The music of the Yorkshire-born Arnold Cooke (1906–2005) – solidly constructed, inventively contrapuntal, lyrical and energetic in turns – does not deserve the neglect it...

The music of the Yorkshire-born Arnold Cooke (1906–2005) – solidly constructed, inventively contrapuntal, lyrical and energetic in turns – does not deserve the neglect it suffered even in its composer’s lifetime. This first album, of two presenting all five of Cooke’s string quartets, underlines his reputation for resourceful craftsmanship, presented in a style which sits downstream from Paul Hindemith, with whom he studied in Berlin, and from Béla Bartók.

REVIEW:

Like our Ned Rorem, the English composer Arnold Cooke (1906–2005) nearly lived to see his own centennial. He was a student of Hindemith, and his work has his master’s best traits — has athletic motion, tart harmonies and counterpoints, and excellent construction.

His Quartet 1 (1933) has a fugal opening that becomes thorny, but in a bracing way. Its individual lines have an Ivesian independence. The scherzo has rapid leaping figures; the interlude has longer lines combined in counterpoint. The slow movement has an elegant legato theme, later re-introduced with insistent rhythms that themselves become important. The whirligig finale has a more deliberate relief section before the faster music returns, building to a dramatic climax before it tapers off to a C major conclusion.

In Quartet 3 (1967), the beginning contrasts martial dotted figures with more legato melodies. II makes skilled interplay between arching themes and pizzicato accompaniments. Its counterpoint is tonally wayward, but the overall form is clear owing to Cooke’s control over its pacing. The scherzo has a jiglike theme expanding to hemiolic 2-versus-3 rhythms. In the finale the themes use traditional rhythmic patterns, but with non-tonal lines. A theme in the development even has a Scotch snap. The movement ends on a unison G natural.

Quartet 5 (1978) has 3 continuous movements. It begins with winding lines, then unified gestures. The closely voiced harmonies are done with a master’s touch.

Cooke’s dissonances result from his logical voice-leading, rather than being tacked on to sound “modern”. Thus, listeners willing to do a little mental heavy lifting will find his work fascinating and readily understandable.

— American Record Guide