Liszt’s lover Caroline about the famous composer’s work habits:
“He must be made to concentrate, otherwise he gets all mixed up,” said she. “It is not genius he lacks, but the capacity to sit still.”
Good thing he sat long enough to write his enormously successful and remarkable compositions, eh? This is a sobering statement from a woman who loved the composer—and a good reminder for the rest of us. Talent doesn’t matter if it isn’t focused, if it never sits still long enough to finish anything.
Hilarious! – may we all have a Caroline!
and here’s someone who didn’t
http://youngglory.blogspot.com/2009/03/coleridge-being-creative-is-not-enough.html
Ouch. It’s true–and some composers are this way also. Lesson learned.
It’s one of my vices. I rarely can concentrate fully even if I sit for hours. Working on it.
It’s a challenge. For starters, I always have to disconnect my phone, make sure I don’t have internet access, make sure my workspace is clean and uncluttered… and after all that, it still depends on the day.
How did I miss this…so true…so true…too true. Ouch!
I know it, Ruth. I get a pang of recognition every time I read this.