George Cook (28 May 1925 – April 1995) was an English opera singer and actor, best known for his performances in the bass and

bass-baritone A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing thr ...

roles of the

Savoy Operas Savoy opera was a style of comic opera that developed in Victorian England in the late 19th century, with W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan as the original and most successful practitioners. The name is derived from the Savoy Theatre, which impr ...

with 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. Th ...

Life and career

George Cook was born in

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

. Upon his discharge from the Royal Navy at the close of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Cook joined an amateur operatic society in Coventry. Encouraged by his success, he moved to London and studied voice.Ayre, p. 64Profile of Cook
Memories of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, accessed 20 September 2021 Cook joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company chorus in 1954, soon assuming the role of the Carpenter's Mate in ''

H.M.S. Pinafore ''H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which ...

''. In 1955, he also began to play the mute role of the Associate in ''

Trial by Jury A jury trial, or trial by jury, is a legal proceeding in which a jury makes a decision or findings of fact. It is distinguished from a bench trial in which a judge or panel of judges makes all decisions. Jury trials are used in a significant ...

''. Beginning in 1956, he added to his repertory the roles of Sergeant Bouncer in ''

Cox and Box ''Cox and Box; or, The Long-Lost Brothers'', is a one-act comic opera with a libretto by F. C. Burnand and music by Arthur Sullivan, based on the 1847 farce '' Box and Cox'' by John Maddison Morton. It was Sullivan's first successful comic o ...

'', the Usher in ''Trial'', the Boatswain's Mate in ''Pinafore'', and Samuel in ''

The Pirates of Penzance ''The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, W. S. Gilbert. Its official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 ...

''.Stone, David
George "Cook (1954–69)"
Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, December 22, 2003 In 1956 Cook began to play the role of Giorgio in ''

The Gondoliers ''The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria'' is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 December 1889 and ran for a very successful 554 performances (at that time the ...

'', while also serving as understudy for the principal baritone roles. He also took on the role of Scynthius in ''

Princess Ida ''Princess Ida; or, Castle Adamant'' is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was their eighth operatic collaboration of fourteen. ''Princess Ida'' opened at the Savoy Theatre on 5 January 1884, for a ru ...

'' in 1957, and the roles of Go-To in ''

The Mikado ''The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen Gilbert and Sullivan, operatic collaborations. It opened on 14 March 1885, in London, whe ...

'' and Sergeant of Police in ''Pirates'' in 1962. Finally, in 1963, he added the role of Old Adam in ''

Ruddigore ''Ruddigore; or, The Witch's Curse'', originally called ''Ruddygore'', is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy Operas and the tenth of fourteen comic operas written tog ...

''. He regularly played these roles until he left the D'Oyly Carte organisation in 1969, after marrying D'Oyly Carte chorister Marian Martin. In addition, as understudy to

Kenneth Sandford Kenneth Sandford (28 June 1924 – 19 September 2004) was an English singer and actor, best known for his performances in baritone roles of the Savoy Operas of Gilbert and Sullivan. After service the Royal Air Force during World War II, Sandf ...

, he often played Private Willis in ''

Iolanthe ''Iolanthe; or, The Peer and the Peri'' () is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, first performed in 1882. It is one of the Savoy operas and is the seventh of fourteen operatic collaborations by Gilbert ...

'', King Hildebrand in ''Princess Ida'', Pooh-Bah in ''The Mikado'', Sir Despard Murgatroyd in ''Ruddigore'', Wilfred Shadbolt in ''

The Yeomen of the Guard ''The Yeomen of the Guard; or, The Merryman and His Maid'', is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 3 October 1888 and ran for 423 performances. This was the eleventh ...

'', and Don Alhambra in ''The Gondoliers''. Cook was also known for crafting the Japanese-style fans used by D'Oyly Carte and numerous amateur G&S societies for productions of ''The Mikado'' throughout the UK and abroad. After leaving D'Oyly Carte, Cook sang with '' Gilbert and Sullivan for All'' in his spare time. His wife joined the

English National Opera English National Opera (ENO) is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in English ...

chorus in 1984 and sang with that company for 13 years, into her 60s.

Recordings

Cook's roles recorded with D'Oyly Carte include the Boatswain in ''Pinafore'' (1960), Giorgio in ''The Gondoliers'' (1961), Scynthius in ''Princess Ida'' (1965), and Samuel in ''Pirates'' (1968). He is also Go-To in the 1966 film version of ''The Mikado'' and provides the voice of Old Adam in the 1967 Halas and Batchelor cartoon of ''Ruddigore''.Shepherd, Marc
"The Halas and Batchelor Ruddigore (1967)"
the Gilbert and Sullivan Discography, 7 April 2000, accessed 20 September 2021

References

Sources

* Introduction by

Martyn Green William Martin Green (22 April 1899 – 8 February 1975), known by his stage name, Martyn Green, was an English actor and singer. He is remembered for his performances and recordings as principal comedian of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, in t ...

External links

Cook at IMDb
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, George 1925 births 1995 deaths Musicians from Coventry 20th-century British male opera singers