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The sound of the harpsichord resembles that of a bird-cage played with toasting-forks.

Thomas Beecham

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Thomas Beecham
Age: 81 †
Born: 1879
Born: April 29
Died: 1961
Died: March 8
Conductor
Sir Thomas Beecham
2nd Baronet
Resembles
Forks
Cage
Cages
Played
Bird
Sound
Harpsichord

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Elgar's first symphony is the musical equivalent of St Pancras Railway Station.
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Without question the most unpopular medium of musical sound in the world.
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No woman is worth the loss of a night's sleep.
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At a rehearsal I let the orchestra play as they like. At the concert I make them play as I like.
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The trouble with women in an orchestra is that if they're attractive it will upset my players and if they're not it will upset me.
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The English may not like music, but they absolutely love the noise it makes.
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Too much counterpoint what is worse, Protestant counterpoint.
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What can you do with it? It's like a lot of yaks jumping about.
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Composers should write tunes that chauffeurs and errand boys can whistle.
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I have just been all round the world and have formed a very poor opinion of it.
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A soprano in Massenet's Don Quixote complained that she had missed her entry in the aria, because Mr. Challiapin always dies too soon. Madam, you must be profoundly in error, said Sir Thomas, No operatic star has yet died half soon enough for me.
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They are quite hopeless - drooling, driveling, doleful, depressing, dropsical drips.
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If an opera cannot be played by an organ grinder, it's not going to achieve immortality.
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I find brass bands have a melancholy sound. All right out of doors, of course - fifty miles away. Like bagpipes, they turn what had been a dream into a public nuisance.
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The bagpipes sound exactly the same when you have finished as when you started
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Madam, you have between your legs an instrument capable of giving pleasure to thousands and all you can do is scratch it.
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Composers and musicians have always starved and, as this is a sentimental country, we think the tradition should be continued.
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The British like any kind of music so long as it is loud.
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No operatic star has yet died soon enough for me.
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Brass bands are all very well in their place - outdoors and several miles away.
Thomas Beecham