Leos Janacek Quotes
Leos Janacek presents insightful commentary on how speech reveals intellect, mood and character.
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The melodic curves of speech are an expression of the complete organism and of all phases of its spiritual activities. They demonstrate whether a man is stupid or intelligent, sleepy or awake, tired or alert. They tell us whether he is a child or an old man, whether it is morning or evening, light or darkness, heat or frost, and disclose whether a person is alone or in company. The art of dramatic writing is to compose a melodic curve that will, as if by magic, reveal immediately a human being in one definite phase of his existence.
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“And don’t be ashamed of your nature. It’s so dear, so very dear to me. You are laughter ‘mixed’ from tears. It is that nature - I understand it quite a lot already - which is almost chronically sensitive. You are difficult to understand. What surrounds you is hard - and, Kamilka, heartless. It’s better to avoid hard stones than to fall among them.”