Alan Hovhaness Quotes, born March 8, 1911, in Somerville, Massachusetts, and passing on June 21, 2000, was an American composer of Armenian and Scottish descent, one of the 20th century’s most prolific creators with over 500 works, including 67 numbered symphonies. His music, blending Eastern and Western traditions, evokes spiritual resonance, drawing from Armenian culture, nature, and mysticism, as heard in pieces like Mysterious Mountain (1955) and Prayer of Saint Gregory (1946). Influenced by his heritage and a rejection of atonal trends, Hovhaness sought to create music that was healing and accessible. These 15 quotes—sourced from interviews, program notes, his writings, and public statements—reflect his thoughts on music, nature, creativity, and humanity’s challenges, capturing his visionary and soulful spirit.
15 Alan Hovhaness Quotes
- “I’ve always regarded nature as the clothing of God.” (BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “My purpose is to create music not for snobs, but for all people, music which is beautiful and healing. To attempt what old Chinese painters called ‘spirit resonance’ in melody and sound.” (Program notes to Avak The Healer, 1946, Wikiquote)
- “The greater the emotional intensity, the greater the simplicity.” (AZQuotes, n.d.)
- “To me, atonality is against nature. There is a center to everything that exists. The planets have the sun, the earth, the moon.” (AZQuotes, n.d.)
- “There is nothing like practice.” (BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “I found a greater identity with my own emotions in the Armenian culture as I grew older, as well as from the beginning, although I didn’t know anything about it.” (BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “The composer… joins Heaven and Earth with threads of sound.” (AZQuotes, n.d.)
- “We are in a very dangerous period. We are in danger of destroying ourselves, and I have a great fear about this… The human spirit has been destroyed in so many cases.” (Interview, Ararat Magazine, 1971, Wikiquote)
- “It’s hard for me to think of others because I’m not particularly in sympathy with the music of this century.” (InspiringQuotes, n.d.)
- “I was much more interested in the orchestra than the piano, but I did become fairly proficient as a pianist.” (BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “I propose to create an heroic, monumental style of composition simple enough to inspire all people, completely free from fads, artificial mannerisms and false sophistications.” (Program notes to Avak The Healer, 1946, Wikiquote)
- “There were periods when I sometimes made fires in a large, open fireplace that lasted about two weeks, which was how long it took to burn my compositions.” (BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “I did all kinds of things in order to earn a living.” (BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “This is not to say that the Scots are not fine people, but they were all sort of… well, my grandfather was a minister and sort of Protestant, and this was rather depressing to me.” (BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “Music must be freed from decadence and stagnation. There has been too much emphasis on small things while the great truths have been overlooked.” (Program notes to Avak The Healer, 1946, Wikiquote)
Alan Hovhaness’s quotes weave a tapestry of spiritual depth, creative passion, and reverence for nature, inspiring listeners to seek beauty and truth in music and life. Which quote resonates with your soul? Share it below and keep Hovhaness’s symphonic legacy soaring!
Emma Thompson
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