Martin How

Martin John Richard How MBE (born 1931) is a British composer and organist. His father was John How, who served as Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway from 1938 to 1952 and was Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church from 1946 to 1952.

How was born in Liverpool, where his father was Rector of St Nicholas's Church. The family later moved to Brighton, where How's father was Vicar at St Peter's Church, and then to Glasgow, where How spent most of his childhood.

Educated at Repton School, where he was a music scholar, he was awarded an organ scholarship to Clare College, Cambridge, where he read music and theology. In this post he had responsibility for the Chapel Choir of men and boys and the Choral Society. He was a keen athlete and ran for the university, narrowly missing being awarded a 'Blue' for cross-country running.

After university How served in the army for two years, where he gained a National Service Commission, seeing the experience as invaluable for his later profession. He then worked as organist and choirmaster at Grimsby Minster and was also involved in teaching and various musical activities.

How spent most of his career with the Royal School of Church Music, where he was known principally as a choir trainer specialising in the training and motivation of young singers.[1] In this capacity he initiated and developed the Chorister Training Scheme, which has since been used in various forms in many parts of the world. He inaugurated the Southern Cathedral Singers, a group that has frequently been broadcast on BBC Radio 3's Choral Evensong from Canterbury Cathedral and elsewhere. He also traveled widely in the United States of America, Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands as a choral conductor, accompanist, lecturer and adjudicator, and was awarded an MBE for services to church music in the 1993 New Year Honours.

Since his retirement from the Royal School of Church Music, How continues to compose and plays the organ as an honorary member of the music staff at Croydon Minster.

References
  1. Archived 2016-11-06 at the Wayback Machine - Royal School of Church Music - Martin How. Retrieved 6 November 2016.


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