How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Some of them had loved her for years. They had every recording she had ever made. They kept a notebook and wrote down every place they had seen her, listing the music, the names of the cast, the conductor. There were others there that night who had not heard her name, who would have said, if asked, that opera was a collection of nonsensical cat screechings, that they would much rather pass three hours in a dentist's chair. These were the ones who wept openly now, the ones who had been so mistaken. (1.2)
It's every pop star's dream come true: instantly making everyone at the show a fan. This may sound a little unlikely, but maybe Patchett is trying to tell us that some experiences are so striking they can bowl us over with wonder when we are least expecting it. No surprise that this is at the beginning of the book. It's kind of what the whole novel is about.
Quote #2
He [Mr. Hosokawa] had never sought her [Roxane Coss] out or made himself to be anything more than any other member of the audience. He did not assume his appreciation for her talent exceeded anyone else's. He was more inclined to believe that only a fool would not feel about her exactly how he felt. There was nothing more to want than the privilege to sit and listen. (1.13)
Mr. Hosokawa isn't an artist, but he's someone who responds to the awe and amazement that a great artist produces. Maybe he's a great audience instead. He's not the only one in Bel Canto, though he's a great example of someone any artist would pay to have in the audience (or, well, be happy to accept money from).
Quote #3
No one could see her objectively anyway. Even those who saw her for the first time, before she had opened her mouth to sing, found her radiant, as if her talent could not be contained in her voice and so poured like light through her skin. (2.7)
Maybe people looking for a prom date should ditch the makeup or bowtie and go for singing lessons. The wonder Roxane's voice produces makes her beautiful to everyone, as Mr. Hosokawa's thoughts while he's lying on the floor the first night make perfectly clear.