I have always regarded technique as a means, not an end in itself. One must, of course, master techniques; at the same time, one must not become enslaved by it — one must understand that the purpose of technique is to transmit the inner meaning, the message, of the music. The most perfect technique is that which is not noticed at all.

Pablo Casals (1876-1973) Spanish cellist, conductor, composer

Joys and Sorrows, ch. 5 (1970) [with Albert E. Kahn]
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