Whenever I think of Nigel, I think of laughter. He could cheer a dull morning or light up a dragging afternoon with his impish sense of humour, and often did. Fits of giggles filled the library workroom when he discovered an app that would make anagrams from the letters of people's names, or recounted jokes gleaned, I'm sure, from the bars of rest in many orchestral pieces, or in the Green Room of a concert hall. Of these, my favourite was the alternative version of a well-known aria from Handel's 'Messiah', delivered with a completely straight face: "Come for tea, COME for tea my people..." Nigel was, amongst other things, a great colleague, an admirable expert (though he wore his knowledge lightly) and, more than anything, a faithful friend in times of need. He was a wonderful man and I am profoundly grateful to have known him.