For Every Music Lover: A Series of Practical Essays on Music

“After all, our main business in art, as in life, is to strive. Honest effort meets with its own reward, even where it does not lead to what the world calls success.””

— Aubertine Woodward Moore

“Wonderful is the power of instrumental music, absolute music without words, that may convey impressions, deep and lasting, no words could give.””

— Aubertine Woodward Moore

“Music is far beyond words, and in attempting to translate it into these we miss its musical meaning, the best that is in it.””

— Aubertine Woodward Moore

“To conquer music a musician must have conquered self. As music can no more be absolutely conquered than self, the effort to gain the mastery over both necessitates a continual healthy, earnest striving, which makes the individual grow in strength, grace and happiness.””

— Aubertine Woodward Moore

“Music study is many-sided. To make it truly educative it must be pursued from both theoretical and practical standpoints.””

— Aubertine Woodward Moore

“It is not desirable that every one should perform acrobatic feats on some musical instrument, or indulge in vocal pyrotechnics, but it is desirable to extract music out of whatever technique may be attained.””

— Aubertine Woodward Moore

“Without the growth of the individual, music cannot grow; without freedom of thought, neither the language of tones nor that of words can gain full, free utterance. Freedom is essential to the life of the indwelling spirit. Wherever the flow of thought and fancy is impeded, or the energies of the individual held in check, there music is cramped.””

— Aubertine Woodward Moore

“Music is a kind of inarticulate, unfathomable speech, which leads us to the edge of the Infinite, and impels us for a moment to gaze into it," exclaimed Carlyle.””

— Aubertine Woodward Moore

“We cannot gain experience by being brought into contact with the experiences of others, nor can we know music by reading about it.””

— Aubertine Woodward Moore