Elizabeth Lutyens was the first professional composer that I ever knew. I sent someextremely infantile pieces that I I'd written and got marvellous encouragement andinterest from her... she's certainly the English composer who's influenced me themost.

Richard Rodney Bennett

Categorized in : Firsts Encouragement Pieces

I am proud to be able to claim that, from the age of nineteen, I've managed to earna living entirely as a composer.

Richard Rodney Bennett

nineteen proud age

When I came across something I liked, I wanted to find out as much as I could about it. This was as true of hearing Hoagy Carmichael for the first time as it was later when I first heard Boulez.

Richard Rodney Bennett

hearing first-time firsts

I realized very early that I was never going to make by living by writing string quartets. But I wanted to write music and I didn't want to have to do anything else.

Richard Rodney Bennett

strings want writing

I hated teaching composition. I was playing music I didn't particularly want to play, being on committees I didn't want to be on.

Richard Rodney Bennett

teaching want play

Being on a musical quest was something I always enjoyed. by Richard Rodney Bennett

Being on a musical quest was something I always enjoyed.

Richard Rodney Bennett

enjoyed quests musical

I just scribbled away and eventually a C-major chord was there. I didn't ever decide I was going to be a composer. It was like being tall. It's what I was. It's what I did.

Richard Rodney Bennett

tall chords composer

People ask what was the first piece of music I wrote. There was n... by Richard Rodney Bennett

People ask what was the first piece of music I wrote. There was no first piece.

Richard Rodney Bennett

pieces people firsts

I wanted to write music, and cook, and play cards, and have a nic... by Richard Rodney Bennett

I wanted to write music, and cook, and play cards, and have a nice time.

Richard Rodney Bennett

nice play writing

I was a catastrophe at Science and Games, but the good thing about Quaker schools is that they encourage you in those subjects for which you show an aptitude.

Richard Rodney Bennett

encouragement games school

The different parts of my career seemed to take part in different rooms, albeit in the same house. It was just the way things were and I didn't actually think much about it at the time.

Richard Rodney Bennett

think house time way