# Aynsley Cook

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{{Short description|British operatic bass-baritone}}

thumb|right|300px|Thomas Aynsley Cook
'''Thomas Aynsley Cook''' (1833 – 16 February 1894) was a British operatic [bass-baritone](/source/bass-baritone) of the [Victorian era](/source/Victorian_era). Among others, he originated the role of José the Wolf in ''[The Contrabandista](/source/The_Contrabandista)'' by [Arthur Sullivan](/source/Arthur_Sullivan) and [F. C. Burnand](/source/Francis_Burnand) in 1867. He sang the role of Devilshoof in ''[The Bohemian Girl](/source/The_Bohemian_Girl)'', about 430 times.

==Early life==
Born in London in 1833, Cook was the son of Elizabeth Jane Cook and Thomas Aynsley Cook, a seal and silver engraver,<ref>Thomas Aynsley Cook in UK, Midlands and Various UK Trade Directories: Commercial Directory for London, 1845, p. 163</ref> and the brother of opera singers [Furneaux Cook](/source/Furneaux_Cook) and Alice Aynsley Cook (1849–1938). His father claimed descent from Captain [James Cook](/source/James_Cook).<ref name=Obit>Goossens, Anne. [https://www.britishmusicsociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Sir-Eugene-Gooseens-1892-1962-by-Anne-Goossens.pdf SIR EUGENE GOOSSENS (1893-1962) D. Mus., F.R.C.M.], Journal of the British Music Society, 1962, p. 3</ref> A boy soprano,<ref name=Rosa/> Cook started singing at [St. George's Catholic Cathedral](/source/St_George's_Cathedral%2C_Southwark) in [Southwark](/source/Southwark), and at concerts directed by [Mendelssohn](/source/Felix_Mendelssohn) and [Spohr](/source/Louis_Spohr).<ref name=Obit/> He was a pupil of [Edward John Hopkins](/source/Edward_John_Hopkins) at the [City Temple](/source/City_Temple%2C_London) in London, and of [Josef Staudigl](/source/Josef_Staudigl) in [Munich](/source/Munich), [Bavaria](/source/Bavaria), and began his singing career in Bavaria. Returning to London, in 1856 he was working for [Meyer Lutz](/source/Meyer_Lutz), then a professor or teacher of music, in Binfield House, a Wesleyan chapel.<ref>Thomas Aynsley Cook in UK, City and County Directories, 1766–1946, (1856), p. 471</ref> In the same year Lutz married Cook's sister, Elizabeth Cook (b. 1835) and later married their sister Emily Cook (b. 1847).<ref>Lamb, Andrew. "Comic Opera Goes Latin-American, 1890–92: Part 2" in ''The Gaiety'', Winter 2006, p. 29</ref>

==Operatic career==
A bass-baritone, Cook made his stage début in [Manchester](/source/Manchester) later in 1856 when he appeared with the National English Opera Company managed by [Lucy Escott](/source/Lucy_Escott).<ref name=Stone>Stone, David. [https://gsarchive.net/whowaswho/C/CookTAinsley.htm "T. Aynsley Cook"], Who Was Who in the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company</ref> He may have met his future wife at this time, as she was a member of the same company. On 26 June 1858, Cook married the opera singer Harriett Farrell Payne (1830–1880),<ref>Thomas Aynsley Cook in London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754–1938, p. 179</ref> the daughter of the [pantomime](/source/pantomime) artist [William Payne](/source/William_Payne_(pantomimist)). Her brothers were the pantomime entertainers the [Payne Brothers](/source/Payne_Brothers).<ref name=Rosa>[https://www.carlrosatrust.org.uk/troupe/troupe_Cook.html "The Rosa Troupe: Harriett and Aynsley Cook"], The Carl Rosa Trust, Ltd</ref> From 1858 to 1861 Cook and his new wife toured the United States with the Lucy Escott company,<ref name=OpScot>[http://operascotland.org/person/527/Aynsley-Cook Thomas Aynsley Cook], Opera Scotland database</ref> but the venture was not a success.<ref name=Rosa/>

