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From Canon Ann Easter, Chaplain to the Queen:

I hope you’ve started practising for the ´óÏó´«Ã½â€™s Get Playing virtual orchestra! I’ve downloaded the piano music – intermediate version! – and I’m going to practise, then send in my video in the hope that it’ll be included when we all play the Toreador Song together at the last night of the proms.

My cousin Tony started learning the piano when we were about eight and I insisted on having lessons too, carefully taking my music and my half-crown (twelve and a half pence!) every Tuesday for my lesson at Mrs Tinham’s house. Tony soon gave up the piano in favour of the guitar – more fashionable – but I carried on, complaining bitterly every time I had to practise, kicking the front of the piano until it caved in! but my parents were insistent and I got to Grade 4 just in time for exams and boys to take over.

But I couldn’t have wished for a better gift from my parents because I’ve played the piano ever since in all sorts of places; I’m not gifted but I’m not bad, so, I’ve played in hospital wards and for games at a Brownie camp; I’ve played a harmonium which moved away as I pumped the pedals and a keyboard in a park when I had terrible hay fever and kept sneezing and, of course, I’ve played at untold church services – and woe betide me if I play the ‘wrong’ tune for a favourite hymn! Those Christians can be caustic! But when the world’s against me, I take it out on the piano, playing very loudly and aggressively indeed – I feel so much better.

I believe that God gives us music to soothe the soul and touch our emotions in a way nothing else does; recent research has shown that some people with dementia may lose all other faculties but they’ll still be able to sing along to old favourites.

And I suspect that the film of me playing Toreador Song won’t be featured but, I’ll play along anyway and I’ll have made my contribution.

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