This is a list of

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

organists. The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as "Westminster Abbey", is a large, mainly

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

abbey church, in the

City of Westminster The City of Westminster is a city and borough in Inner London. It is the site of the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament and much of the British government. It occupies a large area of central Greater London, including most of the West En ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the

Palace of Westminster The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parliament, the Palace lies on the north b ...

. It is the traditional site for the

Coronation of the British monarch The coronation of the monarch of the United Kingdom is a ceremony (specifically, initiation rite) in which they are formally invested with regalia and crowned at Westminster Abbey. It corresponds to the coronations that formerly took place in ...

and many former kings and queens are buried there.

Organists

*1559 John Taylour *1570 Robert White *1574 Henry Leeve *1585 Edmund Hooper *1621 John Parsons *1623

Orlando Gibbons Orlando Gibbons ( bapt. 25 December 1583 – 5 June 1625) was an English composer and keyboard player who was one of the last masters of the English Virginalist School and English Madrigal School. The best known member of a musical fam ...

*1625-1644 Richard Portman *1660

Christopher Gibbons Christopher Gibbons ( bapt. 22 August 1615 – 20 October 1676) was an English composer and organist of the Baroque period. He was the second son, and first surviving child of the composer Orlando Gibbons. Life and career Background Chri ...

*1666 Albertus Bryne *1668 John Blow *1679

Henry Purcell Henry Purcell (, rare: September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer. Purcell's style of Baroque music was uniquely English, although it incorporated Italian and French elements. Generally considered among the greatest E ...

*1695 John Blow (re-appointed) *1708 William Croft *1727

John Robinson John Robinson may refer to: Academics *John Thomas Romney Robinson (1792–1882), Irish astronomer and physicist * John J. Robinson (1918–1996), historian and author of ''Born in Blood'' * John Talbot Robinson (1923–2001), paleontologist *Joh ...

*1762

Benjamin Cooke Benjamin Cooke (1734 – 14 September 1793) was an English composer, organist and teacher. Cooke was born in London and named after his father, also Benjamin Cooke (1695/1705 – 1743), a music publisher based in Covent Garden (active fr ...

*1793

Samuel Arnold Samuel Arnold may refer to: *Samuel Arnold (composer) (1740–1802), English composer and organist * Samuel Arnold (Connecticut politician) (1806–1869), U.S. Representative from Connecticut * Samuel Arnold (conspirator) (1834–1906), co-conspira ...

*1803 Robert Cooke *1814

George Ebenezer Williams George Ebenezer Williams (30 August 1783 − 17 April 1819) was an English organist and composer.Thomas Greatorex Thomas Greatorex (5 October 1758 – 18 July 1831) was an English composer, astronomer and mathematician. As well as being organist of Westminster Abbey, he was a Fellow of the Royal Society. Career Born in Wingfield near Chesterfield, Derbyshire ...

*1831

James Turle James Turle (5 March 1802 – 28 June 1882) was an English organist and composer, best known today as the writer of several widely sung Anglican chants and the hymn tune "Westminster" sung to the words of Frederick William Faber "My God, how wond ...

*1882 Sir

Frederick Bridge Sir John Frederick Bridge (5 December 1844 – 18 March 1924) was an English organist, composer, teacher and writer. From a musical family, Bridge became a church organist before he was 20, and he achieved his ambition to become a cathedral ...

, CVO *1918 Sir Sydney Nicholson, MVO *1928 Sir

Ernest Bullock Sir Ernest Bullock (1890–1979) was an English organist, composer, and teacher. He was organist of Exeter Cathedral from 1917 to 1928 and of Westminster Abbey from 1928 to 1941. In the latter post he was jointly responsible for the music at the ...

, CVO *1941-1945

Osborne Harold Peasgood Osborne Harold Peasgood CVO (5 March 1902 – 25 January 1962) was an organist at Westminster Abbey who played at a number of state occasions in the Abbey, including the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Peasgood was born in London on 5 March 190 ...

CVO (Acting) *1941 Sir

William Neil McKie Sir William Neil McKie (22 May 19011 December 1984) was an Australian organist, conductor, and composer. He was Organist and Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey 1941–1963 and noted for his direction of the music for the marriage ...

, MVO *1963

Douglas Guest Douglas Albert Guest (9 May 1916 – 18 November 1996) was an English organist, conductor, teacher and composer. Education Guest was born in Mortomley, Sheffield, Yorkshire, England, and studied originally at the Royal College of Music ...

, CVO *1981 Simon Preston, CBE *1988 Martin Neary, LVO *1998-1999 Martin Baker (Acting) *2000 James O'Donnell

Sub Organists

*1860 Charles Sherwood Jekyll *1875 Sir

CVO *1881 Henry Davan WettonThe Musical Times and Singing-class Circular *1896 Sir Walter Galpin Alcock MVO *1917 Stanley Roper CVO *1921

CVO *1941 ''Vacant'' *1946

CVO *1954 Derek Holman CM *1956 Robert Henry Charles Palmer *1962 Simon Preston CBE *1967 Tim Farrell *1974 Sir Stephen Cleobury CBE *1978 Christopher Herrick *1984 Harry Bicket *1988 *1988 Andrew Lumsden *1992 Martin Baker *1998 Philip Scriven (Acting) *2000 Andrew Reid *2004

Robert Quinney Robert Quinney (born 1976 in Nottingham, England) is Director of the Choir of New College, Oxford, and was formerly Sub-Organist at Westminster Abbey and Director of Music at Peterborough Cathedral. In addition to his work at New College, he has ...

*2013 Daniel Cook *2017 Peter Holder

Assistant organists

*Charles Jekyll 1875 *W.J. Winter 1886–1895 * Walter Alcock 1896–1916 (later knighted, and Organist of

Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England. The cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese of Salisbury and is the seat of the Bishop of Salisbury. The buil ...

