Short bio Arnold Cooke
Birthday:
1906 in Gomersal, England
Died:
2005
Active:
1930s - 1980s
Genre:
Classical
Period:
20th Century, Modern
Full biography Arnold Cooke
Arnold Atkinson Cooke was a British composer born on November 4th, 1906, and passed away on August 13th, 2005. He is known for composing in a range of styles, from opera to chamber music and vocal music. Cooke was inspired by Hindemith and was described as a composer of urbanity and individuality.
Cooke wrote two operas, including "Mary Barton" (completed in 1954) after the novel by Elizabeth Gaskell. He also wrote chamber music for a range of instruments including flutes, clarinets, and oboes. His sonatas for oboe are particularly notable, and Willowhayne Records has released a collection of his complete music for oboe.
Cooke suffered from a stroke and retired from composition, but he continued writing music until his health declined further. His compositions are known for their distinctive style and have been praised for their unique sound. Cooke's Nocturnes for Soprano, Horn, and Piano are particularly noteworthy, and they have been performed by many musicians over the years.
Cooke's legacy has continued to influence modern music, and his compositions are still studied and performed by many musicians and music enthusiasts. The Arnold Cooke webpage on MusicWeb International is an excellent resource for those who wish to learn more about this accomplished composer.
Compositions featuring Arnold Cooke
| # | Name | Duration | Genre | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Organ Suite in G major, D167 | 15:37 min | Keyboard | 1989 |
| 2 | Organ Prelude for Tudeley, D166 | 3:06 min | Keyboard | 1989 |
| 3 | Three Flower Songs, for soprano & recorder | 4:50 min | Vocal Music | 1987 |
| 4 | Intermezzo for oboe & piano | 3:43 min | Chamber Music | 1987 |
| 5 | Organ Sonata No. 2 in E major, D146 | 16:47 min | Keyboard | 1980 |
| 6 | Sonata for cello & piano No. 2 | 23:54 min | Chamber Music | 1980 |
| 7 | Symphony No. 5 in G major | 32:31 min | Symphony | 1979 |
| 8 | String Quartet No. 5 | 9:11 min | Chamber Music | 1978 |
| 9 | Symphony No. 4 in E flat major | 27:08 min | Symphony | 1974 |
| 10 | Organ Sonata No. 1 in G major, D118 | 18:23 min | Keyboard | 1971 |
| 11 | Suite for 3 recorders | 10:26 min | Chamber Music | 1970 |
| 12 | Sonata for violin | 16:29 min | Chamber Music | 1969 |
| 13 | Symphony No. 3 in D major | 22:59 min | Symphony | 1967 |
| 14 | String Quartet No. 3 | 21:46 min | Chamber Music | 1967 |
| 15 | Toccata and Aria for organ, D104 | 8:29 min | Keyboard | 1966 |
| 16 | Serial Theme and Variations, for recorder | 7:34 min | Chamber Music | 1966 |
| 17 | Impromptu for organ, D105 | 3:09 min | Keyboard | 1966 |
| 18 | Piano Sonata No. 2 | 17:43 min | Keyboard | 1965 |
| 19 | Fantasia for organ, D95 | 5:18 min | Keyboard | 1964 |
| 20 | Quartet for recorder, violin, cello & piano | 12:09 min | Chamber Music | 1964 |
| 21 | Sonata for oboe & cembalo (or piano) | 17:43 min | Chamber Music | 1962 |
| 22 | Clarinet Quintet | 17:40 min | Chamber Music | 1962 |
| 23 | Prelude, Intermezzo and Finale for organ, D87 | 7:42 min | Keyboard | 1962 |
| 24 | Sarabande for organ, D34 | 3:07 min | Keyboard | 1960 |
| 25 | Divertimento, for recorder & string orchestra (or string quartet) | 9:58 min | Concerto | 1959 |
| 26 | Jabez and the Devil, suite from the ballet | 17:59 min | Orchestral | 1959 |
| 27 | Three Songs of Innocence, for soprano, clarinet & piano | 6:58 min | Vocal Music | 1957 |
| 28 | Sonata for oboe & piano | 19:35 min | Chamber Music | 1957 |
| 29 | Nocturnes, a cycle of five songs for voice, horn & piano | 11:21 min | Vocal Music | 1956 |
| 30 | Clarinet Concerto No. 1 | 28:22 min | Concerto | 1955 |
| 31 | Sonata for violin & piano No. 2 | 22:20 min | Chamber Music | 1951 |
| 32 | Rondo for horn & piano in B flat major | 3:15 min | Chamber Music | 1950 |
| 33 | Quartet for oboe & string trio | 16:40 min | Chamber Music | 1948 |
| 34 | Concerto in D, for string orchestra | 16:07 min | Concerto | 1948 |
| 35 | Symphony No. 1 | 36:40 min | Symphony | 1947 |
| 36 | Sonata for violin & piano No. 1 in G major | 15:37 min | Chamber Music | 1939 |
| 37 | Piano Sonata No. 1 | 18:49 min | Keyboard | 1938 |
| 38 | Sonata for viola & piano | 21:18 min | Chamber Music | 1937 |
