Quote #11

It is said that in one rehearsal he was unsatisfied with the performance of a female cello soloist, and so said to her 'Madam, you have between your legs an instrument capable of giving pleasure to thousands, and all you can do is scratch it!'.

More from Thomas Beecham

  1. No composer has written as much as 100 bars of worthwhile music since 1925.
  2. He helped Walter Legge underwrite the creation of the Philharmonia Orchestra, and conducted its premiere concert on 25 October, 1945. Later…
  3. A city life for me!
  4. 'Here are two golden rules for an orchestra: start together and finish together. The public doesn't give a damn what goes on in between.'
  5. The musical equivalent of St. Pancras Station
  6. When asked why only male composers appeared in his repertoire, he said 'There are no women composers, never have been, and possibly never w…
  7. If I cannot sing a work, I cannot conduct it.
  8. The grand tune is the only thing in music that the great public really understands.

All Thomas Beecham quotes