One day in 1943 a teacher at my school in Toronto came into class and offered two pupils the chance to learn the violin. Before she had finished her sentence I found my right hand in the air, seemingly of its own volition.

After a few ear tests for pitch and rhythm I was accepted and started lessons. I used to go down to the Royal Toronto Conservatory, with my Maia Bang Violin Method, and my cheap fiddle. The Method still bears the sweat marks of my hand as I rode the streetcars in summer.

Back in Oxford I played (as well as sang) at the Dragon School, where the music was lively. At Westminster School too I played in orchestra, and even essayed Mozart’s A major Concerto in my last term. I wasn’t very good, and didn’t practise enough for my Mum, whose own mother had been a professional level violinist. Granny  studied at the Royal College in London in the 1890s, with Vaughan Williams and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. She went very deaf very young, but in any case as a woman couldn’t work for money in the social conditions of those days.

During National Service in the Air Force (1952-4) I had quite a lot of free time and started to practise more seriously. With my new found pay I bought a rather good Therese fiddle at Guiviers for £85. The other officers thought I was quite eccentric, but I got good enough to start at Music Camp. By the time I went to Cambridge I was fairly competent, and to my surprise began at once to be much in demand. I would turn up to play for an opera or concert and be asked to lead. Some curious bush telegraph seemed to be operating, which placed me rather higher than my own estimation.

At home in the vacations I would disappear for hours to my room to practise. During University term music was everywhere, with a regular quartet led by Peter Renshaw, who had previously led the National Youth Orchestra. We performed one quartet a term, essaying Mozart, Dvorak, and Bartok among others. We never listened to recordings, which meant considerable struggles with the relatively recent Bartok 1; but all immensely rewarding. In orchestras notable pit engagements were a very early revival of Stravinsky’s Rake’s Progress, Vaughan Williams’ Sir John in Love, and Peter Tranchell’s excellent musical, Zuleika. I led a Matthew Passion in Great St Mary’s, and of course many other concerts.

Starting work in London I did more singing than playing, but was busy with the Chelsea  Opera Group, under the young Colin Davis, and others. In the summer, Music Camps at Bothampstead in Berkshire were very important to me. I remember for instance performing Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet, with Colin on his clarinet. Camp was my Music College; I learned so much there.

When, in 1962, I decided to become a professional I could have  joined the back desks of at least a provincial orchestra. For some years I rather wished I had, to learn the repertoire, and particularly to understand the group psychology. But I could make a living more easily as a useful singer, and make waves with my new Schütz Choir. So I dropped the violin except for occasional social gatherings, where I amazed myself (and annoyed some other people) by a seemingly total recall of technique!

I gave my nice fiddle to my son Tom, who played it a lot at school and University. He’s now lent it to my granddaughter Alma, who played it at Cambridge, often in my own Clare College Chapel. Home again…