[[File:Aynsley Cook Boum 1867.jpg|thumb|right|Cook as General Boum in ''[The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein](/source/La_Grande-Duchesse_de_G%C3%A9rolstein)'' (1867)]]
From 1862 to 1864 Cook and his wife were members of the [Pyne](/source/Louisa_Pyne)-Harrison Company which was appearing at the [Royal Opera House](/source/Royal_Opera_House) in [Covent Garden](/source/Covent_Garden). For them he sang Sergeant Peterman in ''[The Desert Flower](/source/The_Desert_Flower)'' and Pascal in ''[The Armourer of Nantes](/source/The_Armourer_of_Nantes)'', both in 1863, and in [John Liptrot Hatton](/source/John_Liptrot_Hatton)'s ''Rose, or Love's Ransom'' (1864). The couple remained at Covent Garden for a further two years with English Opera Limited.<ref name=Rosa/> Their repertoire during this period included new works by [Balfe](/source/Michael_William_Balfe), [Wallace](/source/William_Vincent_Wallace) and [Benedict](/source/Julius_Benedict), as well as popular European works translated into English. In 1867 Cook originated the role of José the Wolf in ''[The Contrabandista](/source/The_Contrabandista)'' by [Arthur Sullivan](/source/Arthur_Sullivan) and [F. C. Burnand](/source/Francis_Burnand) at [St. George's Hall](/source/St._George's_Hall_(London)), in London.<ref name=Stone/> He played General Boum in the first British production of ''[The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein](/source/La_Grande-Duchesse_de_G%C3%A9rolstein)'' in November 1867 at [Covent Garden](/source/Royal_Opera_House) in an English translation by [Charles Lamb Kenney](/source/Charles_Lamb_Kenney),<ref name=Stone/><ref name=guide>[http://www.guidetomusicaltheatre.com/shows_g/grand_duchess.htm "''The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein''"], ''The Guide to Musical Theatre'', accessed 18 March 2024</ref> starring [Julia Matthews](/source/Julia_Matthews) in the title role.<ref>Reviews, ''The Times'', 19 November 1867, p. 6, ''London Evening Standard'', 19 November, p. 3,  ''The Era'', 24 November, p. 11, and ''The Observer'', 24 November, p. 3</ref> During the 1870 to 1871 seasons Cook was at the [Gaiety Theatre](/source/Gaiety_Theatre%2C_London) in London, where he appeared as Van Bett in the British premiere of [Lortzing](/source/Albert_Lortzing)'s  ''[Zar und Zimmermann](/source/Zar_und_Zimmermann)'' in addition to popular French works including [Auber](/source/Daniel_Auber)'s ''[Fra Diavolo](/source/Fra_Diavolo_(opera))'' and [Hérold](/source/Ferdinand_H%C3%A9rold)'s ''[Zampa](/source/Zampa)''.<ref name=OpScot/>

==Carl Rosa Opera Company==
[[File:Aynsley Cook Falstaff 1878.jpg|thumb|right|Cook as [Falstaff](/source/John_Falstaff) in ''[The Merry Wives of Windsor](/source/The_Merry_Wives_of_Windsor_(opera))'' (1878)]]
On joining the [Carl Rosa Opera Company](/source/Carl_Rosa_Opera_Company) for their second American season in 1871<ref name=Stone/> the Cooks made their first appearance with the company in ''[The Daughter of the Regiment](/source/La_fille_du_r%C3%A9giment)'' on 2 October 1871 at the New York Academy of Music with Aynsley as Sulpice, Harriett as the Marchioness and [Euphrosyne Parepa-Rosa](/source/Euphrosyne_Parepa-Rosa) as Marie. The Cooks remained with Carl Rosa for the next four seasons, until 1878.<ref name=Rosa/> In 1875 at the [Princess's Theatre, London](/source/Princess's_Theatre%2C_London), he sang Bartolo to the Figaro of [Charles Santley](/source/Charles_Santley) in ''[The Marriage of Figaro](/source/The_Marriage_of_Figaro)''. In 1878 he again sang Falstaff in ''The Merry Wives of Windsor''.<ref>[https://www.umass.edu/AdelphiTheatreCalendar/img120c.htm Aynsley Cook as Falstaff], The Adelphi Theatre Calendar: A Record of Dramatic Performances at a Leading Victorian Theatre. Formerly the Sans Pareil (1806–1819), later the Adelphi (1819–1900)</ref>

