Paul Harvey (pianist)

Harvey was born on 29 January 1940[1] in Stoke-on-Trent.[2][3][4] 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.[5] When he was 18, Harvey moved to London to study at the Guildhall School of Music.[5][3] It was during this time that he met Sue, who later gave birth to Nick, Harvey's eldest son.[6]

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.[4] He was featured in the BBC Home Service's Variety Playhouse in 1964 when he played a piece by Mozart.[2][3][6]

Harvey first improvised in his "four notes" style at a summer course organised by Cleo Laine (left) and John Dankworth (right)

Around the time of his son Nick's birth, Harvey became a teacher at Imberhorne School in East Grinstead.[5] He taught there for 20 years[2] and became head of music.[7] Other experiences teaching included working at a summer school organised by musicians Cleo Laine and John Dankworth. It was at that course that he first improvised in his signature four notes style.[8]

Harvey was moved into sheltered housing in 2015 and was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2019.[3][5] 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,[9][6] when Nick asked his father to improvise a song using only four notes: F, A, D and B.[10] The two-minute long[11] performance was recorded and uploaded to Nick's Twitter account. The clip went viral and gained over 2 million views.[10][12] It was aired on BBC Radio 4[13] on 21 September for World Alzheimer's Day.[14]

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.[8][15]

Paddy O'Connell arranged for Harvey to make a recording of "Four Notes - Paul's Tune" with the BBC Philharmonic

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.[16] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this took place remotely, with all orchestra members recording and submitting their parts from home.[13][17] The piece was arranged for the orchestra by Daniel Whibley.[13][17] The finished version was entitled "Four Notes – Paul's Tune".[18][3] It was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 3 October.[17] The single was released to purchase as a digital download on 22 October.[9]

Harvey's playing inspired the Scottish billionaire Sir Tom Hunter to donate £1 million to charity. Hunter and his wife found the performance while watching BBC Breakfast. The donation was split between Music for Dementia and the Alzheimer's Society.[19][16] 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.[20][12] Over 170 charities applied for funding, with 27 achieving grants of £5,000–50,000.[21][12][22]

Stephen Sondheim, 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"[3] and said that he "can't wait to steal" it.[13] Sondheim was Harvey's favourite composer.[13]

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.[23] Harvey was surprised with the honour, stating that he "was really quite shocked to win".[5]

Music for Dementia later arranged for Harvey to perform with the BBC Philharmonic to mark the first anniversary of the original video.[2] 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.[17][4] His son Nick played the piano.[24] The performance was broadcast on BBC Breakfast.[25][2] Harvey was moved by the experience, calling it "magical" and "very, very special".[24]

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.[26][27]

Harvey was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2023 Birthday Honours for services to charity and people living with Alzheimer's and dementia.[28]

• "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.[29] The single raised over £1 million;[25] all proceeds were donated to Music for Dementia and the Alzheimer's Society.[5][29] It was featured on the Now That's What I Call Music! album.[6]
• "Where's the Sunshine" – Harvey wrote this song in 1981 for a school show at Imberhorne School.[11] The lyrics to the song were written by Pete Talman, head of drama at the school.[7]
• 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.[26][27]