Martin Gerard James Neary, born March 28, 1940, in London, UK, died September 27.
He was a chorister of the Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace from age eight, singing at the christening of Charles III in 1948 and the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953. He studied theology and music at Cambridge University, where he was organ scholar at Gonville and Caius College. Neary married Penelope Warren in April 1967. He served as organist and director of music at Winchester Cathedral from 1972 to 1988 and was organist and master of the choristers at Westminster Abbey from 1988 to 1998. In 1984 he was artist-in-residence at the University of California Davis. After leaving Westminster Abbey, he served as conductor of the Catholic Paulist Boys Choir in Los Angeles and director of music at First Congregational Church. Between 1992 and 2024, he was chairman of the Herbert Howells Society. While at Winchester, Neary commissioned new works from Jonathan Harvey and John Tavener.
Neary led his cathedral choir on overseas tours, and in addition to his own organ recitals at the cathedral he invited organists from across the world to play there. With his assistant organists James Lancelot and Timothy Byram-Wigfield he was responsible for the planning of the major rebuilding and enlargement of the cathedral organ by Harrison & Harrison between 1986 and 1988.
As the organist at Westminster Abbey, he was musical director for the funeral service for Princess Diana. In the 1998 New Year Honours, he was appointed a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO).
Martin Neary is survived by his wife Penelope, daughters Nicola and Alice, and son Thomas. For more information, see “A Conversation with Martin Neary,” by Mark Buxton, March 1996, pages 10–12: https://www.thediapason.com/sites/diapason/files/199603TheDiapason.pdf
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