Hello I'm Krestey Young and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs archive.

For rights reasons, we've had to shorten the music.

The program was originally broadcast in 1989,

and the presenter was Sue Lolly. My castaway this week is a teacher and a musician.

He has dedicated his life to developing the abilities of others,

first as organist at Christchurch College, Oxford,

and then as principal of the Royal Academy of Music. The immature talents of many

destined to become famous, prime ministers, generals, Nobel laureates, came

under his tender care and his knowledge and experience called him as a judge to

festivals all over the world. Today at the age of 91 he still judges at the National

Eistedford in Wales.

He also maintains his reputation as a regular letter writer to the Times,

informing his fellow readers on matters as diverse as vintage English bicycles and steel nibs for fountain pens. He is Sir Thomas Armstrong.

Sir Thomas letter writing and the means of doing it are obviously matters very close to your heart.

Well, it was just a way of amusing myself sometimes, and sometimes amusing other people.

Do you still manage to find steel nibs for your fountain pens.

Well when I wrote about that matter people were kind enough to send me pen nibs from all

over the world and so I think I've got enough to last me out. I still use them and I still

use the ordinary steel nib and ordinary ink.

Do you think that the modern generation doesn't pay enough attention to its handwriting?

I'm quite sure of that.

I very seldom see good handwriting and even more infrequently do I see beautiful handwriting which gives great pleasure.

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