Roy Cyril Massey (born 9 May 1934) is a British organist and conductor.

Early life and education

Born in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

, Massey was educated at

Moseley Grammar School Moseley is a suburb of south Birmingham, England, south of the city centre. The area is a popular cosmopolitan residential location and leisure destination, with a number of bars and restaurants. The area also has a number of boutiques and ot ...

and the

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

, where he was awarded the degree of

Bachelor of Music Bachelor of Music (BM or BMus) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree, and the majority of work consists of prescr ...

(BMus). He also holds the diplomas of FRCO(CHM) and the Archbishop's Diploma in Church Music (ADCM).

Career

Massey served as organist of St Alban-the-Martyr, Bordesley (1953–1960), and of St Augustine's Church, Edgbaston (1960–1965), before becoming warden of the Royal School of Church Music and organist of

Croydon Parish Church Croydon Minster is the parish and civic church of the London Borough of Croydon. There are currently more than 35 churches in the borough, with Croydon Minster being the most prominent. It is Grade I listed. Six Archbishops of Canterbury are bur ...

(1965–1968). From 1968 to 1974 he was organist of

St. Philip's Cathedral, Birmingham The Cathedral Church of Saint Philip is the Church of England cathedral and the seat of the Bishop of Birmingham. Built as a parish church in the Baroque style by Thomas Archer, it was consecrated in 1715. Located on Colmore Row in central Birmin ...

, and director of music at King Edward's School, Birmingham. He was elected Fellow of the Royal School of Church Music (FRSCM) in 1972 and Fellow of

St. Michael's College, Tenbury St. Michael's College (the College of St. Michael and All Angels) was founded by Sir Frederick Ouseley in 1856 as a boys Preparatory School. Ouseley created the school to provide a model for the performance of Anglican church music. Choral se ...

, in 1975. From 1974 to 2001 he was Organist and Master of the Choristers at

Hereford Cathedral Hereford Cathedral is the cathedral church of the Anglican Diocese of Hereford in Hereford, England. A place of worship has existed on the site of the present building since the 8th century or earlier. The present building was begun in 1079. S ...

. During this time, he was conductor-in-chief of the

Three Choirs Festival 200px, Worcester cathedral 200px, Gloucester cathedral The Three Choirs Festival is a music festival held annually at the end of July, rotating among the cathedrals of the Three Counties (Hereford, Gloucester and Worcester) and originally featu ...

for nine seasons, for which he commissioned and conducted the premieres of several works by British composers.

Later life

Following his retirement from Hereford Cathedral, Massey became President of the Royal College of Organists (2003–2005). He remained active as a concert organist, and gave the opening recital on the newly rebuilt organ at Hereford Cathedral in 2005. He was awarded the Lambeth degree of Doctor of Music (DMus) in 1990 and appointed a Member of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(MBE) in

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

. His arrangement of the Ukrainian melody "Long the Night, was included in the carol anthology ''Noel!'', published by Novello in 2000. In 2021 Massey published his autobiography, ''An Organist Remembers: Memories of a Life in Cathedral Music''.Book review, "An Organist Remembers: Memories of a Life in Cathedral Music"
''Church Times'', 31 December 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2022.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Massey, Roy Cyril 1934 births Living people Cathedral organists British male organists British classical organists British male conductors (music) People educated at Moseley School Members of the Order of the British Empire 21st-century British conductors (music) 21st-century organists 21st-century British male musicians Male classical organists