Samuel Carlton Cooley (April 15, 1898 in

Milford, New Jersey Milford is a borough located in western Hunterdon County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 1,232, a decrease of one person (−0.1%) from the 2010 census count of 1,233, which i ...

– November 1981 in

Stockton, New Jersey Stockton is a borough in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. The borough sits on the Delaware River at the western end of Amwell Valley. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 538,

) was an American

violist ; german: Bratsche , alt=Viola shown from the front and the side , image=Bratsche.jpg , caption= , background=string , hornbostel_sachs=321.322-71 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded by a bow , range= , related= *Violin family ...

and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

Biography

Cooley studied at the

Philadelphia Musical Academy Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

with Frederick Hahn and Camille Zeckwer, and later with

Percy Goetschius Percy Goetschius (August 10, 1853 – October 29, 1943) was an American music theorist and teacher who won international fame in the teaching of composition. Career Goetschius was born in Paterson, New Jersey. He was encouraged by Ureli Corelli ...

and

Louis Svečenski Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis ...

at the Institute of Musical Art (Juilliard School) in New York City. In 1919, Cooley joined the viola section of the

Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription ...

for one year before he was appointed Principal Violist of the

Cleveland Orchestra The Cleveland Orchestra, based in Cleveland, is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the " Big Five". Founded in 1918 by the pianist and impresario Adella Prentiss Hughes, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Sev ...

in 1922, a position in which he remained until 1937. He was Principal Violist of the

NBC Symphony Orchestra The NBC Symphony Orchestra was a radio orchestra conceived by David Sarnoff, the president of the Radio Corporation of America, especially for the conductor Arturo Toscanini. The NBC Symphony performed weekly radio concert broadcasts with Tosca ...

from 1937 to 1954 during the years of

Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orch ...

's tenure. In 1954, upon Toscanini's retirement, Cooley joined the Philadelphia Orchestra viola section under

Eugene Ormandy Eugene Ormandy (born Jenő Blau; November 18, 1899 – March 12, 1985) was a Hungarian-born American conductor and violinist, best known for his association with the Philadelphia Orchestra, as its music director. His 44-year association wit ...

and was appointed Principal Violist in 1956, succeeding Harry Zaratzian. He remained with the Philadelphia Orchestra until his retirement in 1963. Cooley was also violist with the Cleveland String Quartet and NBC String Quartet. Cooley is particularly remembered for his recordings under Toscanini and Ormandy. He also recorded his own composition, ''Aria and Dance'' for viola and orchestra, with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Ormandy's baton. Cooley was married to Ada Eleanor Strother (b. Liverpool UK 1886, d. Flemington NJ 1986) from August 26, 1923 until his death in November 1981. They had one child, Richard Strother Cooley (b. Cleveland OH 1924). He is the grandfather of fiction writer Martha Cooley (b. NJ 1955), whose novels include "The Archivist" and "Thirty Three Swoons"; attorney Seth van den Hoek Cooley (b. NJ 1957): children Ian David Cooley (b. PA 1987), Hannah Claire Cooley (b. PA 1989) and Benjamin Trevorrow Cooley (b. PA 1993); and archivist Karen Cooley Boysen (b. NJ 1962): children Cyril van den Hoek Boysen (b. CA 1992) and Aartdina Parry Boysen (b. CA 1995).

Selected works

;Orchestral * ''Eastbourne Sketches'' for string orchestra (1925–1926, orchestrated 1941) :# Promenade :# The Downs :# The Punch and Judy Show ;Concertante * Concertino for viola and orchestra (1937) * ''Aria and Dance'' for viola and orchestra (1965?) ;Chamber and instrumental music * ''Eastbourne Sketches'' for string quartet (1925–1926) * ''A Song and Dance'' for viola and piano (1927) * ''Prelude and Gigue'' by

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

arranged for viola and piano (1938); original for cello solo * ''"Vexations" on a Well-known Theme (with Apology to

Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

)'', Comic Sketch for string quartet (1940s) * ''Etude Suite'' for viola solo (1962) :# Prelude :# Scherzo :# Thème Russe :# Rondino Spiccato * ''Scale Studies for Viola'' (1964)

Recordings

;Viola *

Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, and violinist. Considered a leading composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras, he has been described as a successor of Richard Wag ...

