The 'Why' In the beginning Going to RAM The career begins The swan song The career ends For Jane At the end
After national Service I found myself auditioning for a place at the Royal Academy of Music having spent the Summer 1959 starting from Grade 1 piano scales and struggling to get to Grade 8 as prerequisite for an audition at the Royal Academy of Music. I was surprisingly granted an ‘audition’ at the Royal Academy in September 1959 – my audition was thankfully late in the day and when asked to play my piano piece by the examiner whom I found out later to be Dr Thomas Armstrong, the Principle of the Royal Academy of Music! He listened to about a minute of my audition piece which was the first movement of Mozart’s Sonata in G and stopped me and said he had heard this piece too many times already today and did I know anything else – I did not! – so he then asked me to play a few scales and picked a wickedly difficult contrapuntal arpeggio – which I nearly managed – then I waited noting the strange smile on his face. His next comment was precise – “You are not a pianist are you? But I am told you can sing a bit” (who told him that I have asked myself ever since) so you can come here to learn where we will teach you to do it better - and I know someone who can make you do it. Goodnight and Good luck.” So that is how I became a pupil of the world renowned baritone – Bruce Boyce at the Royal Academy of Music. “Good morning boy” the big man would boom at the start of every lesson – “the secret is in the diaphragm my boy” – this mantra was repeated for three years at the start of every lesson which would always begin me lying on the floor with this very large man standing on my stomach striving sometimes vainly to sing this next song in its entirety. Until this practicing for this recording I have never sung this song other than flat on the floor!

Going to to the Royal Academy of Music

Listen to  - ‘Per la Gloria’ from Griselda by Giovanni Buononcini

Harvey accompanied by Mike Dixon

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