Sir George Clement Martin (11 September 1844 – 21 February 1916) was an English

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

, who served at

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

Background

Martin was born in

Lambourn Lambourn is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It lies just north of the M4 Motorway between Swindon and Newbury, and borders Wiltshire to the west and Oxfordshire to the north. After Newmarket it is the largest centre of r ...

, Berkshire on 11 September 1844. John Footman's 1894 history of Lambourn Church describes him as "the only native of Lambourn who has ever risen to fame". His interest in music began after he heard Sir Herbert Oakeley play Bach in Lambourn. He studied organ under

John Stainer Sir John Stainer (6 June 1840 – 31 March 1901) was an English composer and organist whose music, though seldom performed today (with the exception of ''The Crucifixion (Stainer), The Crucifixion'', still heard at Passiontide in some Angli ...

, supposedly cycling from Lambourn to Oxford daily for his studies. In June 1868 he matriculated at

New College, Oxford New College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by Bishop William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as New College's feeder school, New College was one of the first col ...

, and a few days later was awarded a B.Mus. degree. Martin died 21 February 1916, in London. He has a memorial plaque in Lambourn church near the organ.

Career

Sub-organist at

1876–1888 Organist of: *Lambourn Parish Church *Dalkeith for the Duke of Buccleuch in 1871 and St. Peter's, Edinburgh, briefly at the same time *St Paul's Cathedral 1888–1916

Works

Martin is perhaps best known for his hymn tune "St. Helen" (commonly used for the hymn "Lord, enthroned in heavenly splendour"). He was a composer, mostly of church music, which included a ''

Te Deum The ( or , ; from its incipit, ) is a Latin Christian hymn traditionally ascribed to a date before AD 500, but perhaps with antecedents that place it much earlier. It is central to the Ambrosian hymnal, which spread throughout the Latin ...

'' in A, performed at the Thanksgiving Service held on the steps of the Cathedral in

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

's Diamond Jubilee year. Martin transcribed Sir Edward Elgar's 1897 work "Imperial March" for organ, in which form it is still frequently played by many concert organists, often as an

encore An encore is an additional performance given by performers at the conclusion of a show or concert, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford Universi ...

. It is, in this form, possibly better known than in the original orchestral arrangement, which (outside England) is only occasionally performed - organist Simon Preston's 1964 recording on the organ of

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

is one well-known version. He also wrote a primer on "The Art of Training Choir Boys" which became a standard work on the subject.

Awards and honours

Martin was given a knighthood in the

1897 Diamond Jubilee Honours The Diamond Jubilee Honours for the British Empire were announced on 22 June 1897 to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria on 20 June 1897. The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, and ar ...

. He was appointed a Member (4th class) of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

in the November 1902 Birthday Honours list. He was invested with the insignia by King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

on 18 December 1902.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, George 1844 births 1916 deaths 19th-century English organists 20th-century English organists 19th-century English composers People from Lambourn English cathedral organists Members of the Royal Victorian Order Knights Bachelor 20th-century English composers 19th-century English male musicians 20th-century English male musicians English male classical organists