At no time will a work of art of high standing be without one of the attributes which are inseparable from the concept of beauty. But that attribute is often of such a particular nature that to recognize it we must become intimately acquainted with the inner being of the work, the quality of its style, I might even say the individual character of the author.
Franz Liszt, Introduction to "Berlioz and his 'Harold' Symphony." Gesammelte Schriften, IV (Leipzig, 1882; rpt. Hildesheim: George Olms Verlag, 1978).
Copyright © 1983, 1995 by Matthew B. Tepper