 He later said that this prolonged youthful exposure to early sacred choral music had turned his tastes, in reaction, to lush romantic music.Although Brewer had told him he would not have a career in music, Novello from his early youth showed a facility for writing songs, and when he was only 15, one of his songs was published.After leaving school, he gave piano lessons in Cardiff, and then moved to London in 1913 with his mother.