Richard Rodney Bennett

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

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.

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.

I hate the bad rap that people give my parents. Because they are just parents, really, at the end of the day trying to stand up for their daughter and themselves.

In the Armed Services Committee, we endeavored to put forth proposals that would help alleviate some of that stress, both for the troops and for their families.

Consulting the rules of composition before taking a photograph, is like consulting the laws of gravity before going for a walk.