Dr Richard Seal, Director of Music at Salisbury Cathedral between 1968 and 1997 and founder of the first Cathedral Girls’ Choir in England has died at the age of 86.

Dr Seal’s distinguished musical career began as a chorister at New College, Oxford, progressing to become organ scholar at Christ’s College Cambridge, assistant organist at St Bartholomew-the-Great, London and assistant organist at Chichester Cathedral before moving to Salisbury in 1968.

One of the achievements for which Dr Seal is most renowned was the foundation of the Salisbury Cathedral Girls’ Choir in 1991, a move considered highly controversial at the time.

His desire for equality was driven in no small part by his knowledge that his younger sister, despite being a very talented musician, was not afforded the same opportunities as he was in her youth.

Balancing the introduction of a separate girls’ choir whilst simultaneously protecting the rich and important heritage of the existing boys’ choir was of paramount importance to Dr Seal.

His intention was always that both choirs should be separate but eventually be of equal standing in the cathedral, sharing the singing duties between them.

The Salisbury girls sang their first service in October 1991, the 900th anniversary of the establishment of the boys’ choir at Old Sarum. “Girls have found their rightful place now,” he told The Guardian in 2014. “There is no stopping them. Girls from Salisbury have gone to Oxford and Cambridge and carried on their singing there. Some are in professional choirs. It is wonderful.”

Following the historic move made by Salisbury in 1991, many of the country’s cathedrals have subsequently founded girls choirs.

Throughout his career, the Opus Dei, or daily worship, was always more important to Richard than anything else.

He believed passionately that music should support and enhance the liturgy, and never dominate it.

Those that knew Richard well would agree with the following quote in The Telegraph obituary: “Evensong on a wet Thursday in February was just as important to Seal as the Royal Maundy service, which was celebrated at Salisbury in 1974.”

In addition to his work in the cathedral, Richard for many years conducted both the Salisbury Musical Society and the Salisbury Orchestral Society.

In 1992, Richard was awarded a Doctor of Music Lambeth Degree for his services to cathedral music.

Following his retirement from the cathedral in 1997, Richard moved to Bishopstone and continued his passion for church music by regularly playing the organ for services in several churches along the Chalke Valley, to the west of Salisbury.

This service to small local churches was just as important and brought him as much satisfaction and joy as his work at the cathedral and he continued playing for services right up until the Queen’s platinum jubilee in June.

Richard Seal married, in 1975, Dr Sarah Hamilton; they had two sons.

Richard Seal, born December 4, 1935, died July 19, 2022.

 

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