Maurice Cole (1902 – 1990), was an English pianist, teacher and

adjudicator An adjudicator is someone who presides, judges, and arbitrates during a formal dispute or competition. They have numerous purposes, including preliminary legal judgments, to determine applicant eligibility, or to assess contenders' performance ...

. He was born in London and studied at the

Guildhall School of Music The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz ...

and privately with

Arthur De Greef Arthur De Greef may refer to: * Arthur De Greef (composer) (1862–1940), Belgian pianist and composer * Arthur De Greef (tennis) (born 1992), Belgian tennis player {{hndis, Greef, Arthur De ...

in London and Brussels. Cole was the first pianist to broadcast a

recital A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variety an ...

on the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

and went on to perform, amongst many other compositions, both books of Bach's ''

Well-Tempered Clavier ''The Well-Tempered Clavier'', BWV 846–893, consists of two sets of preludes and fugues in all 24 major and minor keys for keyboard by Johann Sebastian Bach. In the composer's time, ''clavier'', meaning keyboard, referred to a variety of in ...

'' on the BBC Third Programme. He was professor at the Guildhall School of Music from 1953, was appointed Professor of Pianoforte at the School on two occasions and was a member of the

Incorporated Society of Musicians The Independent Society of Musicians (ISM) is the UK and Ireland's professional body for musicians representing over 11,000 individuals across all areas of the music industry. The ISM is also a subject association for music education and is an ind ...

. He was married with Doris Allen. During the Second World War, he was a member of

ENSA The Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA) was an organisation established in 1939 by Basil Dean and Leslie Henson to provide entertainment for British armed forces personnel during World War II. ENSA operated as part of the Navy, ...

and entertained the forces, both in London and abroad. He partnered with the pianist composer

Helen Pyke Helen Pyke (June, 1905 – 13 July 1954) (full name Helen Lucas Pyke) was an English pianist, teacher and composer, born in Paddington, London. She was educated at the London Academy of Music under Yorke Trotter and Horace Kesteven. She compose ...

for piano duets before her death in 1954. In 1958, he went on an extensive performance tour to Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and other countries. Cole recorded extensively in the 1920s and 1930s for release on

78 rpm A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog signal, analog sound Recording medium, storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove ...

for

Vocalion Vocalion Records is an American record company and label. History The label was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Company, a maker of pianos and organs, as Aeolian-Vocalion; the company also sold phonographs under the Vocalion name. "Aeolian" was ...

, for Hyperion during the late 1940s, and for Classics Club Records during the late 1950s (later reissued by

Saga Records Saga Records was a British independent record label first established in 1958. It pioneered budget-priced light classical music and jazz LPs. Origins The Saga Records label emerged from Saga Films Ltd, a venture established by the British pianis ...

). He was also one of the first pianists to broadcast from the Marconi House Studio in 1922 and also broadcast from

Savoy Hill Savoy Place is a large red brick building on the north bank of the River Thames in London. It is on a street called Savoy Place; Savoy Hill and Savoy Street run along the sides of the building up to the Strand. In front is the Victoria Embankment ...

. Maurice Cole played his first Portsmouth Municipal concert at The Kings Theatre, Southsea,on the 1st November 1942 with the orchestra of the Royal Marines under Vivian Dunn. He died in Portsmouth on 14th April 1990.

Known recordings

78 rpm

*''

Edvard Grieg Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the foremost Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His use of ...

, Papillons,

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

, Moment Musical,

Felix Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions include sy ...

, Bees Wedding,

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leadin ...

, Prelude'', ACO G 15387 (acoustic recording) *''

Balfour Gardiner Henry Balfour Gardiner (7 November 1877 – 28 June 1950) was a British musician, composer, and teacher. He was born at Kensington (London), began to play at the age of 5 and to compose at 9. Between his conventional education at Charterhouse ...

, Humoreske,

Cyril Scott Cyril Meir Scott (27 September 1879 – 31 December 1970) was an English composer, writer, poet, and occultist. He created around four hundred musical compositions including piano, violin, cello concertos, symphonies, and operas. He also wrot ...

, Danse Negre'', ACO G 15351 (acoustic recording) *''

Sergei Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one o ...

, Polichinelle,

Moritz Moszkowski Moritz Moszkowski (23 August 18544 March 1925) was a German Confederation, German composer, pianist, and teacher of History of Jews in Poland, Polish-Jewish descent.

