The Master Singers

History

John Horrex, a teacher at Abingdon School, first devised the setting of the Highway Code in Anglican chant in the late 1950s, performing it at local events. A copy reached broadcaster Fritz Spiegl, who passed it to the BBC, where it was played on a radio show hosted by Winston Churchill, grandson of the former prime minister. They also recorded Christmas carols with Cliff Richard; the Twelve Days of Carols was too long for the EP side, but it was played to The King's Singers, who later asked Keating to arrange carols for them.

It uses four Anglican chants by W. H. Havergal, E. J. Hopkins, William Felton, and J. T. Harris. The follow-up "Telephone Directory" encountered copyright difficulties when the General Post Office claimed copyright on the names and numbers and prohibited use of the directory's contents. "Weather Forecast" reached No. 50. The group recorded two songs for a Keele University charity record and released an EP of two singles.

They made several television appearances. Montague left to move to Australia and was replaced by Mike Warrington from Cheadle Hulme School. As the original members left Abingdon School and their teaching careers took them to different parts of the country, the group split up.

Later lives

After about sixteen years, he took the same role at St Edmund’s School in Canterbury. Geoff Keating spent seventeen years as Director of Music at Millfield School, taught for three years at Sherborne School, then retired to Scotland. Barry Montague taught English at Brisbane Grammar School, founded The Grammar Singers with the Girls' Grammar School, and started a Service of Lessons and Carols at St John's Cathedral, along with performances of works like Bach’s St John Passion and Elgar’s The Music Makers. Organist Christopher Wrench accompanied the choir for many years. He later became Professor of Music at Huddersfield University and wrote The Dynamics of Harmony. Mike Warrington was a head teacher in Oldham before retiring.