in store for you, music itself is not going to let you down.

The way to write American music is simple. All you have to do is be an American and then write any kind of music you wish.

I thought of myself as a species of knight errant attacking dragons single-handedly and rescuing musical virtue in distress.

In Paris, you learn wit, in London you learn to crush your social rivals, and in Florence you learn poise.

I look at you and I write down what I hear.

Try a thing you haven't tried before three times - once to get over the fear, once to find out how to do it, and a third time to find out whether you like it or not.

I said to my friends that if I was going to starve, I might as well starve where the food is good.

Let your mind alone, and see what happens.

I don't go around regretting things that don't happen.

Reviewing music or reviewing anything is a writing job. It's nice if you are experienced in the field you are writing about, but writing is what you are doing.