cecil cope (1909-2003)

Cecil Cope was born in Lichfield in 1909, and began singing as a chorister at Lichfield Cathedral in 1919, where he distinguished himself as an alto soloist. In 1927 he was appointed Lay Vicar at Rochester Cathedral, where he studied with the organist Charles Hylton Stewart and made contact with the singer Henry Plunket Green. While in Rochester he also met Helen (Nellie) Wood, a violist who became an important musical collaborator; they married in 1932.

In 1929 Cope was appointed as a Vicar Choral at St Paul’s Cathedral, where he sang until 1935. During this period, he studied voice with Charles Kennedy Scott and was offered the position of First Bass with the newly created BBC Singers. Here he met Peter Pears, with whom he formed a lifelong friendship. In 1936, Cope moved to Westminster Abbey, where the organist Dr Ernest Bullock became an important mentor, particularly in composition. He also performed with the New English Singers and produced a number of war-related recordings for the Ministry of Information. Cope served in the armed forces from January 1941 until Christmas 1945.

After the war, Cope was appointed County Music Adviser in Devon, and the family moved to Dartington Hall, where he and Nellie collaborated with Peter Cox and Imogen Holst. From 1948 he headed the Music Department at St Luke’s College, Exeter, until his appointment as Principal Teacher of Singing at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music in Glasgow in 1958, a position he relinquished in 1961 for family reasons.

The family then moved to Forest Row in Sussex, where Cope became Head of Music at Michael Hall, one of the oldest Rudolf Steiner schools in Britain. He founded the Michael Hall School Choral Society in 1962, wrote music for school productions and, in 1965, persuaded Peter Pears and Benjamin Britten to give a major fundraising concert in aid of Peredur School.

Cope retired in 1974 but remained active as a composer until close to his death in 2003, leaving a legacy of over 140 compositions, of which only around thirty were published during his lifetime.

Cope was an inspirational teacher, conductor and builder of musical community, as well as a cherished friend, colleague and family man. His fine baritone voice, impeccable diction and purity of style were widely admired, and his interpretations of John Ireland and Peter Warlock were particularly noted. His early published works draw strongly on the English cathedral tradition, while his later music - written largely for schools, churches and friends - reveals an original melodist with deep roots in English folk style and a willingness to explore new musical idioms.

The full list of music by Cecil Cope published by imprimis.uk can be found here.