The art of music above all the other arts is the expression of the soul of a nation.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Music uniquely expresses the collective identity or soul of a nation better than other arts.
- In plain terms
- Music shows who a nation is better than any other art form.
- What can you take from it?
- Music reflects a nation's core identity.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Does music define a nation?
- What makes music national?
Another view
Music varies widely within nations, so a single 'national soul' may be simplistic.
More from Ralph Vaughan Williams
Before going any further may we take it that the object of art is to obtain a partial revelation of that which is beyond human senses and human faculties - of …
Permalink to quote #3 The business of finding a nation's soul is a long and slow one at the best and a great many prophets must be slain in the course of it. Perhaps when we have sl…
Permalink to quote #5 Art for art's sake has never flourished in England. We are often called inartistic because our art is unconscious. Our drama and poetry, like our laws and our …
Permalink to quote #2
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