Kurt Masur Facts, Quotes: Google Doodle Celebrates Legendary Conductor

Google Doodle celebrated Kurt Masur, world-renowned German conductor and humanitarian, on his 91st birth anniversary Wednesday. Masur not only inspired the world of music with his work, he also was an influential figure in the political scene of East Germany.

Honoring Masur, Google described him as a person "instrumental in leading worldwide orchestras and orchestrating peace around the world."

Masur was born in 1927 in the former German (now Polish) town of Brieg. He had training as a pianist, organist, cellist, and percussionist. However, his playing career ended at the age of 16, when a damaged tendon in his right hand forced him to concentrate on conducting.

Among the numerous musical distinctions and titles Mazur received, the most notable ones include Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor from the French government, New York City Cultural Ambassador, Commander Cross of Merit of the Polish Republic, Honorary Citizen of Brieg, the Leo Baeck Medal for promoting tolerance and social justice, and a Goldene Henne award for public policy work.

"The maestro is remembered for his belief in the power of music to 'bring humanity closer together,' especially when he led the New York Philharmonic in a performance of Brahm’s German Requiem in a nationally televised memorial for the 9/11 attacks," Google wrote.

Masur died on Dec. 19, 2015 at the age of 88 from complications of Parkinson’s disease.

Here are some quotes from Masur:

1. "The message of music was also the first thing what I learned from my first teacher. She was an organist too and she was very devoted to what she played, so she had a respect for every piece and she felt that she is not allowed to add something of her own."

2. "Since the composer has said everything, if you discover everything, it will be enough and you will be a happy man. Don't try to say it's your taste, and because of that you are changing this or that. And I must say this respect is still there."

3. "I worked on scores. I went to the musical library in Berlin which is very famous. I discovered that we had scores of Beethoven, printed scores of Beethoven, that are full of mistakes. Not the wrong or false notes, but the wrong dynamic, understandable things."

4. "I always imagined that to bring an orchestra to play together is not enough for a conductor."

5. "An orchestra full of stars can be a disaster."

6. "Very often, if I know the orchestra doesn't know a piece or it's a new piece, I have main ideas about it. But then we start to play and I never talk about places where they played so beautiful and so clear in the beginning that there is nothing to say."

7. "I wouldn't say I've changed my mind. I changed some of my natural habits, some of my natural character."

8. "What I never overcame is a kind of shyness."