10 December 1998 The Church Musician Dr Martin Neary is one of the most respected figures in the world of church music. The zenith of his career was arranging the music and conducting the choir for the funeral service of Diana, Princess of Wales,an achievement for which he was decorated by the Queen. As a boy, Dr Neary was in the choir of the Chapel Royal, singing at the christenings of Prince Charles and Princess Anne and at the Coronation. Dr Neary, 58, and his wife, Penny, 54, are much loved at Westminster Abbey, where they have both lived and worked for the past 10 years as organist and master of the choristers, and abbey secretary respectively. They also have a considerable number of friends among the great and the good, who were quick to rally after their dismissal. Before going to Westminster Abbey, Dr Neary was master of the choristers at Winchester Cathedral for 15 years. The couple have three children. Dr Neary is the only person to have been elected president of the Royal College of Organists twice. He has raised the profile of the abbey's music considerably, taking the choir on 12 foreign tours. Clare Garner