It was a few days after the turnout with the fireworks that I was called into the music Directors office there was a s/bandmaster
sitting at a desk.He went on to tell me that kneller Hall had been asked to play on Friday night is music night on the radio .
(This is still done today on radio 2) and it was going to be a band and orchestra for about 40 members or so.And it was going to be conducted by a very well know conductor at that time("This spelling is wrong) his name was was Mr Vellerm Tolcsry .
He went on to say this year Kneller hall is short of Violin players for the orchestra,
and your name came up ,so we asked your music master did he think MATCHAM was up to playing in the orchestra the number we was going to play was The Barber of Seville by Rossini, this is a Opera but we was to play it without any singers .I must say now it is a very hard Opera to play and the parts for the strings in the Figaro Aria ,well only the best can play it and I was not one of them it was far to hard for me to play,having already played it in the band on the clarinet and bluff my round it and got away with it because we had such a big band.But I know in a small orchestra I would not get away with it.
But Mr Jones my music master told them the same "This part would be to hard for Matcham to play.
But if you put him in with the second violins stand he might just able to play the second violin parts but not the first only the second parts .So that is what they done .
Must say I did worry about this knowing myself that I was not up to playing parts of it even being it was the second parts and not the leading parts.
But as you know you have to follow orders in the army you have not choice or say in the matter.
