Richard Rodney Bennett
Richard Rodney Bennett
Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, CBEwas an English composer of film, TV and concert music, and also a jazz pianist. He was based in New York City from 1979 until his death there in 2012...
NationalityBritish
ProfessionComposer
Date of Birth29 March 1936
writing want strings
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.
nice writing play
I wanted to write music, and cook, and play cards, and have a nice time.
encouragement firsts pieces
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.
encouragement school games
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.
musical quests enjoyed
Being on a musical quest was something I always enjoyed.
teaching play want
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.
chords composer tall
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.
hearing firsts first-time
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.