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 and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

. He was a chorister at

Gloucester Cathedral Gloucester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated with the establishment of a minster dedicated to S ...

(1923–1928) and articled pupil there under

Herbert Sumsion Herbert Whitton Sumsion (14 January 1899 – 11 August 1995) was an English musician who was organist of Gloucester Cathedral from 1928 to 1967. Through his leadership role with the Three Choirs Festival, Sumsion maintained close association ...

(1929–1932). He also studied with

Herbert Brewer Sir Alfred Herbert Brewer (21 June 18651 March 1928) was an English composer and organist. As organist of Gloucester Cathedral from 1896 until his death, he contributed a good deal to the Three Choirs Festival for 30 years.Edwards, F.G. 'Brew ...

and

Edward Bairstow Sir Edward Cuthbert Bairstow (22 August 18741 May 1946) was an English organist and composer in the Anglican church music tradition. Life and career Bairstow was born in Trinity Street, Huddersfield in 1874. His grandfather Oates Bairstow was ...

. He held the

ARCO ARCO ( ) is a brand of gasoline stations currently owned by Marathon Petroleum after BP sold its rights. BP commercializes the brand in Northern California, Oregon and Washington, while Marathon has rights for the rest of the United States an ...

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

Durham University , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills (Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_chan ...

, 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 E ...

(1935–1937). In 1937 or 1938, aged 25, he was appointed choirmaster and organist at

Leeds Parish Church Leeds Minster, or the Minster and Parish Church of Saint Peter-at-Leeds (formerly Leeds Parish Church) is the minster church of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It stands on the site of the oldest church in the city and is of architectural and l ...

. (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 and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

, 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 Halifax Choral Society is a choir based in the town of Halifax in the English county of West Yorkshire. It is notable for being the oldest amateur choral society in Britain (and possibly in the world) with an unbroken record of performance. ...

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 is the cathedral church of the Anglican Diocese of Hereford in Hereford, England. A place of worship has existed on the site of the present building since the 8th century or earlier. The present building was begun in 1079. S ...

, 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 featu ...

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 Neo-Gothic style church in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is one of the largest and most prominent churches of the United Church of Canada. It is located at 56 Queen Street East, between Bond and ...

, 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 and Westdale, adjacent to the Royal Botanical Ga ...

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 Masters Voice/EMI: HMV 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. On the strength of an amazing precocity ...

: 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 male organists Cathedral organists British male conductors (music) Fellows of the Royal College of Organists 20th-century British conductors (music) 20th-century British composers 20th-century organists 20th-century British male musicians Alumni of Durham University British Army personnel of World War II Royal Artillery personnel Male classical organists