Gavin Bryars Quotes

Powerful Gavin Bryars for Daily Growth

About Gavin Bryars

Gavin Bryars, born on September 17, 1943, in Yorkshire, England, is a renowned British composer, trombonist, and writer, whose work spans multiple genres, including contemporary classical music, jazz, improvisation, and experimental music. His unique compositional style, characterized by its minimalism and exploration of found sounds, has garnered him an esteemed reputation in the global musical community. Bryars' interest in music was sparked early, as he learned to play the trombone at a young age. He attended the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he studied composition with Lennox Berkeley and Hans Keller, influences that shaped his unconventional approach to music-making. One of Bryars' most famous works is "Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet," a piece inspired by an encounter with a homeless man singing a traditional hymn in the street. The composition, which features looped snippets of the man's voice and minimal instrumental accompaniment, became a symbol of Bryars' innovative approach to found sounds and their integration into his music. Other notable works include "The Sinking of the Titanic," an orchestral piece that tells the story of the famous shipwreck using recorded interviews with survivors, and "Dance Little Lady Waltz," a ballet composed for the Royal Ballet of Flanders. Bryars has also collaborated extensively with other artists, including Brian Eno, Derek Bailey, and Laurie Anderson. Throughout his career, Gavin Bryars has been honored with numerous awards, including an Ivor Novello Award for "Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet" and a Guggenheim Fellowship. His music continues to challenge and inspire listeners around the world.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Music is so powerful, and it can reach us emotionally, more quickly, intensely than perhaps any other art form."

This quote by Gavin Bryars emphasizes the extraordinary emotional impact music can have on individuals. Music has a unique ability to evoke strong feelings swiftly and deeply, transcending the boundaries of language and reaching our emotions in a way that may be more immediate and intense than other art forms. Its power lies in its capacity to tap into our most profound feelings, providing a universal and often non-verbal means of expression and communication.


"As soon as you start to think about music, it's gone."

Gavin Bryars suggests that when one consciously thinks or overanalyzes music, it loses its essence or immediate impact. This is because reflection disrupts the intuitive and emotive experience of music, transforming it into an intellectual exercise rather than a sensory journey. In other words, the more we try to grasp music with our mind, the less we feel it in our hearts.


"Jazz is a discipline of the spirit rather than an activity of the body."

Gavin Bryars' quote emphasizes that Jazz music transcends physical execution and embodies a profound spiritual experience. It suggests that playing jazz isn't just about mastering techniques or instruments, but also about expressing emotions, stories, and ideas through improvisation – effectively, tapping into one's spirit. In other words, Jazz becomes a creative outlet for the artist to communicate intangible feelings and thoughts to their audience.


"I think that what jazz has shown us is that there are ways of making and listening to music that are more immediate and more satisfying, and also more profoundly emotional, than the more conventional forms of classical music."

Gavin Bryars' quote emphasizes the unique immediacy, satisfaction, and emotional depth that jazz music provides compared to traditional classical music. He suggests that these qualities can lead to a more profound emotional experience when listening or participating in jazz. This statement underscores the subjective nature of musical appreciation while acknowledging the distinctive qualities that set jazz apart from classical music.


"I think that in some ways, a musician's task is to make the music that only they can make, but to do it in such a way that it means something, that it communicates with other people."

This quote by Gavin Bryars emphasizes the personal expression and unique perspective of every artist, while also highlighting the importance of communication and shared understanding in their creative endeavors. As musicians create their own music, they should strive to express their individual voice, but in a manner that resonates with others, thus fostering connection and meaning among listeners. Essentially, Bryars underscores the significance of both originality and empathy in artistic expression.


I remember once, when I started writing for the alto saxophone, a saxophonist told me to think of it as being like a cross between an oboe and a viola, but louder.

- Gavin Bryars

Think, I Remember, Louder, Viola

Music history has flowed under the bridges for many years.

- Gavin Bryars

Music, History, Many, Bridges

The project which we developed, however, was for a sound piece and I was initially curious that a sculptor should be interested in working with a musician, especially on a project for radio.

- Gavin Bryars

Curious, However, Which, Musician

There's another way of making music, by touching the lives and feelings of ordinary people.

- Gavin Bryars

Music, Making, Lives, Another Way

I know that John Adams has had a very hard time directing French ensembles.

- Gavin Bryars

Know, Very, Had, None

When Philip Glass asked me if I would be interested in doing a new recording of Jesus' Blood he assumed that I would do something similar to the first version and wanted to know what other pieces would be on the same CD.

- Gavin Bryars

Doing, Other, Recording, Philip

It's rather like attending a university seminar where you are talking to a few gifted specialists who deliver a paper to an audience of their peers. That's one way of making music.

- Gavin Bryars

University, Rather, Peers, Seminar

As I had collaborated with visual artists before whether on installations, on performance pieces, in the context of theatre works and as I had taught for a time in art colleges the idea of writing music in response to painting was not alien.

- Gavin Bryars

Art, Before, Works, Context

The academic area of new music or modern music festivals is not something which attracts me at all.

- Gavin Bryars

New, Area, Which, Modern Music

Somehow in the 20th Century an idea has developed that music is an activity or skill which is not comprehensible to the man in the street. This is an arrogant assertion and not necessarily a true one.

- Gavin Bryars

Activity, Arrogant, Which, Comprehensible

I've heard though that there is a younger generation of tonal French composers who are reacting with vigour.

- Gavin Bryars

Generation, Composers, Reacting

I am writing something which I find satisfying and which I am prepared to put my name to as a composer.

- Gavin Bryars

Prepared, Composer, Which, Satisfying

One thing I'm doing on the new Titanic recording is actually bringing in different acoustic spaces.

- Gavin Bryars

Doing, New, One Thing, Spaces

Like an apparently strict musical form it breaks the five minute whole into its structural parts - a descriptive preamble, the action of taking the cards, the development of the cards' manipulation and the revelation of what has been achieved.

- Gavin Bryars

Development, Been, Preamble, Strict

Craft is part of the creative process.

- Gavin Bryars

Process, Craft, Part, Creative Process

It makes sense to invest in new work. It's almost like having a research department in a scientific laboratory. You have to try things out. You'll make some bad mistakes. Some things will fail but at least you'll energise the organisation.

- Gavin Bryars

Bad, Some, Almost, Department

Similarly you can make a transition from one set of instruments to another imperceptibly.

- Gavin Bryars

Set, Instruments, Similarly, Transition

Over the years I have tried to develop something which is technically assured.

- Gavin Bryars

Over, Tried, Which, Assured

I work very fast, keeping the ideas flowing but making sure they come out the way I intended.

- Gavin Bryars

Making, Sure, Very, Flowing

I currently spend a lot of time thinking about orchestration and every detail of a piece.

- Gavin Bryars

Lot, Orchestration, Piece, Detail

What was once underground is now coming to the surface.

- Gavin Bryars

Surface, Now, Once, Underground

Writing tonal music now, you are not writing into the 19th Century.

- Gavin Bryars

Music, Century, 19th Century, Tonal

I have friends who have a CD mastering plant in Hollywood and they are very sceptical about European record labels' understanding of digital technology.

- Gavin Bryars

Digital, CD, Very, Labels

Still, American composers working in France have had a pretty hard time.

- Gavin Bryars

Pretty, Still, Composers, France

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