Robert Cooke (1768 – 22/23 August 1814) was an English organist and composer, from 1802 organist of

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the Unite ...

Life

Cooke was born in Westminster, London, son of the organist and composer Benjamin Cooke; he succeeded his father as organist of the church of

St Martin-in-the-Fields St Martin-in-the-Fields is a Church of England parish church at the north-east corner of Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, London. It is dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours. There has been a church on the site since at least the mediev ...

in 1793. He was appointed organist at

on the death of Samuel Arnold in 1802, and was master of the choristers of the Abbey by 1805. On 22 or 23 August 1814 he drowned in the River Thames near Millbank; it was assumed to be suicide. He was buried in the west cloister of Westminster Abbey.Benjamin and Robert Cooke
Westminster Abbey, accessed 20 February 2023.

Compositions

Cooke wrote an Evening Service in C (1806), and a collection of chants for the choir of the Abbey. He also wrote an "Ode to Friendship", and several songs and glees, of which a collection of eight was published in 1805.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cooke, Robert 1768 births 1814 deaths English classical organists British male organists 18th-century keyboardists 19th-century organists Glee composers 19th-century classical composers Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey Burials at Westminster Abbey 19th-century British male musicians Male classical organists