This famous quote has disputed origins, (see http://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/11/08/writing-about-music/)and maybe in the end it is not so important where it actually came from. More important is that the person had a point !
Sometimes when you try and express the effect certain music has on you, it would be more effective to avoid words altogether. When I was trying to learn Shostakovitch's last quartet, as soon as I had played it a few times it connected in some way with the experience of walking round an art gallery where Mark Rothko's last works were collected: works like "Untitled, Black on Grey" http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/collections/collection-online/artwork/3535
The overwhelming feeling in that room of Rothko paintings was of quiet despair, but there was also a sort of serenity there too. There was very little variation in the colours or forms he used, but the collective effect of all the paintings together was overwhelming.
It was the same for me, playing and listening to Shostakovitch's last quartet. Shostakovitch writes six movements all marked Adagio and for long stretches the only dynamic is pianissimo. Listening to it you are aware of somebody who is struggling to stay alive. He is supposed to have said himself that the first movement should be played " so that flies drop dead in mid-air and the audience start leaving the hall in sheer boredom " The same feelings of quiet despair hang in the room when listening to this music.as did for me when looking at the Rothko paintings.
I tried reading dissertations on the Shostakovitch, and they diligently listed keys and structure, but of course they could not describe in words the chemistry created by the music between listener, player and composer So maybe the quote at the start of this post is true. On the other hand we can at least try to put some of our reactions to music into words and see whether our reactions are shared by our fellow listeners.
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