The famous aphorism is most commonly associated with Duke Ellington, who wrote in 1962, "There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind." The saying has also been attributed to Louis Armstrong. In the nineteenth century, the remark was ascribed to Rossini. Edward Wilberforce's 1863 book Social Life in Munich quotes Rossini as follows: "My dear sir, there is no such distinction as you suppose between Italian, French, and German music; there are only two kinds of music, good and bad." But the real source is likely to be the poet and playwright Franz Grillparzer, who wrote in 1856:
Die Kritiker, will sagen: die neuen,
Vergleich ich den Papageien,
Sie haben drei oder vier Worte,
Die wiederholen sie an jedem Orte.
Romantisch, klassisch und modern
Scheint schon ein Urteil diesen Herrn,
Und sie übersehen in stolzem Mut
Die wahren Gattungen: schlecht und gut.The critics, meaning the new ones,
I compare to parrots,
Who have three or four words
That they repeat in every place.
Romantic, classical, and modern
Seems a judgment to these gentlemen,
And with proud courage they overlook
The real genres: bad and good.
