James Francis Cooke

James Francis Cooke

James Francis Cooke, 1952, from a article in The Wesleyan Pharos college newspaper.
Born (1875-11-14)November 14, 1875
Bay City, Michigan
Died March 3, 1960(1960-03-03) (aged 84)
Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania
Occupation Author, journalist, editor, publisher, music teacher, pianist, composer
Citizenship United States of America
Education Doctor of Music
Alma mater Royal Conservatory in Wurzburg
Subject Music history, music theory, musician features, classical music
Notable works
  • The Etude
  • Great Pianists upon Piano-Playing
  • Great Singers on the Art of Singing
  • Mastering the Scales and Arpeggios
Notable awards
Spouse Betsey Ella Beckwith
Children
  • Carol L. Cooke (died in childhood before 1910)
  • Francis Sherman Cooke[1]
Signature

James Francis Cooke (November 14, 1875, Bay City, Michigan – March 3, 1960, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania) spent his life involved with music.[1][2] He was a pianist, composer, playwright, journalist, author (including novels and of books on musical history and theory), a president of Theodore Presser music publishers from 1925 to 1936, and editor of The Etude music magazine from 1907 to 1950,[2][3] or 1913 to 1956.[1] He taught piano for more than twenty years in New York, led choral clubs and taught voice.[2] He also gave music-topic lectures.[2]

His work was in the field of music education, and he was the president of the Philadelphia Music Teacher's Association for seven years.[4] He was president of the Presser Foundation for 38 years.[1] He was also a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, the Union League and the Sons of the American Revolution.[1]

Dust cover to James Francis Cooke's book,Great Singers on the Art of Singing.

Family

He married Betsey Ella Beckwith (born Toledo, Ohio, 1896) in 1899. She was a concert singer. They had two sons, Carol Lincoln Cooke (born 1900, died in childhood) and Francis Sherman Cooke (born 1905). The family was recorded in the U.S. Censuses, passport application and ship's travel logs (look at see also section for links).

Education

Cooke was educated in the New York public schools at Brooklyn.[3] He studied music with R. Huntington Woodman, Walter Henry Hall, Charles Dunham, Dudley Buck, Ernst Eberhard and William Medorn in New York.[3]

He attended the Royal Conservatory in Wurzburg, Germany in 1900.[2][3] There he studied under Dr. K. Kliebert,[5] Max Meyer-Olbersleben and music historian and composer Hermann Ritter.[2][3]

He received his doctorate in music from the University of the State of New York in 1906.[1]

John Philip Sousa

In the course of his interviewing and talking with the musicians of his day, Cooke became a "close friend and associate" with John Philip Sousa.[6] As president of the Theodore Presser Company, Cooke published some of the Sousa's works.[6] In 1924 He helped to increase the sales of one of Sousa's pieces by changing its name from March of the Mitten Men to Power and Glory - Fraternal March.[6] He also wrote words to go with Sousa's A Serenade In Seville in 1924. Sousa visited him shortly before his death, and talked to him about the lack of religion in modern music as a failing.[6] The two attended a play "If Booth Had Missed." Two days later, Sousa died of a heart attack.[6]

Composer

Three of his works were recorded and released by Victor Records.[7] Ol' Car'lina (1921) featured soprano Amelita Galli-Curci doing a vocal solo, backed by orchestra.[7] The Angelus (1926) featured a vocal solo by Elsie Baker, also backed by orchestra. Sea gardens (1929) had Rosario Bourdon playing with the Victor Symphonic Band.[7]

Cooke composed for piano. Piano solos include: White Orchids (1941),[8] Mountain Shower (1943),[9] Roses at Dawn (1945),[10] and Ballet Mignon (1948).[11] He wrote the music and poem published together as Sea Gardens (1925).[12] Wrote words to In a Garden Filled With Roses (1939) to a melody by Charles Wakefield Cadman.[13]

Author

Advertising blurbs for books by James Francis Cooke, taken from the rear of the dust cover to Great Singers on the Art of Singing.

He wrote the following books:

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 New York Times obituary, March 5, 1960, Dr. James Cook, 84, Ex-Editor of Etude
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 1920.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 The Pharos: volume 46, number 08 – 05-01-1952, Dr. J. F. Cooke to Visit Here
  4. ↑ Etude Magazine. July, 1917, Departments:World of Music
  5. ↑ pianist The Musical Guide, entry for K. Kliebert
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Willow Grove Park, America’s Summer Music Capitol! Mitten and his Men
  7. 1 2 3 Victory Recordings discography
  8. ↑ White Orchids by James Francis Cooke, Theodore Presser Co., Philadelphia, 1941
  9. ↑ Mountain Shower, Piano Solo by James Francis Cooke, Theodore Presser Co., Philadelphia, 1943
  10. ↑ Roses at Dawn, A Song for Piano by James Francis Cooke, Theodore Presser Co., Philadelphia, 1945
  11. ↑ Ballet Mignon by James Francis Cooke, Theodore Presser Co., Philadelphia, 1948
  12. ↑ Sea Gardens by James Francis Cooke, Theodore Presser Co., Philadelphia, 1925
  13. ↑ Library of Congress, Catalog of Copyright Entries: Musical compositions, Part 3, 1939, page 1163
  14. ↑ Online ebook, original: Philadelphia: Theodore Presser Co., 1917.
  15. ↑ Online ebook, original: Philadelphia: Theodore Presser, 1913.
  16. ↑ Online ebook, original: THEO. PRESSER CO. PHILADELPHIA, PA. 1921
  17. ↑ Online ebook, original: The Etude Magazine, March 1918. Philadelphia: Theodore Presser Co.
  18. ↑ Library of Congress, Catalog of Copyright Entries, Part 1, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1933, page 971
  19. ↑ Google Books summary

External links

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