The College Record 2022

Obituaries
In 1973 he won a French government scholarship to study the organ in Paris with
Gaston Litaize and Jean Langlais, but there were few opportunities to practise and
he frequently returned to the West Country to use the instrument at Shepton Mallet
parish church. Not having a car, he walked the two miles from his family home at
Croscombe, but on one occasion a motorbike came hurtling towards him. He leapt
over a stone wall and broke his arm, putting an end to his scholarship.
Meanwhile, he had been appointed assistant master of music at Westminster
Cathedral under Colin Mawby. When Mawby’s tenure ended in a dispute over musical
policy, Bevan became acting master of music, directing the music for the funeral
Mass of Cardinal Heenan in November 1975 and the enthronement of Cardinal Hume
three months later.
He was not, however, appointed to the substantive position, which went to Stephen
Cleobury, and in 1976 he became organist of St Agnes Church in St Paul, Minnesota,
which has a strong musical tradition. There he developed the custom of using
Gregorian chant and was director of the local Schubert Club Boys’ Choir, which
had been founded by a former member of the Vienna Boys’ Choir.
Returning to the UK in 1979, Bevan found no shortage of invitations to sing, including
at Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral and for the BBC. He found a natural home
at Holy Redeemer church in Chelsea, with which he had strong family connections.
During the week he lived and worked in Bath, teaching A-level music at Prior Park
and King Edward’s schools, and from 1995 to 2000 was director of Bath Baroque
Chorus. More recently he was teaching at Reed’s School in Cobham, Surrey.
In 1983 David Bevan married Clare Bowler-Reed, a chorister at Holy Redeemer. The
marriage was later dissolved, although they remained close. Every Sunday morning
they loaded their five children into an ageing Citroën, which was prodded into action
with a long metal bar, and drove from Somerset to Chelsea for an early choir practice
followed by sung Mass. On the journey he played recordings of Beethoven string
quartets, explaining the intricacies of the composer’s work to his often car-sick
children. There was no television in their house.
Bevan, whose interests included reading, swimming and ecclesiastical architecture,
retired from church music in about 2017 suffering from Parkinson’s disease. The
Vatican awarded him the Benemerenti medal for services to the Church, which was
presented to him two months ago at the Church of St Birinus in Dorchester-on-
Thames where he attended Mass towards the end of his life. He is survived by his
children, all of whom also sang in the church choir, including Sophie and Mary, who
are now pursuing international careers as opera singers.
First printed in The Telegraph on 30 November 2021 © Telegraph Media Group
Limited 2022
108 The Queen’s College | College Record 2022