"Movie music is noise... even more painful than my sciatica"
- Thomas Beecham
About this Quote
This quote by Thomas Beecham is a funny method of expressing his distaste for motion picture music. He is suggesting that film music is so unpleasant that it is worse than his own physical pain. This could be interpreted as a criticism of the quality of motion picture music, or it might be a reflection of Beecham's own personal taste. It might likewise be viewed as a commentary on the prevalence of film music in modern culture, and how it has actually ended up being so commonplace that it is almost inescapable. Whatever the analysis, it is clear that Beecham does not have a high opinion of motion picture music.
"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away"
"We worked very hard to make the lyrics suit the music. I can't, like Elton John, for example, compose by lyrics. Elton has a great talent for that. Whatever you give him, including your questions, he composes in half an hour and makes a great song out of it"
