“The British may not like music, but they absolutely love the noise it makes.”

“A musicologist is a man who can read music but can’t hear it.”

“Brass bands are all very well in their place – outdoors and several miles away.”

“If an opera cannot be played by an organ grinder, it’s not going to achieve immortality.”

“Her singing reminds me of a cart coming downhill with the brake on.”

“There are two golden rules for an orchestra: start together and finish together. The public doesn’t give a damn what goes on in between.”

“Composers and musicians have always starved and, as this is a sentimental country, we think the tradition should be continued.”

“Beethoven’s last quartets were written by a deaf man and should only be listened to by a deaf man.”

On Beethoven’s 7th: “What can you do with it? It’s like a lot of yaks jumping about.”

On the harpsichord: “…like two skeletons copulating on a tin roof.”

On the cello: “Madam, you have between your legs an instrument capable of giving pleasure to thousands, and all you can do is scratch it.”

Happy birthday, Sir Thomas Beecham (1879-1961)

More about Beecham here:
https://www.theguardian.com/friday_review/story/0,3605,468909,00.html

Beecham conducts Delius:

Beecham conducts Berlioz:

Beecham conducts Schubert:

Beecham conducts Liszt:

Beecham conducts Balakirev:

Beecham conducts Handel (as arranged by Beecham):

Beecham conducts Sibelius: