Hugo Cole (6 July 1917 – 2 March 1995) was an English composer, cellist, critic and author on musical subjects.

Education and early career

Cole was born in London, one of three children of a successful barrister, Arthur Frederick Andrew Cole (1883–1968), and his wife, Margaret Henrietta, born Gaselee (1882–1971). His older sister Catherine later became famous as the children's writer Catherine Storr. Cole was educated at

Winchester School Winchester College is an English public school (a long-established fee-charging boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) with some provision for day attendees, in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 as ...

, where he first began playing the horn and the cello, then at

King's College, Cambridge King's College, formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, is a List of colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college lies beside the River Cam and faces ...

(reading natural sciences).''Who's Who in Music'', Fifth Edition (1969), p. 59 Cole was a conscientious objector, and his application to join the

Friends' Ambulance Unit The Friends' Ambulance Unit (FAU) was a volunteer ambulance service, founded by individual members of the British Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), in line with their Peace Testimony. The FAU operated from 1914 to 1919, 1939 to 1946 and ...

during the war was turned down because of his severe stammer - this affliction led to his later interest in the

Alexander Technique The Alexander technique, named after its developer Frederick Matthias Alexander (1869–1955), is an alternative therapy based on the idea that poor posture causes a range of health problems. The American National Center for Complementary a ...

of relaxation, and to music therapy.Hugo Cole. 'Reaching Out Through Sound: Music Therapy for Children', in ''Country Life'', 11 March 1976, p. 608 During the war he played as a cellist with the

Halle Orchestra Halle may refer to: Places Germany * Halle (Saale), or Halle an der Saale, Saxony-Anhalt ** Halle (electoral district) ** Halle (region), a governmental district 1952–2004 ** Bezirk Halle, a district 1952–1990 ** Halle-Neustadt, a former ci ...

and the

D'Oyly Carte Opera Company The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company is a professional British light opera company that, from the 1870s until 1982, staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere. The ...

before continuing his studies at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music (RCM) is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including pe ...

in 1944: cello with

Ivor James Ivor James CBE (1882–1963)Percy A. Scholes. "James, Ivor". ''Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music''. Oxford University Press, 1964. was a British cellist. He taught for many years at the Royal College of Music; among his pupils were those who becam ...

, harmony with R.O. Morris and composition with

Herbert Howells Herbert Norman Howells (17 October 1892 – 23 February 1983) was an English composer, organist, and teacher, most famous for his large output of Anglican church music. Life Background and early education Howells was born in Lydney, Gloucest ...

. There was some further study in Paris over two summers with

Nadia Boulanger Juliette Nadia Boulanger (; 16 September 188722 October 1979) was a French music teacher, conductor and composer. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century, and also performed occasionally as a pianist and organis ...

Composition

By the late 1940s Cole's interest had shifted from performing towards composing, including works for amateur performers. He produced operas (mostly for children or amateurs and often using his own libretto), choral, orchestral and chamber music. His first children's opera (of five), ''The Asses' Ears'', was written in 1950 for

Rokeby Preparatory School Rokeby School is an independent all-boys preparatory day school in Kingston upon Thames, London. Its headmaster is Jason Peck. The school offers an education from 4 to 13 years through the integration of a pre-Preparatory school (United Kingdom ...

in Wimbledon. ''A Company of Fools'', given its first performance at Queen's College Oxford in November 1955 under Bernard Rose, sets eight poems by

James Kirkup James Harold Kirkup (23 April 1918 – 10 May 2009) was an English poet, translator and travel writer. He wrote more than 45 books, including autobiographies, novels and plays. He wrote under many pen-names including James Falconer, Aditya Jha, ...

, using chorus, a quartet of soloists and strings. ''Flax into Gold: The Story of Rumpelstiltskin'' (1957), is a children's opera with a libretto by Cole's sister, Catherine Storr. His 1959 opera ''The Tunnel'' won the John Lewis Partnership prize for amateur productions, and was staged on 24 October 1960 and following nights in the Auditorium of the (then new)

John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American civil rights activist and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...

shop in Oxford Street. ''Jonah'' (1967), with a libretto by the composer, is scored for speaker, baritone soloist, chorus and orchestra, and is described as "an opera-cantata for stage or concert use". Commissioned by the Downside Choral Society it was first performed at

Westminster Cathedral Westminster Cathedral, officially the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood, is the largest Catholic Church in England and Wales, Roman Catholic church in England and Wales. The shrine is dedicated to the Blood of Jesus Ch ...

Hall on 30 March 1963, conducted by Roger Bevan, and repeated in Somerset. But according to his ''Times'' obituary, Cole's "decidedly English" compositional style was never in fashion, and he mostly gave up composing once he was appointed as a critic on ''The Guardian'' in 1965. There were a few late compositions, including another children's opera, ''The Fair Traders'' (1971). His final piece was ''Winter Meetings - Dialogues for chamber orchestra'', completed in 1975 and performed by the

Havant Havant ( ) is a town in the south-east corner of Hampshire, England. Nearby places include Portsmouth to the south-west, Southampton to the west, Waterlooville to north, Chichester to the east and Hayling Island to the south. The wider borough ...

Symphony Orchestra on 8 November 1975.

