"It is still true that it is easier to compose a poem in the form of a manual for adjusting a VCR than it is to write a piece using just tuning as a symphony"
- Brian Ferneyhough
About this Quote
This quote by Brian Ferneyhough is a commentary on the difficulty of writing music. He is suggesting that it is simpler to write a poem about a mundane task, such as changing a VCR, than it is to write a piece of music utilizing only tuning as a symphony. This is because composing music requires a great deal of skill and creativity, while writing a poem about an ordinary job does not. The quote suggests that writing music is a difficult task, which it needs a great deal of ability and creativity. It also implies that writing a poem about an ordinary job is fairly easy in contrast. This quote serves as a reminder of the problem of writing music, and the ability and creativity needed to do so.
"Of the individual poems, some are more lyric and some are more descriptive or narrative. Each poem is fixed in a moment. All those moments written or read together take on the movement and architecture of a narrative"
"The heart of the matter seems to me to be the direct interaction between one's making a poem in English and a poem in the language that one understands and values. I don't see how you can do it otherwise"
"The point of an experiment is not to arrive at a predetermined end point, to prove or disprove anything, but to deliver a poem that reveals much about the process taken"
"Our moments of inspiration are not lost though we have no particular poem to show for them; for those experiences have left an indelible impression, and we are ever and anon reminded of them"
"The figure a poem makes. It begins in delight and ends in wisdom... in a clarification of life - not necessarily a great clarification, such as sects and cults are founded on, but in a momentary stay against confusion"