) *Hugh Marchant 1947–1950 *Hugo Limer 1950–1959 *Rilford Trafalgar 1959–1984 *

David Bruce-Payne David Bruce-Payne (born 1945) is a former cathedral organist, who served at St. Philip's Cathedral, Birmingham, England. Background David Malcolm Bruce-Payne was born on 8 August 1945 in Banbury, Oxfordshire. He was a chorister at King's Colle ...

1968–1974 (later Director of Music at Birmingham Cathedral) *Christopher Herrick *Geoffrey Morgan 1978–1988 (later Sub-Organist at Guildford Cathedral, now Organist of Christchurch Priory) *Miles Quick 1989-1991 *Stephen Le Prevost 1991–2001 (currently organist and director of music at the Town Church in St-Peter-Port, Guernsey, Channel Islands) *Simon Bell 2001–2002 (later assistant director of Music at

Winchester Cathedral The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity,Historic England. "Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity (1095509)". ''National Heritage List for England''. Retrieved 8 September 2014. Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Swithun, commonly known as Winches ...

and subsequently Director of Schola Cantorum of Tewkesbury Abbey) * Daniel Cook 2003–2005 (later assistant director of Music at

, Organist and Master of the Choristers at

St Davids Cathedral St Davids Cathedral ( cy, Eglwys Gadeiriol Tyddewi) is situated in St DavidsBritain's smallest city in the county of Pembrokeshire, near the most westerly point of Wales. Early history The monastic community was founded by Saint David, Abbot ...

, Sub-Organist of

, and subsequently Organist and Master of the Choristers at

Durham Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham, commonly known as Durham Cathedral and home of the Shrine of St Cuthbert, is a cathedral in the city of Durham, County Durham, England. It is the seat of t ...

) * Ashley Grote 2005–2008 (later assistant director of Music at

Gloucester Cathedral Gloucester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated with the establishment of a minster dedicated to ...

, now Master of Music at Norwich Cathedral) * James McVinnie 2008–2011 *Martin Ford 2012-2015 *Matthew Jorysz 2016-

Organ Scholars

*James Cryer *Jonathan Dimmock *Adrian Lenthall *Simon Morley (became Assistant Organist at

Lincoln Cathedral Lincoln Cathedral, Lincoln Minster, or the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln and sometimes St Mary's Cathedral, in Lincoln, England, is a Grade I listed cathedral and is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Lincoln. Construc ...

, thence Organist of Ripon Cathedral) *Geoffrey Styles (became Organ Scholar at

Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford Christ Church Cathedral is the cathedral of the Anglican diocese of Oxford, which consists of the counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. It is also the chapel of Christ Church, a college of the University of Oxford. This dual r ...

*James Cryer *Nick Murdoch *Jane Watts 1981-1982 *Richard Moorhouse 1990–1992 (Organist and Master of the Choristers at

Llandaff Cathedral Llandaff Cathedral ( cy, Eglwys Gadeiriol Llandaf) is an Anglican cathedral and parish church in Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales. It is the seat of the Bishop of Llandaff, head of the Church in Wales Diocese of Llandaff. It is dedicated to Saint Peter ...

) *Meirion Wynn Jones 1992–1993 (Assistant Organist at

Brecon Cathedral Brecon Cathedral ( cy, Eglwys Gadeiriol Aberhonddu), in the town of Brecon, Powys, is the cathedral of the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon in the Church in Wales and seat of the Bishop of Swansea and Brecon. Previously the church of Brecon Priory ...

) * William Whitehead 1993 - 1994 (became Assistant Organist at

Rochester Cathedral Rochester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an English church of Norman architecture in Rochester, Medway, Rochester, Kent. The church is the cathedral of the Diocese of Rochester in the Church o ...

) *Louise Reid (née Marsh) 1994 - 1996 *John Hosking 1996–1999 (Assistant Organist at St Asaph Cathedral) *Iestyn Evans 1999–2000 (Director of Music, St James's, Spanish Place, London) *Simon Bell 2000–2001 (assistant director of Music at

and subsequently Director of Schola Cantorum of Tewkesbury Abbey) *Justin Luke 2001–2002 * Daniel Cook 2002–2003 (Organist and Master of the Choristers at

, assistant director of Music at

and subsequently Organist of

) *Richard Hills 2003–2004 (Organist of St Mary's, Bourne Street, London) *Ian Keatley 2004–2006 (Organist and Director of Music at

Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin Christ Church Cathedral, more formally The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, is the cathedral of the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough and the cathedral of the ecclesiastical province of the United Provinces of Dublin and Cashel in the ( ...

) *Simon Jacobs 2006–2007 *Benjamin Chewter 2007–2008 (Assistant Organist at

and subsequently assistant director of Music at

Chester Cathedral Chester Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral and the mother church of the Diocese of Chester. It is located in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. The cathedral, formerly the abbey church of a Benedictine monastery dedicated to Sa ...

) *Léon Charles 2008–2009 (See http://leoncharles.co.uk for more details) *Samuel Prouse 2009–2010 *Edward Tambling 2010-2011 (assistant director of Music, St James's, Spanish Place, London) *Andrej Kouznetsov 2011-2012 (Organist, St John's Cathedral (Brisbane)) * Peter Holder 2012–2014 *Jeremy Woodside 2014-2015 * Matthew Jorysz 2015 - 2016 *Benjamin Cunningham 2016-2018 (assistant director of Chapel Music,

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of ...

) *Alexander Hamilton 2018-2020 (assistant director of Music, Wells Cathedral) *Charles Maxtone-Smith 2020-

References

{{reflist Abbey organists