Critic and author

Cole wrote for ''The Guardian'' for more than 30 years (1965-95), working with Edward Greenfield and Gerald Larner. He was also a regular contributor to ''The Listener'' (1974-86), and wrote the regular 'The Musical Scene' column in ''Country Life'' for over 20 years.Hugo Cole obituary, ''The Times'', 7 March 1995, p. 19 He also contributed to ''Grove's Dictionary of Music'' (including entries on

Arthur Bliss Sir Arthur Edward Drummond Bliss (2 August 189127 March 1975) was an English composer and conductor. Bliss's musical training was cut short by the First World War, in which he served with distinction in the army. In the post-war years he qui ...

Francis Chagrin Francis Chagrin (born Alexander Paucker, 15 November 1905 – 10 November 1972), was a composer of film scores and popular orchestral music, as well as a conductor. He was also the "organizer and chief moving spirit" who founded the Society for ...

, Children's Opera, Wilfrid Josephs,

Elizabeth Maconchy Dame Elizabeth Violet Maconchy LeFanu (; 19 March 1907 – 11 November 1994) was an English-Irish composer. She is considered to be one of the finest composers Great Britain and Ireland have produced. Biography Elizabeth Violet Maconchy was b ...

and

Humphrey Searle Humphrey Searle (26 August 1915 – 12 May 1982) was an English composer and writer on music. His music combines aspects of late Romanticism and modernist serialism, particularly reminiscent of his primary influences, Franz Liszt, Arnold Sch ...

). He also wrote several books, including a concise guide to musical notation that tackles its modern evolution, such as the notation of electronic music and the development of computer notation as it was in 1974. His book on the music of his friend

Malcolm Arnold Sir Malcolm Henry Arnold (21 October 1921 – 23 September 2006) was an English composer. His works feature music in many genres, including a cycle of nine symphonies, numerous concertos, concert works, chamber music, choral music and music f ...

(1989) is one of the earliest analytical studies of Arnold's music, previously not always considered "serious".

Personal life

Cole was an enthusiastic supporter of the Pianola Society, and a keen cyclist - often using his bicycle to travel to concerts. In 1949 he married Gwyneth John Eedy - an artist and teacher of the Alexander Technique - and there were two daughters. Their address for over 40 years was 15 Hammersmith Terrace, London W6. He died, aged 77, after complications from lymphoma.Tom Sutcliffe. 'A life in words and music', in ''The Guardian'', 3 March 1995, section A5 Daughter Tamasin Cole (1951–2014) was a graphic designer and illustrator.

Works

Composition * Suite for two descant recorders (1949) * ''The Asses' Ears'' (1950), children's opera * ''Divertimento'' (1950), chamber ensemble * Piano Trio (1950) * ''Six Sitwell Songs'' (1950) * String Quartet in A (1951), Clements Memorial Prize * ''A Statue for the Mayer'' (1952), children's opera, for

Wimbledon High School Wimbledon High School is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private girls' day school in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, South West (London sub region), South West London. It is a Girls' Day School Trust school and is a member of the Girls' ...

* ''The Hammersmith Gallop'' (1952), trumpet and piano * ''Variations for Orchestra'' (pre 1953) * Concerto for flute, viola and strings (1953) * Concerto for horn and chamber orchestra (1954) * ''A Company of Fools'' (1954), chorus. soloists and strings * ''Capriccio'' (1955) for flute and piano * ''Eleven Nursery Rhymes'' (1955) for two equal voices, Novello * ''Persephone'' (1955), children's opera, for Wimbledon High School * Quartet for oboe and strings (1955) * ''Of the Nativity of Christ'' (1956), double chorus, setting

William Dunbar William Dunbar (1459 or 1460 – by 1530) was a Scottish makar, or court poet, active in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. He was closely associated with the court of King James IV and produced a large body of work in Scots d ...

* ''Flax into Gold: The Story of Rumpelstiltskin'' (1957), children's opera, libretto by Catherine Storr * ''The Tunnel'' (1959), opera * ''Black Lion Dances'' (1962), orchestra * ''Baron Munchausen'' (1963), cantata for baritone, chorus and orchestra * ''Jonah'' (1963), opera-cantata for speaker, baritone, chorus and orchestra * ''Serenade'' (1965) for nine wind instruments * ''The Falcon'' (1968), one-act opera, fp. Shawford Mill, Bath * ''The Fair Traders'' (1971), children's opera, fp. Wokingham Town Hall * ''Winter Meetings'' (1975), chamber orchestra * Magnificat, for chorus and organ/piano * Nunc dimittis ''Collegium Magdalenae''Recorded on ''Music at Magdalen 2'', Argo ZRG 722 (1973) * ''Miniature Quartets'' Nos. 1 and 2 * ''Two Romantic pieces'' for cello Books * ''Eleven Nursery Rhymes'', music with illustrations (from wood engravings) by Gwyneth Eedy, Novello (1958) * (with

Anna Shuttleworth Anna Shuttleworth (2 May 1927 – 2 March 2021Anna Shuttleworth (2n ...

). ''Playing The Cello'' (1964) * ''Sounds and Signs: Aspects of Musical Notation'' (1974) * ''The Changing Face of Music'' (1979) * ''Malcolm Arnold: An Introduction to His Music'' (1989) * (with Keith Spence). ''The Young People's Book of Music'' (1995)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Hugo 1917 births 1995 deaths 20th-century English male musicians 20th-century English composers Alumni of the Royal College of Music English classical composers English music critics British classical music critics 20th-century English musicologists Alumni of King's College, Cambridge