Alfred Melville Cook (18 June 1912 – 22 May 1993) was a British organist, conductor, composer and teacher.

Early life and education

Cook was born in

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

. He was a chorister at

Gloucester Cathedral Gloucester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity and formerly St Peter's Abbey, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated with the establishme ...

(1923–1928) and articled pupil there under Herbert Sumsion (1929–1932). He also studied with Herbert Brewer and Edward Bairstow. He held the

ARCO Arco may refer to: Places * Arco, Trentino, a town in Trentino, Italy * Arco, Idaho, in the United States * Arco, Minnesota, a city in the United States * ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California, home of the Sacramento Kings Companies * ARCO (b ...

(1931) and the FRCO with the Harding Prize (1931). He studied at

Durham University Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament (UK), Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by r ...

, receiving the B.Mus. in 1934 and D.Mus. in 1940.

Career

Cook was assistant organist of Gloucester Cathedral (1932–1937)
The Three Choirs Festival: A History
'. Boydell & Brewer; 2017. . p. 221–. and was also organist of

All Saints' Church, Cheltenham All Saints Church, Cheltenham, is a Grade I listed parish church in the Church of EnglandThe Buildings of England : Gloucestershire: Nikolaus Pevsner. in Cheltenham. All Saints stands in the Traditional Catholic tradition of the Church of Engl ...

(1935–1937). In 1937 or 1938, aged 25, he was appointed choirmaster and organist at Leeds Parish Church. (See also Choir of Leeds Parish Church). During the war he served with the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

in the Orkney Islands, East Africa, India and the Far East, and it was during this period that he met his wife Marion in Scotland. By 1946 he had returned to

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

, during which time he performed on national radio both as a solo organist and choirmaster. He worked as director of the Parish Church Choir where he broadened the musical repertoire of Leeds Parish Church, introducing more unaccompanied music. He was also organist at the Leeds Triennial Festivals in the late 1940s and early to mid-1950s. He became conductor of the Halifax Choral Society in 1948, and founded th
Leeds Guild of Singers
in the same year. In December 1956 he took up the post of Organist and Master of the Choristers at

Hereford Cathedral Hereford Cathedral, formally the , is a Church of England cathedral in Hereford, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Hereford and the principal church of the diocese of Hereford. The cathedral is a grade I listed building. A place of wors ...

, where he was principal conductor at the Hereford

Three Choirs Festival 200px, Worcester cathedral 200px, Gloucester cathedral The Three Choirs Festival is a music festival held annually at the end of July, rotating among the cathedrals of the Three Counties (Hereford, Gloucester, and Worcester) and originally fe ...

in 1958, 1961 and 1964. In 1966 he emigrated to Canada to become director of the Winnipeg Philharmonic ChoirPeter Letkemann.
The Ben Horch Story
'. Old Oak Publishing; 2007. . p. 370. and organist and choirmaster at All Saints' Anglican Church, Winnipeg.Don Ewing.
As I Recall
'. Lulu.com; August 2009. . p. 528–. He was the organist and choirmaster (1967–1986) at the

Metropolitan United Church Metropolitan United Church is a historic Gothic Revival architecture, Neo-Gothic style church (building), church in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is one of the largest and most prominent churches of the United Church of Canada. It is locat ...

, Toronto, where he organized organ recitals, chamber concerts, choral performances, and presented a number of oratorios with the Metropolitan Festival Choir and Orchestra. He taught organ (1974–1977) at

McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood, Ontario, Ainslie Wood and Westdale, Ontario, Westd ...

in Hamilton.

Retirement and death

Melville Cook retired to Cheltenham in 1986 and remained there until his death in 1993. A memorial service for Dr Cook was held at Leeds Parish Church in the autumn of 1993.
The Organ
'. Vol. 72 - Issue 290, Volume 73. Musical Opinion; 1992. p. 121.

Compositions

* I Love All Beauteous Things (Stainer & Bell 1935) * West Sussex Drinking Song (TTBB chorus a cappella, Curwen 1956) * Antiphon of Darkness and Light (Novello 1973) * The Character of a Happy Life (Leslie 1990)

Arrangements

* The Secret Flower. Harmonized by Martin Shaw, Accompaniment and Descant by Melville Cook

Recordings

* Leeds Parish Church (RCA VICS 1624) * Hereford Cathedral (RCA LVLI 5019, RCA VPS 1065) * Great Cathedral Organ Series. Record Number 11: Hereford Cathedral. Melville Cook, Organist.

His Master's Voice His Master's Voice is an entertainment trademark featuring a dog named Nipper, curiously peering into the horn of a wind-up gramophone. Painted by Francis Barraud in 1898, the image has since become a global symbol used across consumer elect ...

: Q CLP3565 0 CSD3565. Recorded 1968. John Bull (Ed. Glyn): Pavana Sinfoniae. S. S. Wesley: Larghetto in F sharp minor.

Joseph Jongen Joseph Marie Alphonse Nicolas Jongen (14 December 1873 – 12 July 1953) was a Belgian organist, composer, and music educator. Biography Jongen was born in Liège, where his parents had moved from Flanders. He was the elder brother of Léon Jonge ...

: Sonata Eroica, Op. 94. Jean Langlais: Incantation pour un jour saint. Flor Peeters: Aria, Op. 51. Maurice Duruflé: Prélude et Fugue sur le nom d'Alain, Op. 7. * Selections from EMI Great Cathedral Organ Series, Volume Two. Hereford Cathedral. Melville Cook, Organist. PHI CD 161. Maurice Duruflé: Prélude et Fugue sur le nom d'Alain, Opus 7. S. S. Wesley: Larghetto in F sharp minor. Joseph Jongen: Sonata Eroica, Op. 94. * Selections from EMI Great Cathedral Organ Series, Volume Four. Hereford Cathedral. Melville Cook, Organist. PHI CD 163. Melville Cook (Hereford Cathedral). Flor Peeters: Aria. * Toronto: Metropolitan Silver Band and the Danforth Citadel Band (Cathedral Brass, 1973, Metropolitan Silver Band STM-0473) * Stabat Mater by Joseph Haydn. Metropolitan Festival Choir and Orchestra, Janet Stubbs, mezzo-soprano, tenor Ronald Murdock (1988?, Stereodyne/Audio Ideas) (The performance was on October 28, 1978)

Literature

* ''The Organists and Organs of Hereford Cathedral'': Watkins Shaw and Roy Massey. Hereford: Hereford Cathedral Organ Committee, 2005. First published in 1976.

References

External links

"Melville Cook"
''The Canadian Encyclopedia''.
Melville Cook in the National Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Melville 1912 births 1993 deaths Military personnel from Gloucestershire British classical organists British cathedral organists British male conductors (music) Fellows of the Royal College of Organists 20th-century British conductors (music) 20th-century British composers 20th-century British organists 20th-century British male musicians Alumni of Durham University British Army personnel of World War II Royal Artillery personnel British male classical organists