Quasthoff was born with serious birth defects caused by his mother's exposure during pregnancy to the drug thalidomide which was prescribed as an antiemetic to combat her morning sickness. Thomas Quasthoff is unusually short (about four feet tall) due to shortening of the long bones in his legs, and he has phocomelia of the upper extremities with very short or absent long bones and flipper-like appearance of his hands.
Quasthoff was denied admission to the music conservatory in Hannover, Germany due to his physical inability to play the piano, then a requirement for entry to the conservatory. He chose to study voice privately. He also studied law for three years. Prior to his music career, he worked six years as a radio announcer for NDR. He also did voice-over work for television.
His music career was launched in 1988 when he won an important competition in Munich, earning praise from the baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. In 2003, he made his staged operatic debut as Don Fernando in Simon Rattle's Beethoven's Fidelio at the Salzburg Festival. His San Francisco Symphony debut took place September 2004.
Thomas Quasthoff won the Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Performance in 2000. It was for his performance together with the soprano Anne Sofie von Otter of Mahler’s Lieder aus "Des Knaben Wunderhorn". They were accompanied by the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Claudio Abbado. He won the Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Performance for the second time in 2004. It was for Schubert: Lieder with Orchestra which Quasthoff performed with von Otter and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe conducted by Abbado. Quasthoff won the Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Performance for the third time in 2006 with Rainer Kussmaul leading members of the RIAS Chamber Choir of Berlin Baroque Soloists in their recording of J.S.Bach: Cantatas.
Additionally, Quasthoff's recordings of the songs of Brahms, Liszt and Schubert accompanied by pianist Justus Zeyen were nominated for the Grammy in 2000 and 2001. Thomas Quasthoff records for Deutsche Grammophon.
Quasthoff is a full-time voice professor and performs only about 50 times a year. He was a professor at the music academy of Detmold, Germany. He currently teaches at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin.
For the 2006-2007 concert season, Quasthoff was one of Carnegie Hall's "Perspectives" artists. However, illness forced him to cancel his first two appearances in that capacity.
In 2006 he took his first jazzalbum, "The Jazzalbum - Watch what happens", with Till Brönner, Alan Broadbent, Peter Erskine, Dieter Ilg and Chuck Loeb.
In the spring of 2012, Quasthoff announced his retirement at the age of 52. During an interview with the German magazine, Der Spiegel, Quasthoff said that his retirement was due to grief at the death of his brother, as well as a recent bout of laryngitis. He also went on to speak that he was now satisfied that the world had not just listened to his art due to his physical challenges, but that his art was truly respected for itself.
Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive
Thomas Quasthoff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Eli-minate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between
You′ve got to spread joy up to the maximum
Bring gloom down to the minimum
Have faith or pandemonium
To illustrate my last remark
Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark
What did they do
Just when everything looked so dark
Man, they said we better
Accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between
No, do not mess with Mister In-Between
You've gotta accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don′t mess with Mister In-Between
You′ve got to spread joy up to the maximum
Bring gloom down to the minimum
Have faith or pandemonium
Liable to walk upon the scene
To illustrate my last remark
Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark
What did they do
Just when everything looked so dark
Man, they said we better
Accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between
No! Don′t mess with Mister In-Between
No! Don't mess with Mister, his brother, his sister
Don′t mess with Mister In-Between.
Don't mess with Mister In-Between
The lyrics of Thomas Quasthoff's song "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive" convey a message of optimism and resilience in the face of adversity. The song encourages the listener to focus on the positive aspects of life and to let go of negativity and doubt. It warns against being indecisive or wavering in one's beliefs and instead emphasizes the importance of embracing a positive mindset.
The lyrics suggest that by accentuating the positive and eliminating the negative, one can find joy and minimize feelings of gloom. It also emphasizes the need to have faith in order to avoid chaos or pandemonium. The song uses biblical references, such as Jonah in the whale and Noah in the ark, to illustrate that even in the darkest of times, there is always a way to find light and hope.
Overall, the song encourages listeners to remain steadfast in their optimism, to embrace positivity, and to avoid getting stuck in a state of indecision or negativity. It serves as a reminder that by focusing on the positive, one can navigate through difficult times and find strength in the face of challenges.
Line by Line Meaning
You′ve got to accen-tuate the positive
You must highlight and emphasize the positive aspects
Eli-minate the negative
Remove and get rid of the negative elements
Latch on to the affirmative
Hold on tightly to the positive and optimistic viewpoints
Don't mess with Mister In-Between
Avoid getting caught in the middle or being indecisive
You′ve got to spread joy up to the maximum
You should bring happiness and joy to the highest possible level
Bring gloom down to the minimum
Reduce sadness and negativity to the lowest extent
Have faith or pandemonium
Maintain faith and belief, or chaos and disorder may occur
Liable to walk upon the scene
Likely to happen or appear suddenly
To illustrate my last remark
To provide an example or evidence supporting the previous statement
Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark
Referring to biblical stories: Jonah trapped in the whale and Noah surviving in the ark
What did they do
What actions did they take
Just when everything looked so dark
Exactly when everything seemed hopeless or bleak
Man, they said we better
They said it was necessary or wise
No, do not mess with Mister In-Between
Absolutely avoid getting stuck in the middle
You've gotta accentuate the positive
You have to emphasize the positive aspects
Eliminate the negative
Get rid of the negative elements
Latch on to the affirmative
Hold tightly to the positive and optimistic viewpoints
Don′t mess with Mister In-Between
Do not get caught in the indecisive middle
No! Don′t mess with Mister In-Between
Absolutely do not get caught in the indecisive middle
No! Don't mess with Mister, his brother, his sister
No! Do not get caught in indecisiveness, nor his brother's or sister's
Don′t mess with Mister In-Between
Do not get caught in the indecisive middle
Writer(s): Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen
Contributed by Emily A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.