Mr. Roselieb has compiled a list of Sam Hazo quotes - enjoy!
Music
“What is it about? When you know something about the music, it warms up the paper.”
Diamond Prelude – This music is about the birth of a child, including a multiple heartbeat in the womb, a triumphant entrance into the world, then a lullaby, and then in arc form it reverses back through the fanfare to the heartbeat.
Psalm 42 – This music is about the song that was sung at the funeral of a 5 year-old boy who had three older brothers that played trumpet in Mr. Hazo’s band.
Relating Life to Music
How much effort does it take to “sneak around your house?
When the dynamics go down, the effort goes up.”
I love you rule – never say I love you to someone the same way twice - never play the same musical figure the same way twice
Resistance rule – when you push someone, they push back. The director moves the baton, you push back with dynamics
Call – response – you respond to someone in the same way they call you, be it yelling or whispering – the same in music
Technique
“Get a good breath, not a catch breath. Get fat with me!”
Evanescence – when the sound needs to “evaporate” from a mist to nothing (niente), use the syllable tuv to slowly end the air/tone stream
Put your music stand up high enough to see the music and the baton at the same time
When playing soft notes, go for the note first then the dynamic to assure good response
Balance in Music
“Black notes are more important than white notes
Always play the moving parts on the high side of the dynamic marking.
The moving notes make the tune recognizable.”