, En Automne'', ACO G 15087 (acoustic recording, Recorded: c. 1924) *''

Cécile Chaminade Cécile Louise Stéphanie Chaminade (8 August 1857 – 13 April 1944) was a French composer and pianist. In 1913, she was awarded the Légion d'Honneur, a first for a female composer. Ambroise Thomas said, "This is not a woman who composes, but a ...

, Danse Creole/Pierrette'', ACO, G15331 *'' Leo Delibes (arr. Dohnanyi), Naila Waltz'', ACO G 16111 *''

, Ballade No. 1'', Broadcast Twelve 5076, Recorded: c. 1929 *''

, Ballade in A-flat'', Broadcast Twelve 5034 *''

John Ireland John Benjamin Ireland (January 30, 1914 – March 21, 1992) was a Canadian actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in ''All the King's Men'' (1949), making him the first Vancouver-born actor to receive an Oscar nomina ...

, The Island Spell/Rachmaninoff, Prelude in C-sharp minor'', ACO G15523 *''

, Prelude in C-sharp minor/

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...

, Liebesträume'', Broadcast Twelve 5008 *''

, Automne,

, Little bird,

Christian Sinding Christian August Sinding (11 January 18563 December 1941) was a Norwegian composer. He is best known for his lyrical work for piano '' Frühlingsrauschen'' (Rustle of Spring, 1896). He was often compared to Edvard Grieg and regarded as his succ ...

, Rustle of spring'', Broadcast Twelve 5009 *''

, Concerto in A minor'', Broadcast F 4011, F 4012, F 4013 (electrical recording) *''

, Hungarian Fantasia'', Broadcast Twelve 5087, 5088 *''

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 ...

, Concerto No.1 in B-flat minor'', Broadcast Twelve 5118, 5119, 5120, 5121 *''

Gabriel Fauré Gabriel Urbain Fauré (; 12 May 1845 – 4 November 1924) was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th-century composers ...

, Impromptu'', Acetate disc recording (located Sakuraphon)

33 rpm

J. S. 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 ...

"Concerto in the Italian Style / Overture in the French Manner", Saga Records *J.S. Bach – ''Das Wohltemperirte Klavier'', Book I and II (''The Well-Tempered Clavier'') Saga Records *

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

Variations Opp. 34 & 35, Rondo in G Op. 51/2, Saga Records *

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 with ...

selected piano pieces, Classics Club * Franck Prélude, Choral et Fugue, Classics Club

Known performances

Christchurch Town Hall

*6 January 1941

St. Peter's Hall

*28 November 1942, Recital by Maurice Cole (piano), Harold Fairhurst (violin) and Margaret Bissett (alto), in aid of the Linen Guild of the Royal Victoria and West Hants Hospital

Bournemouth Chamber Music Society

4 February 1950, Frederick Fuller (baritone), Maurice Cole (piano) * Paganini-

Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...

, Study no. 2 in E-flat *

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...

, ''An Irish Idyll'' (six miniatures) *

Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

, "Der Musensohn" (The Son of the Muses) * Bax, Hill Tune *

Khatchaturian Aram Ilyich Khachaturian (; rus, Арам Ильич Хачатурян, , ɐˈram ɨˈlʲjitɕ xətɕɪtʊˈrʲan, Ru-Aram Ilyich Khachaturian.ogg; hy, Արամ Խաչատրյան, ''Aram Xačʿatryan''; 1 May 1978) was a Soviet and Armenian ...

, Toccata *

, Sonata in A-flat major, Op. 110 *Schubert, "Heidenröslein" (Wild Rose) *Schubert, "Am Meer" (By the Sea) *Schubert, "Fischerweise" (Fisherman's Song) *Schubert, "Nachtstück" (Night Piece) * Scarlatti, Sonata in A major *Scarlatti, Sonata in B minor *Bach, Prelude and Fugue in D major

BBC Henry Wood Promenade

Monday 7 September 1959,

Basil Cameron Basil Cameron, CBE (18 August 1884 – 26 June 1975) was an English conductor. Early career He was born Basil George Cameron HindenbergW.L. Jacob, "Hindenburg v. Cameron" (Letter to the Editor) (1991). ''The Musical Times'', 132 (1782), p. ...

John Hollingsworth John Hollingsworth (20 March 191629 December 1963) was a British orchestral conductor prominent in the concert hall, the ballet and opera theatre, and the film studio. He was Sir Malcolm Sargent's assistant conductor at The Proms, where he condu ...

Constance Shacklock Constance Shacklock OBE (16 April 1913 – 29 June 1999) was an English contralto. After more than a decade of roles with the Covent Garden Opera Company, with other companies and on the concert stage, Shacklock performed for six years in ' ...

