CAREY BLYTON - QUOTES & ANECDOTES -

Much has been said and written about Carey Blyton over the years, both on a personal basis and regarding his prolific output.
We include here a selection of quotes & anecdotes which we think will assist our visitors in getting
more of a feel for Carey Blyton - the man and his music. 

If you know of or come across other quotes or anecdotes relating to Carey which you think may be of interest to us
please let us know using the 'Contact Us' navigation button below.

QUOTES

Of the music: Lyrics from the East
"...surprisingly effective"  Michael Pilkington, Singing

Of the music: Dirge for St. Patrick's Night
"...extraordinarily moving"  Michael Pilkington, Singing

Of the book: Collected Short Stories
"Buy this book and read it; enjoy the gentle humour and wonder about a man who so loves to write
he does it in words, songs and music; and all very well indeed."  Musical Opinion

Of the CD: The Piano Music
"...cries out for revaluation as a genuine 20th Century musical maverick..."  EPTA Journal

Of the CD: The Guitar Music
"...a constant delight throughout."  Musical Opinion

Of the CD: Sherlock Holmes meets Dr Who
"...the music is, as always with Blyton, an attractive mixture of brevity and immediacy of appeal..."  Musical Opinion

Of the CD: The Early Songs
"...this superb new album...very strongly recommended"  Musical Opinion

Of the CD: Lyrics from the Chinese
"Anyone with an ear for Vaughan Williams, Delius or Britten can't fail to respond..."  The Independent

Of three early song cycles (Three AM, Two Pensive Songs, Toi Et Moi)
"They were all written when he was only nineteen, and are remarkable productions for such early work."  Michael Pilkington, Singing

Speaking generally
"I find Carey Blyton's music irresistible."  Brian Hick, Musical Opinion

A fellow composer, speaking of his pieces written for recorded music libraries, described them as
"beautifully crafted works of art, complete in themselves despite their brevity"

Prunella Scales, actress, in a '60 Second Interview' published in the Metro Life magazine of the Evening Standard, 15 November 2002, when asked about a last CD, replied
"The last CD I listened to was Carey Blyton's 'Lyrics from the Chinese', sung by Ian Partridge with Jennifer Partridge playing the piano. They are very dear friends and we love all their work."

A one-time Guildhall student of Carey's, James Shuster, writes
" ... fondly remembered as an exceptional teacher ... took an interest in my work beyond my other tutors ... can clearly remember (his) gentle demeanor and sincerity as well as his encouragement ... Carey was unforgettable ... "

Frank Hakney, in a letter to The Times published 24 July 2002, following Carey's obituary published in the paper on 17 July, wrote:
"Carey Blyton was highly regarded and popular with generations of Open University students attending the Arts Foundation summer schools held at Westfield College, Hampstead, in the 1980s. Despite his severe physical disabilities he devoted himself apparently tirelessly to his music students and never confined himself merely to the set course work. In the evenings he held court at his informal musical entertainments, which became one of the highlights of the extra-curricular enjoyments.
At the formal summer school concerts he performed his own witty musical compositions and in addition regularly recruited impromptu choirs. His company was always delightful, amusing and infectious, and sometimes naughty. He created happy occasions for everyone."

ANECDOTES

We include in this section items which do not fit naturally into the other sections of this site, material collected from a variety of sources: newspapers and magazines, the Internet, etc., together with personal reminiscences of people who knew Carey. As many of these items are of some size we include them as separate pages, linked to via the following:

Heinz Herschmann, of  Apollo Sound, knew Carey for many years - click here for his reminiscences.