For a while{{when|date=March 2024}} the Cooks managed the pub [Jack Straw's Castle](/source/Jack_Straw's_Castle%2C_Hampstead) on [Hampstead Heath](/source/Hampstead_Heath). During this period, including after the death of his wife in 1880, Cook sang with other companies. In September and October 1879 Cook played Dick Deadeye in ''[H.M.S. Pinafore](/source/H.M.S._Pinafore)'' with the [D'Oyly Carte Opera Company](/source/D'Oyly_Carte_Opera_Company)'s "2nd London" company in [Shoreditch](/source/Shoreditch) and [Camden Town](/source/Camden_Town).<ref name=Stone/> He rejoined Carl Rosa in 1885 and remained with them for the next decade.<ref name=Rosa/> Cook sang a variety of roles including Halvor the innkeeper in [Corder](/source/Frederick_Corder)'s grand opera ''[Nordisa](/source/Nordisa)'' (1887). His most famous role with Carl Rosa was Devilshoof in ''[The Bohemian Girl](/source/The_Bohemian_Girl)'', which he sang about 430 times.<ref name=Rosa/> While with [Carl Rosa](/source/Carl_Rosa) Cook sang in [Rossini](/source/Gioachino_Rossini)'s ''[Stabat Mater](/source/Stabat_Mater_(Rossini))'' in a charity concert to raise funds to restore [St Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral](/source/St_Mary's_Cathedral%2C_Edinburgh_(Catholic)) in [Edinburgh](/source/Edinburgh). This was possibly that work's Scottish premiere.<ref name=OpScot/>

Cook's last performance was as Father Tom in ''[The Lily of Killarney](/source/The_Lily_of_Killarney)'' at the [Royal Court Theatre](/source/Royal_Court_Theatre%2C_Liverpool) in [Liverpool](/source/Liverpool) on 3 February 1894. He grew increasingly ill and died on 16 February 1894 as a result of a severe attack of jaundice. His funeral service was held at [Saint Peter's church](/source/St_Peter's_Church%2C_Liverpool) in Liverpool on 20 February, following which thousands of well-wishers attended the interment in the Roman Catholic Ground at [Liverpool Cemetery](/source/Anfield_Cemetery).<ref>Thomas Aynsley Cook in England & Scotland, Select Cemetery Registers: Register of Burials in the Roman Catholic Ground (1894)</ref> In tribute, that evening at the Royal Court Theatre Claude Jaquinot conducted [Chopin](/source/Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric_Chopin)'s [Funeral March](/source/Piano_Sonata_No._2_(Chopin)) after a performance of ''[Maritana](/source/Maritana)''.<ref name=Rosa/>

==Family==
His daughter Annie Elizabeth Cook (1861–1946) was born in [Boston](/source/Boston), Massachusetts, at the outbreak of the [American Civil War](/source/American_Civil_War), while her parents were on an operatic tour.<ref name=Obit/> She married the conductor [Eugene Goossens, fils](/source/Eugene_Goossens%2C_fils),<ref>[https://theguardian.newspapers.com/clippings/?locale=en-GB&user=724961%3Aglennhistory Obituary: Mrs Annie Goossens], ''[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)'', London, 16 September 1946, p. 3</ref> making Cook the maternal grandfather of the talented Goossens siblings, the composer and conductor [Sir Eugene Goossens](/source/Eugene_Aynsley_Goossens), the [harp](/source/harp)ists [Marie](/source/Marie_Goossens) and [Sidonie Goossens](/source/Sidonie_Goossens), the [horn](/source/French_horn) player [Adolphe Goossens](/source/Adolphe_Goossens)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/511305|title=Casualty|website=www.cwgc.org|accessdate=October 17, 2019}}</ref> and the [oboist](/source/oboe) [Léon Goossens](/source/L%C3%A9on_Goossens).<ref name=grove>Banfield, Stephen, [http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/11466pg2?q=Eugene+Goossens&source=omo_t237&source=omo_gmo&source=omo_t114&search=quick&hbutton_search.x=23&hbutton_search.y=13&pos=2&_start=1#firsthit Eugène Goossens (ii)] Grove Music online (subscription required); accessed 13 October 2009.</ref>

==References==
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Aynsley}}
Category:1833 births
Category:1894 deaths
Category:19th-century British male opera singers
Category:English bass-baritones
Category:Male actors from London
Category:British operatic bass-baritones
Category:19th-century English singers
Category:Burials at Anfield Cemetery

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Aynsley Cook](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aynsley_Cook) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aynsley_Cook?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.