Quotes from Anton Webern

Except for the violin pieces and a few of my orchestra pieces, all of my works from the Passacaglia on relate to the death of my mother.

Indeed, man only exists insofar as he expresses himself. Music does it in musical ideas.

Music is natural law as related to the sense of hearing.

Comprehensibility is the highest law of all. Unity must be there. There must be means of ensuring it. All the things familiar to us from primitive life must also be used in works of art.

What is music? Music is language. A human being wants to express ideas in this language, but not ideas that can be translated into concepts.

It's always the same: mediocrities are over-valued and great men are rejected.