Introduction

Introduction

Biography

Martin be­gan his mu­sic­al stu­dies as a cho­ris­ter at St. Paul’s Ca­thed­ral un­der Will­iam Hawes, and was one of the choir boys at West­min­ster Ab­bey at the co­ro­na­tion of Queen Vic­to­ria.

He be­came a pro­fess­or of mu­sic at the Nor­mal Col­lege for Army School­mas­ters, and was re­si­dent mu­sic mas­ter at St. John’s Train­ing Col­lege, Bat­ter­sea (1845–53). He was al­so the first or­gan­ist of Christ Church, Bat­ter­sea, which op­ened in 1849.

In 1859, he con­duct­ed the Na­tion­al Schools Cho­ral Fes­ti­val at the Crys­tal Pal­ace in Lon­don. In 1860, he es­tab­lished the Na­tion­al Cho­ral So­ci­e­ty.

In 1864, he or­gan­ized a thou­sand voice choir for the Mac­beth mu­sic at the three hun­dredth an­ni­ver­sa­ry of Shakes­peare’s birth.