Professor Martindale Sidwell FRCO (23 February 1916 – 20 February 1998) was an English organist, composer and teacher.

Education

John William Martindale Sidwell was born in Little Packington, Warwickshire on 23 February 1916, the son of John William Sidwell, a musician, and Mary Martindale. At age 7 he joined the choir at

Wells Cathedral Wells Cathedral, formally the , is a Church of England cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Bath and Wells and the mother church of the diocese of Bath and Wells. There are daily Church of England services in ...

, and later became assistant organist. He was awarded ARCO in 1936 and FRCO in 1938.Western Daily Press - Monday 31 January 1938 During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he served firstly with the

North Somerset Yeomanry The North Somerset Yeomanry was a part-time cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1798 to 1967. It maintained order in Somerset in the days before organised police forces, and supplied volunteers to fight in the Second Boer War. It served on ...

and later with the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...

. Invalided out he became temporary organist at

Holy Trinity Church, Leamington Spa Holy Trinity Church, Leamington Spa is a Grade II listed parish church in Leamington Spa, England. History Holy Trinity Church was started in 1825 as a daughter church of All Saints' Church and opened in 1847. It was designed by Mitchell of L ...

and director of music at

Warwick School Warwick School is a British Public school (United Kingdom), public school (independent school (UK), independent boarding school, boarding and Day school, day school) for boys, in the market town of Warwick, in Warwickshire, England. Known as ...

. He studied at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the firs ...

with C.H. Trevor. In 1944 he married Barbara Hill, a pianist and harpsichordist.

Appointments

*Sub Organist at

1932 - ? *Assistant Organist at Wells Cathedral 1938 - ? *Temporary Organist at

*Conductor of the Leamington Spa Choral Society *Organist of

St John-at-Hampstead St John-at-Hampstead is a Church of England parish church dedicated to St John the Evangelist (though the original dedication was only refined from St John to this in 1917 by the Bishop of London) in Church Row, Hampstead, London. History Ha ...

1946 - 1992 *Organist of

St Clement Danes St Clement Danes is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London. It is now situated near the 19th-century Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand in Aldwych. Although the first church on the site was reputedly founded in the 9th cent ...

1957 - 1992 *Conductor of the London Bach Orchestra 1967 - 1981 *Conductor of Hampstead Choral Society 1946 - 1981 *Conductor of the Martindale Sidwell Singers 1956 - 1992 *Organ tutor at

Trinity College of Music Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance is a music, dance, and musical theatre conservatoire based in South East London. It was formed in 2005 as a merger of two older institutions – Trinity College of Music and Laban Dance Centre. Trini ...

and Professor of Organ at the

1963 -1984 *Professor at the

Royal School of Church Music The Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) is a Christian music education organisation dedicated to the promotion of music in Christian worship, in particular the repertoire and traditions of Anglican church music, largely through publications, tr ...

1958 - 1966

Compositions

He composed one piece which remained unpublished in his lifetime, a Festal Jubilate for choir and organ. A number of Anglican chants by him are still in the repertoire of some Cathedrals and major churches.

Publications

He was one of the editors of Secular and Sacred Music published in 1966.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sitwell, Martindale 1916 births 1998 deaths English male organists Fellows of the Royal College of Organists 20th-century English organists 20th-century English male musicians