Harold Noble, 'Johnny' and tonsils....

First day of the week and lots of lovely repertoire. My youngsters are going to Saltburn Music Festival in late June, and one of the set pieces is 'Johnny' by the English composer Harold Noble. J will sing this beautifully, which is just as well since Harold Noble wrote this song for me ! I was competing at Blackpool Festival in the early 70's and he was the adjudicator. Some time after the festival he wrote to me and said he would like to write a song for me. What transpired was the, now quite well known song, 'Johnny' ! I went down to Watford, where he and his wife lived and he talked me through it. The interesting thing is that the original copy, which I still have, was in F Major, but the Boosey and Hawkes published one is higher in G Major ? I always feel like writing to them and saying it is the wrong key !! 

My young J will sing it the way Harold Noble taught it to me, the speed he played it at and the dynamics he used ! She will sing it in G, as that is the set key at the festival......oh well, perhaps one day I will let B&H know the error of their musical ways.

My last pupil of the day is A, who, yet again has a tonsil the size of a small haystack. She goes back again and again to the doctors in the village who simply do not think it is very important that she misses so much singing time, and time after time resist the taking out of her tonsils. She is 17 now and has had tonsillitis more times than anyone can remember but the policy is ( apparently?) she must have seven visits when they gave her medication - last year it was six........one wonders if they look at her notes and put a block on the seventh lot of antibiotics so it will never reach the magic number ?

She can't contemplate music college until her tonsils are gone, she misses too much time and too many lessons and 90% of that missing time is always swollen tonsils. I may write a letter to be put in her file recording all the missed time - nothing like making oneself unpopular !!

I made Mongolian Beef in the wondrous Instant Pot, delicious, and more delicious! I am hard put not to eat the whole batch and not leave any for tomorrow. It takes a good deal of restraint on my part not to gobble it all up ! Gretel had a haircut today as well, she looks like a small black seal, silky and smooth and oh so cute !

Exhausted after a hard day at the salon........