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Charlotte Glasson: A Cat, Hat and a Grammy

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Musician Charlotte Glasson named her cat after Bernard Herrmann, the Oscar-winning composer of Alfred Hitchcock's films including the famous Psycho shower scene.

Now Herrmann's widow, Norma Dice, who says her husband would have been more moved by this personal tribute than by all the film honours bestowed upon him, has given Charlotte one of his three surviving awards Herrmann's Grammy Award nomination for the 1977 film Taxi Driver.

Herrmann threw away all his awards, but three were rescued from the bin without his knowledge by Norma.

Charlotte, who plays more than 20 instruments and tours with her five-piece group, the Charlotte Glasson Band, is in huge demand as a session musician for artistes, such as: Oasis, Julian Lloyd Webber, Will Young, Ladyhawke and Herbie Flowers. She not only called her cat, Benny, after Bernard Herrmann, but also gave the name to one of the tracks on her CD Shadow Dance.

Touched by Charlotte's tribute, Norma, who lives in Brighton, England, told Charlotte: “Forget the Oscars [five nominations], forget the Baftas, forget the Cannes Festival he did get at least one of each Herrmann threw everything in the bin regarding the above.

“I rescued three such things and here is one. I send it as a memento. Out of the many [awards] which came out for Taxi Driver, most were picked up by Martin Scorsese, quite rightly. Herrmann would have been thrilled beyond belief to have the great honour of a cat named after him. I only wish Herrmann could have met you especially you in the hat!"

Charlotte, who has another appropriately named cat, Oscar, said: “This is a wonderful gesture by Norma and I am very honoured to receive a piece of musical history. As a composer, I have always admired Bernard Herrmann's work and he is an inspiration for my own music. It is very strange that this has been brought about by me naming a cat."

Among Herrmann's work was the most recognisable piece of music in film score history, the screeching violin music heard during the shower scene in Psycho. He also electronically made the bird sounds in Birds, and Sir George Martin cites the composer as an influence on his work particularly to the Beatles' Eleanor Rigby.

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