Paul Ragle Harvey (born 29 January 1940) is a British composer and former concert pianist. After being diagnosed with
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...
in 2019, he rose to prominence in September 2020 following a viral video of him playing the piano. The video led to Harvey performing with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and recording a number-one single.
Early life and education
Harvey was born on 29 January 1940 in
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England, with an area of . In 2019, the city had an estimated population of 256,375. It is the largest settlement ...
. He played piano from an early age, completing his first-grade exam at the age of four. At 15, he completed his Grade 8 exam, achieving one of the best results in the United Kingdom. When he was 18, Harvey moved to London to study at the
Guildhall School of Music
The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz ...
. It was during this time that he met Sue, who later gave birth to Nick, Harvey's eldest son.
Career
After graduating from the Guildhall School of Music, Harvey began work as a composer and pianist. One of his compositions, ''Rumba Toccata'', is used regularly on the Grade 6 piano syllabus. He was featured in the
BBC Home Service
The BBC Home Service was a national and regional radio station that broadcast from 1939 until 1967, when it was replaced by BBC Radio 4.
History
1922–1939: Interwar period
Between the early 1920s and the outbreak of World War II, the BBC ...
's
Variety Playhouse
The Variety Playhouse (originally known as the Euclid Theatre) is a music venue in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It is located on Euclid Avenue and features a variety of music acts including rock, indie, electronic, funk, country, folk, bl ...
in 1964 when he played a piece by
Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...
.
Around the time of his son Nick's birth, Harvey became a teacher at
Imberhorne School
Imberhorne School is a comprehensive school in East Grinstead, West Sussex, England, which admits children between the ages of 11 and 18. The school has a roll of 1,650, including 300 in the Sixth Form, and is on two sites, Windmill Lane and Imb ...
in
East Grinstead
East Grinstead is a town in West Sussex, England, near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders, south of London, northeast of Brighton, and northeast of the county town of Chichester. Situated in the extreme northeast of the county, the civ ...
. He taught there for 20 years and became head of music. Other experiences teaching included working at a summer school organised by musicians
Cleo Laine
Dame Cleo Laine, Lady Dankworth (born Clementine Dinah Bullock; 28 October 1927)John Dankworth. It was at that course that he first improvised in his signature four notes style.
Later life
Harvey was moved into sheltered housing in 2015 and was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2019. To help fight the onset of the disease he plays the piano, sometimes through the persuasion of his son Nick. One such occasion was on 17 September 2020, when Nick asked his father to improvise a song using only four notes: F, A, D and B. The two-minute long performance was recorded and uploaded to Nick's Twitter account. The clip went viral and gained over 2 million views. It was aired on BBC Radio 4 on 21 September for World Alzheimer's Day.
Harvey was invited onto ''Good Morning Britain'' as a guest following the viral video. On the program, he was requested by Susanna Reid to create another four-note improvisation using the notes C, D, G and B.
After radio listeners requested an orchestral version of the song, Paddy O'Connell arranged for Harvey to record the piece as a charity single with the BBC Philharmonic. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this took place remotely, with all orchestra members recording and submitting their parts from home. The piece was arranged for the orchestra by Daniel Whibley. The finished version was entitled " Four Notes – Paul's Tune". It was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 3 October. The single was released to purchase as a digital download on 22 October.
Harvey's playing inspired the Scottish billionaire
Sir Tom Hunter
Sir Thomas Blane Hunter (born 6 May 1961) is a Scottish businessman, entrepreneur, and philanthropist.
Sports Division
Tom set up his first business after graduating from the University of Strathclyde as he was, in his own words, "unemployab ...
to donate £1 million to charity. Hunter and his wife found the performance while watching
BBC Breakfast
''BBC Breakfast'' is the BBC television Breakfast television, breakfast news programme. Produced by BBC News, the programme is broadcast on BBC One and the BBC News (TV channel), BBC News channel. The simulcast is presented live, originally from ...
. The donation was split between Music for Dementia and the Alzheimer's Society. Music for Dementia used the money to set up the Paul & Nick Harvey fund. The fund distributed money to charities that support people with dementia through music. Over 170 charities applied for funding, with 27 achieving grants of £5,000–50,000.
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...
, lyricist of '' West Side Story'', contacted Harvey after seeing the video. In a video message to Harvey given through the BBC, he called the piece "very special" and said that he "can't wait to steal" it. Sondheim was Harvey's favourite composer.
For his charity work, Harvey was honoured with an Outstanding Achievement Award at the virtually hosted Dementia Hero Awards in 2021. He was one of three finalists. Harvey was surprised with the honour, stating that he "was really quite shocked to win".
Music for Dementia later arranged for Harvey to perform with the BBC Philharmonic to mark the first anniversary of the original video. The performance consisted of Harvey playing "Four Notes" on the piano as well as conducting arrangements of "Four Notes" and "Where's the Sunshine", a song he wrote for a musical at Imberhorne School. His son Nick played the piano. The performance was broadcast on BBC Breakfast. Harvey was moved by the experience, calling it "magical" and "very, very special".
In December 2021, Harvey and Nick collaborated with singer Aled Jones to create a Christmas charity single. The end result was titled "Christmas Isn't Just Another Day". The single was made for Music for Dementia's m4d radio station.
Harvey was appointed
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(OBE) in the
2023 Birthday Honours
The 2023 King's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms of King Charles III to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part o ...
for services to charity and people living with Alzheimer's and dementia.
Musical works
*"Four Notes – Paul's Tune" – originally an improvisation using only four notes: a charity single released in 2020. The song is a collaboration between Harvey, Daniel Whibley and the BBC Philharmonic. It reached number 32 on the UK singles chart and number 1 on the UK singles download chart. The single raised over £1 million; all proceeds were donated to Music for Dementia and the Alzheimer's Society. It was featured on the '' Now That's What I Call Music!'' album.
*"Where's the Sunshine" – Harvey wrote this song in 1981 for a school show at Imberhorne School. The lyrics to the song were written by Pete Talman, head of drama at the school.
*''Christmas Isn't Just Another Day'' – a charity Christmas single created with Nick Harvey and Aled Jones. Lyrics to the song were provided by Pete Talman. The single was broadcast through Music for Dementia's m4d radio station.