Author: Harvey

During my life I had the great privilege of playing pieces written by many of the composers who had experienced the Great War first hand, and first ear.  I have already mentioned my familiarity with Vaughan Williams, but his 3rd Symphony is especially associated with his feelings about the War. Others have been similarly influenced… Read more

I recall many other ‘artistic’ and aesthetic activities in the trenches, including the playing of records (Beethoven, Brahms and Wagner) in an officer’s ‘Quarters’. This was before that catastrophic explosion which had torn me apart. Also, I heard some poetry being read on occasion. (Robert Nichols) With the encouragement of a Wesleyan Chaplain, Revd Arthur… Read more

Charles Woodhouse & I were aware that, during his stay in 1915 at Thomas Beecham’s Watford home, Frederick Delius came to know some of the teachers at the local Watford School of Music, and this has an interesting link to my latest owner Harvey Richardson.  One of the piano teachers at the Watford School of… Read more

All this talk of my friend Frederick Delius has reminded me of some unexpected and surprising memories. In 1910, Thomas Beecham conducted the premiere of Delius’s new opera ‘A Village Romeo and Juliet’ at Covent Garden, and I was in the orchestra with Charles Woodhouse.  This opera includes the beautiful orchestral intermezzo ‘Walk to the… Read more

Before the outbreak of the Great War in 1914, Charles Woodhouse played with me in an increasing number of works which had been inspired by Folk Songs, many of which had been recently collected by young English composers, – Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gustav Holst, George Butterworth, and the Australian Percy Grainger.  It was interesting to… Read more

Whenever I am involved in performances of Edward Elgar’s ‘Dream of Gerontius’ or Frederick Delius’s ‘Mass of Life’ I cannot avoid the question of God.  If ever there is a ‘place’ where Music and Theology meet – this is it! And what a maelstrom of musical theology was swirling around Europe in the years before… Read more

With Charles Woodhouse’s ownership, my life took on yet another dimension.  I now enjoyed the experience of being played in The Queen’s Hall Orchestra, in the newly instigated London Promenade Concerts under ‘Old Timber’, Henry Wood, and sharing in the excitement of Charles being a founder-member of the London Symphony Orchestra. (‘Old Timber’ – Henry… Read more

The next ‘port of call’ for our Barnum & Bailey’s travelling circus was Paris, France, and I know that Haldan Jebe was very excited about this – mainly because of the friendships he wanted to renew there, but also because of its exciting new musical life. I soon found I was being introduced to a… Read more

Just before setting off for Paris on the Circus’s European Tour, Halfdan received an invitation from Fritz Delius, who was planning a concert of his compositions at St James’s Hall, Piccadilly, West London.  ‘Would you like to lead the orchestra?’, he asked.  Delius, now living in France near Fontainebleau, was wanting to introduce his music… Read more

Our story now leaps ahead 10 years to January 1897, when Fritz Delius returned to America from Europe to settle some outstanding matters at his orange plantation in Florida. Annabelle was delighted to see him again, but surprised to discover he was accompanied by Halfdan Jebe, whose first words were: ‘Well, so you’re the lovely… Read more