(

contralto A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typically b ...

Nicanor Zabaleta Nicanor Zabaleta (January 7, 1907 – April 1, 1993) was a Spanish harpist. Zabaleta was born in San Sebastián, Spain, on January 7, 1907. In 1914 his father, an amateur musician, bought him a harp in an antique shop. He soon began taking ...

(

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orche ...

), Maurice Cole (piano) *Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 *Handel, "

Ombra mai fu "" ("Never was a shade…"), also known as "Largo from ''Xerxes''", is the opening aria from the 1738 opera ''Serse'' by George Frideric Handel. Context The opera was a commercial failure, lasting only five performances in London after its premi ...

", recitative and aria from ''Xerxes'' *Bach, Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor *

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...

, Concerto in B-flat for Harp and Small Orchestra *Handel, Suite from '' The Water Music'' (arr. Harty) *

Rodrigo Rodrigo is a Spanish, Portuguese and Italian name derived from the Germanic name ''Roderick'' (Gothic ''*Hroþareiks'', via Latinized ''Rodericus'' or ''Rudericus''), given specifically in reference to either King Roderic (d. 712), the last Vis ...

, ''

Concierto serenata The ''Concierto serenata'' for harp and orchestra was composed in 1952 by Joaquín Rodrigo.Tintagel Tintagel () or Trevena ( kw, Tre war Venydh, meaning ''Village on a Mountain'') is a civil parish and village situated on the Atlantic coast of Cornwall, England. The village and nearby Tintagel Castle are associated with the legends surroundin ...

Published works

*Violin concerto /

Alberto Ginastera Alberto Evaristo Ginastera (; April 11, 1916June 25, 1983) was an Argentinian composer of classical music. He is considered to be one of the most important 20th-century classical composers of the Americas. Biography Ginastera was born in Buen ...

; reduction for violin and piano by Maurice Cole.

Boosey & Hawkes Boosey & Hawkes is a British music publisher purported to be the largest specialist classical music publisher in the world. Until 2003, it was also a major manufacturer of brass, string and woodwind musical instruments. Formed in 1930 throu ...

, 1967. 1 score + 1 part.

Criticism

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1

"One can perhaps scarcely expect subtlety for eight shillings. What we get is sensible work and passable orchestral tone, with the pianoforte’s part a good way the best of the bargain. Would it be better worth while to improve the orchestral tone, and charge a little more for the records – if that could be arranged?".

Grieg piano concerto

"I have never regarded Mr. Cole as an extremely fine interpreter—more as a sound general utility man. Still, the records are well worth trying by those who like hefty playing... ...In the slow movement (of the Greig piano concerto) the opening orchestral section is omitted and the movement is taken a little faster than the marked speed. The pianist is too urgent in this. It needs stroking. Some of his notes clang a trifle more than I like."

Chopin, Rachmaninov, Grieg

" Reginald Paul's British contemporary Maurice Cole made a number of highly impressive discs for Broadcast – I think especially of his Chopin,

Rachmaninov Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of ...

and the Grieg Concerto with the same Metropolitan band (and Stanley Chapple) that accompanies Reginald Paul. He also made some less well-known sides for Aco – and they are no less impressive. Cole is an undeservedly neglected figure though some will remember his Bach LPs from the 1960s. He was married to the fiddler Winifred Small, with whom he also recorded, and we should have examples of his musicianship on CD. End of sermon."

Bach

"These are thoughtful, considered performances; you feel Mr. Cole has a reason for everything he does." Review of Cole's recording of Bach's ''

The Well-Tempered Clavier ''The Well-Tempered Clavier'', BWV 846–893, consists of two sets of preludes and fugues in all 24 major and minor keys for keyboard by Johann Sebastian Bach. In the composer's time, ''clavier'', meaning keyboard, referred to a variety of in ...

'', book II in

Gramophone A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...

Magazine, June 1963. "…unfailing musicality, control of partplaying, complete accuracy, admirably firm rhythm, and an avoidance of all posturing and pretentiousness (would that the same could be said for all other Bach players!)" Review of Cole's recording of Bach's ''Well-Tempered Clavier book I in Gramophone Magazine, November 1962.

References

External links

London Metropolitan Archives

Maurice Cole plays Liszt's "Liebestraum" in a 1930 Pathé short film
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Maurice 1902 births 1990 deaths British classical pianists English classical pianists English male classical pianists Musicians from London 20th-century classical pianists 20th-century English musicians 20th-century British male musicians