: ''

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of Wester ...

'' –

Emanuel Feuermann Emanuel Feuermann (November 22, 1902 – May 25, 1942) was an internationally celebrated cellist in the first half of the 20th century. Life Feuermann was born in 1902 in Kolomyja, Galicia, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now Kolomyia, Ukraine) to ...

(cello); Carlton Cooley (viola);

(conductor);

(1938) *

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

: ''

Sinfonia Concertante Sinfonia concertante (; also called ''symphonie concertante'') is an orchestral work, normally in several movements, in which one or more solo instruments contrast with the full orchestra.Collins: ''Encyclopedia of Music'', William Collins Sons & C ...

'' for violin, viola and orchestra, K. 364 –

Mischa Mischakoff Mischa Mischakoff (April 16, 1895 – February 1, 1981) was an outstanding violinist who, as a concertmaster, led many of America's greatest orchestras from the 1920s to the 1960s. Mischakoff was born in Proskuriv (today Khlmelnytskyi), Ukraine a ...

(violin); Carlton Cooley (viola); Arturo Toscanini (conductor); NBC Symphony Orchestra (1941) * Richard Strauss: ''Don Quixote'' –

Frank Miller Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book writer, penciller and inker, novelist, screenwriter, film director, and producer known for his comic book stories and graphic novels such as his run on Daredevil (Marvel Comics ser ...

(cello); Carlton Cooley (viola); Arturo Toscanini (conductor); NBC Symphony Orchestra (1948) *

Hector Berlioz In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...

: ''

Harold en Italie ''Harold en Italie,'' ''symphonie avec un alto principal'' (English: ''Harold in Italy,'' ''symphony with viola obbligato''), as the manuscript calls and describes it, is a four-movement orchestral work by Hector Berlioz, his Opus 16, H. 68, w ...

'' – Carlton Cooley (viola); Arturo Toscanini (conductor); NBC Symphony Orchestra (1949) *

Giorgio Federico Ghedini Giorgio Federico Ghedini (11 July 189225 March 1965) was an Italian composer. In addition to orchestral works, in 1949 he premiered a one-act opera based on the American novella '' Billy Budd'' by Herman Melville. Life Ghedini was born in Cuneo ...

: ''Pezzo Concertante'' for 2 violins, viola and orchestra (1931) –

, Max Hollander (violins); Carlton Cooley (viola);

Guido Cantelli Guido Cantelli (; 27 April 192024 November 1956) was an Italian orchestral conducting, conductor. Toscanini elected him his "spiritual heir" since the beginnings of his career. He was named Musical Director of La Scala, La Scala, Milan in November ...

(conductor); NBC Symphony Orchestra (1949–1952) *

: ''

'' –

Lorne Munroe Lorne Munroe (November 24, 1924 – May 4, 2020) was an American cellist.Gibson, Ronald and Winters, Kenneth"Munroe, Lorne*, ''Encyclopedia of Music in Canada''. Accessed March 12, 2009 He was principal cellist of the Philadelphia Orchestra from ...

(cello); Carlton Cooley (viola);

(conductor);

(1963) * Carlton Cooley: ''Aria and Dance'' for viola and orchestra – Carlton Cooley (viola); Eugene Ormandy (conductor); Philadelphia Orchestra; ''First Chair Encores'' (1965) ;Chamber music * Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Foundation Concerts, Library of Congress – Coolidge Quartet; Carlton Cooley (viola) :

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped wit ...

