Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826)

What love is to man, music is to the arts and to mankind.

Sheet music: Carl Maria von Weber

Richard Wagner (1813-1883)

I believe in God, Mozart and Beethoven, and likewise their disciples and apostles; - I believe in the Holy Spirit and the truth of the one, indivisible Art; - I believe that this Art proceeds from God, and lives within the hearts of all illumined men; - I believe that he who once has bathed in the sublime delights of this high Art, is consecrate to Her for ever, and never can deny Her; - I believe that through Art all men are saved.

Sheet music: Richard Wagner

Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (1813-1901)

They were all churning out operas of mine. It was clearly impossible for me to work under such conditions, so I hired the organs from their owners. It will cost me about 1,500 lire for the summer, but that is not too large a price to pay for peace.

Sheet music: Giuseppe Verdi

Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)

Truly there would be reason to go mad were it not for music.

Sheet music: Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky

Arthur S. Sullivan (1842-1900)

For myself, I can only say that I am astonished and somewhat terrified at the results of this evening's experiments. Astonished at the wonderful power you have developed, and terrified at the thought that so much hideous and bad music may be put on record forever.

Sheet music: Arthur S. Sullivan

Books from Alibris: Arthur S. Sullivan

Johann Strauss II (1825-1899)

The eldest son of Johann Strauss I, who became a musician against his father's wishes. At the age of 19 he formed his own orchestra and amalgamated it with his father's in 1849. He established an unrivalled reputation as a composer of Viennese light music and went on tours in Austria and abroad. His two younger brothers, Joseph and Eduard, came to his aid in the management and direction of the dance orchestras when the workload became too much for him. In later years he dedicated himself to the composition of operettas. Johann Strauss the Younger wrote some sixteen operettas between 1871 and 1897. Of these the best known is Die Fledermaus (The Bat). Other operettas are more familiar from dances derived from them, although Der Zigeunerbaron (The Gypsy Baron) remains second in order of popularity to Die Fledermaus. His dance music includes waltzes, polkas, quadrilles, marches and other works. Among these the most familiar remains An der schonen, blauen Donau (The Blue Danube), originally a choral waltz-sequence. - Malaspina Biography

Sheet music: Johann Strauss II

Bedrich Smetana (1824-1884)

By the grace of God and with His help, I shall one day be a Liszt in technique and a Mozart in composition.

Sheet music: Bedrich Smetana

Robert Schumann (1810-1856)

Talent works, genius creates.

Sheet music: Robert Schumann

Clara Schumann (1819-1896)

My imagination can picture no fairer happiness than to continue living for art.

Sheet music: Clara Schumann

Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

I never force myself to be devout except when I feel so inspired, and never compose hymns of prayers unless I feel within me real and true devotion.

Sheet music: Franz Schubert

Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921)

There is nothing more difficult than talking about music.

Sheet music: Camille Saint-Saens

Gioacchino Rossini (1792-1868)

Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind.

Sheet music: Gioacchino+Rossini

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908)

Nikolay Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov (also Nikolai, Nicolai, and Rimsky-Korsakoff) (born March 18, 1844, died June 21, 1908) was a Russian composer and teacher of classical music particularly noted for his fine orchestration. - See More in Malaspina Biography

Sheet music: Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Nicolo Paganini (1782-1840)

I am not handsome, but when women hear me play, they come crawling to my feet.

Sheet music: Nicolo Paganini

Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880)

After a successful early career as a virtuoso cellist, he spent most of his time working in theatres such as the Theatre Francais and Bouffes Parisiens. In 1855 he opened his own theatre, where his light-hearted stage-works were performed. He continued a successful career, devoted largely to operetta and operas comiques, until his death in 1880. Out of 90 or so operettas, few of which have survived, the best known is Orphee aux enfers (Orpheus in the Underworld), which is remembered especially for its famous can-can. Other operettas include La Belle Helene (Fair Helen) and La Vie Parisienne. Offenbach's final opera, Les Contes d'Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann), completed after the composer's death by Bizet's friend Ernest Guiraud, is based on stories by E.T.A. Hoffmann, including the tale of Dr. Coppelius and his life-like creation, the doll Coppelia. The most popular melody in it is the Barcarolle. Although completely identified with France, Offenbach was of German-Jewish origin. He is buried in the Cimetiere de Montmartre, Paris, France.

Sheet music: Jacques Offenbach

Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (1839-1881)

Art is not an end in itself, but a means of addressing humanity.

Sheet music: Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky

Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel (1805-1847)

If nobody ever offers an opinion or takes the slightest interest in one's production, one loses not only all pleasure in them, but all power of judging their value.

It must be a sign of talent that I do not give up, though I can get nobody to take an interest in my efforts.

Sheet music: Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847)

These seem to me so ambiguous, so vague, so easily misunderstood in comparison to genuine music, which fills the soul with a thousand things better than words.

Sheet music: Felix Mendelssohn

Franz Liszt (1811-1886)

Music embodies feeling without forcing it to contend and combine with thought, as it is forced in most arts and especially in the art of words.

Sheet music: Franz Liszt

Leos Janacek (1854-1928)

After unusually hard work I have finished my latest opera. I don’t know whether they will call it The Thunderstorm or Katĕrina. Against The Thunderstorm is the argument that another opera of that name already exists; against Katĕrina that I write nothing but ‘female’ operas. Jenůfa – Katĕrina. The best thing, instead of a title would be to have three asterisks. - from a letter to Kamila Stösslová

Sheet music: Leos Janacek