Single from 80 Year-Old Composer with Dementia, Paul Harvey, Earns £1M Donation to Alzheimer's Society and Music for Dementia
The single is now available on iTunes.
By: Nicole Rosky Nov. 09, 2020
As BroadwayWorld reported last week, 80-year-old composer Paul Harvey recently got the surprise of his life when he got a shoutout from his musical idol, Stephen Sondheim. Harvey, who has struggled which dementia, went viral on Twitter after he recorded a two-minute piano piece with the help of his son, Nick.
"I just wanted to thank you so much for the compliments you gave me," Sondheim told Harvey. "Also thank you for that lovely tune that you invented, which I can't wait to steal," he joked.
Radio 4's Broadcasting House featured the song, which led to listeners suggesting that it should be played by an orchestra. The show's host, Paddy O'Connell, arranged for the song to be recorded by the BBC Philharmonic. The song has since gone to number one on the iTunes and Amazon charts and you can purchase it today! Proceeds will go to the Alzheimer's Society and Music for Dementia.
Since the song's release, Scottish billionaire Sir Tom Hunter has heard Harvey's story, and donated £1M to the charities. "You lit up the screen with, first of all the relationship between the father and the son, and then the relationship with music," he told the BBC.
Everyone needs to watch this beautiful, moving #BBCBreakfast clip today.
- Alzheimer's Society (@alzheimerssoc) November 2, 2020
A huge, huge thank-you to @SirTomhunter & @THunterF - and to the incredible Paul Harvey.
Your support will make an extraordinary difference to families affected by dementia a??i??a??i??
pic.twitter.com/DhkjeTb45h
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