: String Quintet in F major, Op. 88 (1882); recorded in 1943 : Johannes Brahms: String Quintet in G major, Op. 111 (1890); recorded in 1943 : Johannes Brahms: String Sextet in B major, Op. 18 (1860); recorded in 1943 : Johannes Brahms: String Sextet in G major, Op. 36 (1864–1865); recorded in 1943 * Gertrude Clarke Whittall Foundation Concerts, Library of Congress –

Budapest String Quartet The Budapest String Quartet was a string quartet in existence from 1917 to 1967. It originally consisted of three Hungarians and a Dutchman; at the end, the quartet consisted of four Russians. A number of recordings were made for HMV/Victor t ...

; Carlton Cooley (viola); Benar Heifetz (cello); Daniel Saidenberg (cello) : Johannes Brahms: String Quintet in F major, Op. 88 (1882); recorded in 1952 : Johannes Brahms: String Sextet in B major, Op. 18 (1860); recorded in 1948 and 1951 : Johannes Brahms: String Sextet in G major, Op. 36 (1864–1865); recorded in 1948 and 1952 :

Antonín Dvořák Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( ; ; 8 September 1841 – 1 May 1904) was a Czechs, Czech composer. Dvořák frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravian traditional music, Moravia and his native Bohemia, following t ...

: String Sextet in A major, Op. 48 (1878); recorded in 1948 and 1951 : Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: String Quintet in C major, K. 515 (1787); recorded in 1948 : Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: String Quintet in D major, K. 593 (1790); recorded in 1948 :

Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (, ; ; 13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian-American composer, music theorist, teacher, writer, and painter. He is widely considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He was as ...

: ''

Verklärte Nacht ''Verklärte Nacht'' (''Transfigured Night''), Op. 4, is a string sextet in one movement composed by Arnold Schoenberg in 1899. Composed in just three weeks, it is considered his earliest important work. It was inspired by Richard Dehmel's poe ...

'', Op. 4 (1899) *

Boris Koutzen Boris Koutzen (1 April 1901 – 10 December 1966) was a Russians, Russian-American violinist composer and music educator. Biography Koutzen was born in Uman, Southern Federal District, Southern Russia. He began Music composition, composing at the ...

: String Quartet No. 2 (1945) – Boris Koutzen, Bernard Robbins (violins); Carlton Cooley (viola); Harvey Shapiro (cello) * Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: ''

Kegelstatt Trio The ''Kegelstatt Trio'', K. 498, is a piano trio for clarinet, viola and piano in E-flat major by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. History Mozart wrote the piano trio on 10 sheets (19 pages) in Vienna and dated the manuscript on 5 August 1786. Accordin ...

'', K. 498 – Sidney Forrest (clarinet), Carlton Cooley (viola);

Ernő Balogh Ernő Balogh (4 April 1897, Budapest – died 2 June 1989, Mitchellville, Maryland) was a United States-based Hungarian-born pianist, composer, editor, and teacher. Biography Balogh attended the Budapest Conservatory from 1905 to 1917. His teac ...

(piano) *

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

: ''

Souvenir de Florence The String Sextet in D minor "''Souvenir de Florence''", Op. 70, is a string sextet scored for 2 violins, 2 violas, and 2 cellos composed in the summer of 1890 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky dedicated the work to the St. Petersburg Chamb ...

'', Op. 70 (1890) – Guilet String Quartet; Carlton Cooley (viola); Naoum Benditzky (cello)

Sources

* Riley, Maurice W. (1980), "Brief Biographies of Violists", ''The History of the Viola, Volume I'', Ann Arbor, Michigan: Braun-Brumfield, p. 324.
Philadelphia Orchestra Musicians: A Chronological Listing
Retrieved 5 February 2011.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooley, Carlton 1898 births 1981 deaths American classical violists American male classical composers American classical composers 20th-century classical composers People from Milford, New Jersey University of the Arts (Philadelphia) alumni 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians Musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra 20th-century violists