| 39 | Sonata for 2 pianos | 17:59 min | Keyboard | 1936 |
| 40 | Flute Quartet | 18:17 min | Chamber Music | 1936 |
| 41 | Duo for violin & viola | 16:45 min | Chamber Music | 1934 |
| 42 | String Quartet No. 1 | 25:02 min | Chamber Music | 1933 |
| 43 | Nocturnes (5) for voice & ensemble | 12:07 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 44 | O Men from the Fields, cradle song | 1:40 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 45 | Suite for 3 B flat Clarinets | 8:23 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 46 | Songs of Innocence (3) for voice, clarinet & piano | 7:14 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 47 | Suite in Six Movements | 9:18 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 48 | Sonatina for flute & piano | 8:55 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 49 | Sonata for bassoon & piano | 13:13 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 50 | Ol' Car'lina | 2:51 min | Miscellaneous (Classical) | - |
| 51 | Concerto for recorder | 16:26 min | Concerto | - |
| 52 | Arioso and Scherzo, for horn, violin, 2 violas & cello | 8:08 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 53 | Sonata for clarinet & piano in B flat major | 19:47 min | Chamber Music | - |
Albums featuring Arnold Cooke
| # | Сover | Name album | Year | Music label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Arnold Cooke - The Bridge Quartet – Complete String Quartets Volume One(CD, Album) | 2023 | Toccata Classics |
| 2 |  |
Arnold Cooke - Tom Winpenny – Organ Music(CD, Album) | 2022 | Toccata Classics |
| 3 |  |
Arnold Cooke, The Pleyel Ensemble – Chamber Music For Flute, Clarinet, Cello And Piano(CD, Album) | 2020 | MPR (3) |
| 4 |  |
Catherine Tanner-Williams, Christopher Williams (27), Arnold Cooke, Richard Elfyn Jones – Oboe Sonatas(CD, Album) | 2020 | Willowhayne Records |
| 5 |  |
Arnold Cooke - Melinda Maxwell, Harvey Davies And Helen Davies (6), The Pleyel Ensemble – Complete Music For Oboe And Sonata For Two Pianos(CD, Album) | 2020 | MPR (3) |
| 6 |  |
Arnold Cooke, The Pleyel Ensemble – Piano Trio, Quartet & Quintet(CD, Album) | 2019 | MPR (3) |
| 7 |  |
Arnold Cooke, The Pleyel Ensemble – The Complete Violin Sonatas(CD, Album) | 2018 | MPR (3) |
| 8 |  |
Symphony No. 4 In E Flat (1975) : Symphony No. 5 In G (1979)(CD, Album, Mono) | 2016 | Lyrita Recorded Edition |
| 9 |  |
Britten, Mathias, Finzi, Cooke, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Michael Collins (3) – British Clarinet Concertos Volume 2(CD, Album) | 2016 | Chandos |
| 10 |  |
Wilhelm Busch - Kenneth Leighton, William Wordsworth (2), Arnold Cooke, Raphael Wallfisch, Raphael Terroni – British Music For Cello And Piano(CD, Compilation) | 2014 | Naxos |
| 11 |  |
Havergal Brian, Arnold Cooke, Myer Fredman, Nicholas Braithwaite, The London Philharmonic Orchestra – Havergal Brian: Symphonies 6 & 16 / Arnold Cooke: Symphony No. 3(CDr, CD-ROM, Compilation, Reissue, Remastered, Stereo) | 2011 | Lyrita Recorded Edition |
| 12 |  |
Chamber Music(CD, Album) | 2010 | Dutton Epoch |
| 13 |  |
Arnold Cooke – London Philharmonic Orchestra, Nicholas Braithwaite – Concerto In D / Jabez And The Devil / Symphony No. 1(CD, Compilation) | 2007 | Lyrita Recorded Edition |
| 14 |  |
The String Sonatas | 2006 | British Music Society |
| 15 |  |
Thea King, Northwest Chamber Orchestra Seattle, Alun Francis – Clarinet Concertos | 2002 | Hyperion |
| 16 |  |
Thea King, Clifford Benson, Stanford, Ferguson, Finzi, Hurlstone, Howells, Bliss, Reizenstein, Cooke – Music For Clarinet And Piano(2×CD, Compilation, Reissue, Stereo) | 1997 | Hyperion |
| 17 |  |
Howells • Maconchy • Cooke • Frankel • Holbrooke - Thea King, Britten Quartet – English Clarinet Quintets | 1991 | Hyperion |
| 18 |  |
The Seamew(LP, Album, Stereo) | 1983 | Meridian (2) |
| 19 |  |
Phyllis Tate / Richard Rodney Bennett / Arnold Cooke / Roger North (2) / Igor Stravinsky – Contemporary Clarinet Volume 1(LP) | 1978 | Chantry Records |
| 20 |  |
Symphony No. 3 In D, Jabez And The Devil - Suite From The Ballet (1961) | 1975 | Lyrita Recorded Edition |
| 21 |  |
The Dolmetsch-Schoenfeld Ensemble - Lennox Berkeley / Arnold Cooke / J. M. Leclair / G. F. Haendel – Concertino, Op. 48 / Sonata (1964) / Trio Sonata In D / Trio Sonata In C(LP) | 1973 | Orion |
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