Editing George Martin (section)

==Early years==
Martin was born on 3 January 1926<ref>{{cite news |title=UPI Almanac for Thursday, Jan. 3, 2019 |work=[[United Press International]] |date=January 3, 2019 |url=https://www.upi.com/Top_News/2019/01/03/UPI-Almanac-for-Thursday-Jan-3-2019/1811546209344/ |access-date=September 3, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103223323/https://www.upi.com/Top_News/2019/01/03/UPI-Almanac-for-Thursday-Jan-3-2019/1811546209344/ |archive-date=January 3, 2019 |quote=Beatles record producer George Martin in 1926}}</ref> in [[Highbury]], London, to Henry ("Harry") and Bertha Beatrice (née Simpson) Martin.{{sfn|Mosley|2003|pp=2631–2632}} He had an older sister, Irene. In Martin's early years, the family lived modestly, first in Highbury and then [[Drayton Park]]. Harry worked as a craftsman carpenter in a small attic workshop, while Bertha cooked meals at a communal stove in their apartment building.{{sfn|Womack|2017|p=2–3}} At age 5, George contracted [[scarlet fever]]; Bertha, a nurse during [[World War I|the First World War]], treated him at home.{{sfn|Womack|2017|p=3}} In 1931, the family moved to Aubert Park in Highbury, where the Martin family first lived with electricity.{{sfn|Womack|2017|p=5}}

When he was six, Martin's family acquired a piano that sparked his interest in music.{{sfn|Martin|1995|p=13}} At eight years of age, he persuaded his parents that he should take piano lessons, but those ended after only six lessons{{sfn|Lewisohn|2013|p=249}} because of a disagreement between his mother and the teacher. Martin created his first piano composition, "The Spider's Dance" at age eight.{{sfn|Lewisohn|2013|p=249}} Martin continued to learn piano on his own through his youth, building a working knowledge of [[music theory]] through his natural [[perfect pitch]].{{sfn|Womack|2017|p=6}}

{{quote box|align=right|width=25%|I remember well the very first time I heard a symphony orchestra. I was just in my teens when Sir [[Adrian Boult]] brought the [[BBC Symphony Orchestra]] to my school for a public concert. It was absolutely magical.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/listenup/messages.shtml A lifelong love affair with the orchestra] bbc.co.uk; retrieved 21 September 2007.</ref>}}
As a child, he attended several Roman Catholic schools, including Our Lady of Sion ([[Holloway, London|Holloway]]), St Joseph's School ([[Highgate]]), and at [[St Ignatius' College]] ([[Stamford Hill]]), where he had won a scholarship.{{sfn|Womack|2017|p=5}} When World War II broke out, St Ignatius College students were evacuated to [[Welwyn Garden City]]. Martin's family left London, with his being enrolled at [[Ravensbourne School (Bromley)|Bromley Grammar School]].{{sfn|Martin|1995|p=15}} At Bromley, Martin led and played piano in a locally popular dance band, the Four Tune Tellers. He was influenced at this time by [[George Shearing]] and [[Meade Lux Lewis]].{{sfn|Lewisohn|2013|p=250}} He also took up acting in a troupe called the Quavers.{{sfn|Womack|2017|p=7}} With money earned from playing dances, Martin resumed formal piano lessons and learned [[musical notation]].{{sfn|Womack|2017|p=8–9}} Martin endured the [[London Blitz]] during this time, inspiring an interest in aircraft.{{sfn|Womack|2017|p=9}}

Despite Martin's continued interest in music, and "fantasies about being the next [[Rachmaninoff]]", he did not initially choose music as a career.{{sfn|Martin|1995|p=17}} He worked briefly as a [[quantity surveyor]], and later for the [[War Office]] as a Temporary Clerk (Grade Three), which meant filing paperwork and making tea.{{sfn|Martin|1995|p=18}}

In 1943, at the age of 17, Martin volunteered for the [[Fleet Air Arm]] of the [[Royal Navy]], having been inspired by their exploits in the [[Battle of Taranto]] in 1940.{{sfn|Womack|2017|p=11}} He trained at [[HMS St Vincent (Gosport shore establishment)|HMS ''St Vincent'']] in [[Gosport]].{{sfn|Womack|2017|p=11}} The war ended before Martin was involved in any combat, and he left the service in January 1947.{{sfn|Martin|1995|pp=25–28}}{{sfn|Womack|2017|p=17}} During the war, Martin travelled to New York and saw performances by [[Cab Calloway]] and [[Gene Krupa]].{{sfn|Lewisohn|2013|p=251}} He also did nine months of aerial training in [[Trinidad]], becoming a petty officer and [[aerial observer]].{{sfn|Womack|2017|p=12}} On 26 July 1945, shortly after receiving his officer commission as a lieutenant, Martin appeared on BBC radio for the first time during a Royal Navy variety show; Martin played a self-composed piano piece.{{sfn|Lewisohn|2013|p=249}} As he climbed rank in the Navy, Martin consciously adopted the [[Received Pronunciation|middle-class accent]] and gentlemanly social demeanour common for officers.{{sfn|Womack|2017|p=13}}

Encouraged by the pianist, teacher and broadcaster [[Sidney Harrison]], Martin used his veteran's grant to attend the [[Guildhall School of Music and Drama]] from 1947 to 1950. He studied piano as his main instrument and oboe as his secondary, being interested in the music of Rachmaninoff and [[Maurice Ravel|Ravel]] and [[Cole Porter]]. His oboe teacher was [[Margaret Eliot]] (the mother of [[Jane Asher]], who later became involved with [[Paul McCartney]]).{{sfn|Spitz|2005|p=296}}{{sfn|Spitz|2005|p=438}}{{sfn|Martin|1995|pp=18–25}} After that, Martin explained that he had just picked it up by himself.{{sfn|Martin|1995|p=14}} Martin also took courses at Guildhall in music composition and orchestration.{{sfn|Womack|2017|p=23}} After graduating, Martin worked for the BBC's classical music department, also earning money as an oboe player in local bands.{{sfn|Lewisohn|2013|p=252}}