Norman Cocker (30 November 1889 — 15 November 1953) was a British

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

, choir master and composer of church music, educational and light music. Cocker was born in

Sowerby Bridge Sowerby Bridge ( ) is a market town in the Upper Calder Valley in Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. The Calderdale Council ward population at the 2011 census was 11,703. History The town was originally a fording point over the once mu ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

, England, and became a

chorister A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by Bishop of Winchester William of Waynflete. It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022, and ...

. He was awarded the Organ Scholarship at

Merton College, Oxford Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 126 ...

, but never completed his degree after being sent down, on his own admission, for not doing enough work. While at Oxford he conducted an ensemble called the Oxford University Light Music Orchestra, taking his amateur players through Archibald Joyce waltzes and selections from ''

The Merry Widow ''The Merry Widow'' ( ) is an operetta by the Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The Libretto, librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein (writer), Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's ...

''.'Mr Norman Cocker', in ''The Times'', 1 December 1953, p. 10 Norman Cocker held the diploma of

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 ...

, obtained by examination in July 1911, winning the Lafontaine Prize for the highest marks that session in the playing tests. In the First World War Cocker served with the 16th Lancashire Fusiliers. He also learned to play every instrument of the orchestra during the war years. He was appointed Assistant Organist at

Manchester Cathedral Manchester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Mary, St Denys and St George, in Manchester, England, is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Manchester, seat of the Bishop of Manchester and the c ...

in 1920 under Archibald W. Wilson, becoming Organist and choral master there in 1943, and later held appointments in various churches and cinemas in the city, including Organist at the Gaumont Cinema in Oxford Street (demolished in 1990). Norman Cocker is today remembered mainly for his organ compositions, particularly ''Tuba Tune'' (1922), still often performed today and recorded many times. There is also a modern edition of four short organ pieces: ''Angelus'', ''Trio'', ''Interlude'' and ''Paean'' which have been recorded by

Simon Lindley Simon Lindley (10 October 1948 – 25 February 2025) was an English organist, choirmaster, conductor and composer. He was Organist and Master of the Music at Leeds Minster from 1975 until his retirement in 2016, and Leeds City Organist from 19 ...

. Other works include choral anthems and hymns, and also several symphonies especially written for school orchestras, including the orchestra at Chetham's School.Obituary, ''The Manchester Guardian'', 16 November 1953, p. 2Penny Williams.
Chetham's: Old and New in Harmony
' (1986), p. 78 Keith Swallow and John Wilson have recorded his ''Eight Piano Duets'', Op. 5 (1913-15).

', Campion Cameo CD 2036 (2006), reviewed at ''MusicWeb International'' Cocker was also an amateur magician and a good cook.

References

External links

*
''Tuba Tune'', played by Simon Johnson on the Willis organ at Hereford Cathedral
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cocker, Norman 1889 births 1953 deaths Musicians from Yorkshire British classical organists Cathedral organists British classical composers 20th-century British organists 20th-century British male musicians British male classical organists Musicians from Manchester Alumni of Merton College, Oxford