Your cart is currently empty!
Welcome to my Blog! Music and God coming together

These regular weekly blogs are giving me an opportunity to share my life-long passion of discoving how the great themes of Music and Theology can come together, and I want to express my deep appreciation of my good friend Dr Paul Kybird for his encouragement, wisdom and deep insight in this adventure.
I have found that the telling of a story by a violin – through its many years of varied experiences – has created a fascinating way of engaging with these ultimate concerns of life.
So here goes –
I am a Violin, with a great story to tell, and on this platform I want to present and play the events of my long life –
By telling about my origins, how I was made, and where I feel my unique sound comes from, engaging with my whole body – mind & heart, violin and bow – in the pursuit of beauty, truth and goodness;
By including the historical soundscapes of the different places I have lived in, and sharing how it feels to be touched and embraced by the rich variety and diversity of musicians who have owned and played me over these many years;
By giving a voice to my emotions at times of suffering, when I was broken, and when I was ‘stolen’, sharing my feelings about the damage inflicted on my body, the permanent blemishes and unexpected ‘growths’;
By sounding out clearly, not supressing or muting, times of rejection, isolation and abuse;
But most importantly, by playing my story for the sheer joy and delight of it, and daring to hope that echoes and whispers of the mystery of God might be caught.
1966-68 Post-Academy days (3) – Vienna highlights
Harvey was becoming increasingly frustrated, working in the Bank. He found the world of finance lacking a great deal in ‘musicality’. Can music mix with money? In September…
4 min read
1966-8 Post-Academy Days (2): Chaos in Church & more music
In spite of all, it wasn’t long before Harvey found ways to exercise his musicality again…… With his sister Carole, he joined the choir at Dorset Gardens Methodist…
4 min read
1966-68 Post-Academy days (1)
Now some interesting adventures began for me, even though my player was so confused, with his mind and body so contorted. In an attempt to get Harvey’s mind…
4 min read
1965-66 Second year with Harvey at the RAM
Crucifixion Our second academic year at the Royal Academy of Music started well enough. Harvey was very pleased with his performance of Handel’s ‘Messiah’ at Queens Road Methodist…
4 min read
1964-5 My first year at the RAM with Harvey (3)
There is just one more page about my first year at the RAM with Harvey. It’s all about the crucial aspect of ‘performance’, and the enormous range of…
4 min read
1964-5 My first year at the RAM with Harvey (2) -meeting Eric Fenby OBE
By far the most significant impact made upon Harvey during his 2 years at the RAM, and beyond – in both body and soul – was his relationship…
4 min read