hiː wʌz tˈɔːt ðə flˈuːt baɪ hɪz ˈʌŋkəl, ðə nˈoʊɾəbəl flˈɔːɾɪst dʒˈɑːn æmˈeɪdɪˌoʊ wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti θɹˈiː nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti fˈoːɹ, hˌuːz sˈɛkənd wˈaɪf wʌzðə səpɹˈɑːnoʊ flˈɔːɹəns ˈɔːstɹəl.
He was taught the flute by his uncle, the notable flautist John Amadio (1893–1964), whose second wife was the soprano Florence Austral.