Dr Martin Neary LVO

Amongst Old Citizens who have achieved distinguished careers must rank Martin Neary, former Organist and Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey. He later became Director of Music for the funeral of Princess Diana, for which he received worldwide acclaim for his innovation in capturing the public mood. Martin’s decision to include Tavener’s Song for Athene, sung as the coffin was carried from the Abbey, introduced the work to a global audience, and it remains a defining musical moment of that occasion.

Born in London in the midst of a wartime air raid, Martin became an evacuee in Wales. After the war ended, and possessing a voice of perfect pitch, he was admitted as a chorister at the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace. This involved him, from an early age, in events close to the royal family.

Martin performed at several additional services at Buckingham Palace while George VI was terminally ill. He also sang at the baptism of Charles III, the lying‑in‑state of George VI and the coronation of Elizabeth II. The latter experience was an inspiration for the rest of his life. Martin met the Queen personally and took part in Remembrance Day ceremonies at the Cenotaph. Invitations also came from Edward Heath for him to perform at state dinners at 10 Downing Street.

Combining demanding choral commitments with his studies at CLS proved to be a learning curve, yet Martin immersed himself fully in school life and became a sub‑prefect. He developed a love of cricket and also enjoyed fives, in which he made the school team and competed in the Public Schools Championships. His partner on occasion was the later legendary England cricket captain, Michael Brearley (Class of 1960), with whom he kept in touch.

Martin was awarded an open organ scholarship to Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. While reading for a degree in theology, his initial thoughts of ordination were reconsidered as he came to feel that music offered a means of expression with a power beyond that of words.

Early recognition arrived in 1963 with a prize at the first International Organ Festival in St Albans. In the same year, he became Assistant Organist at St Margaret’s Church, Westminster, and was appointed Organist in 1965, holding the post until 1971. During this period he also conducted the Twickenham Musical Society, giving recitals at the Royal Festival Hall.

In 1972, Martin became Organist and Director of Music at Winchester Cathedral. Over sixteen years he was instrumental in placing the Cathedral firmly on the religious musical map through Songs of Praise and television documentaries for the BBC, ITV and Southern Television. He made music with all London’s orchestras, bringing them to Winchester, and as the choir’s repertoire expanded, many overseas tours followed.

From 1988 to 1998, a dream was fulfilled with his appointment to Westminster Abbey, placing him at the centre of many national occasions. Alongside his own organ recitals, he attracted organists from across the world to perform there, and international tours became routine.

As an internationally renowned organist, conductor and choirmaster, Martin graced many of the world’s greatest stages, including the Royal Festival Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Washington National Cathedral and Notre‑Dame Cathedral. Further recitals took him to Australia, Canada, Brazil, South Africa and the Far East. A visit to the Kremlin saw the first international ensemble ever to perform there.

Martin received numerous honours, including an honorary doctorate in music from the University of Southampton and a platinum disc for his contribution to Lloyd Webber’s Requiem. A CD of Purcell’s Music for Queen Mary was nominated for a Grammy. He was the organ soloist for the opening night of the BBC Proms in 2004, the founding conductor of the Millennium Youth Choir of the Royal School of Church Music and Chairman of the Herbert Howells Society from 1992 to 2024. He regarded the Westminster Abbey concerts marking the tercentenary of Purcell’s death among his supreme achievements.

Although Martin left the Abbey in sad circumstances, he bore no rancour and soon took up very senior posts in Los Angeles. He eventually retired to play in his local church in Barnes, where he raised the choir to a standard at which it could perform Bach’s St John Passion.

This was one of the most significant careers in church music in modern times. As a superlative musician, Martin inspired generations of choristers and will be remembered with respect and gratitude for the role he played in shaping the sound and standards of British choral music for over half a century. He was resolute in expanding cathedral repertoire and in championing new music.

One of England’s finest organists and choral conductors, he possessed a rare gift for training boys’ voices and was also closely involved in major organ‑rebuilding projects.

A demanding musician, Martin was nonetheless capable of great warmth and generosity, and he knew how to draw the best from his choristers. Held in high esteem as a true gentleman, sharp‑witted and always smiling, he was a joy to meet.

For CLS, Martin Neary represents a powerful example of the breadth of paths open to its pupils. His schooldays coincided with moments of national significance, and throughout his life he carried forward the School’s values of diligence, independence, service, kindness and respect for others.

Martin retired in 2002 following the onset of Parkinson’s disease with complications and died at the age of 85 in September 2025.

My condolences go to Martin’s wife, Penny, his companion for nearly sixty years of mutual support and happiness, their daughters Nicola and Alice, their son Thomas, and their six grandchildren.