Donald Alexander Cochrane is a Canadian composer, responsible for compositions, including symphonies, quintets and mixed choral/orchestra pieces.
Education and Teaching
Donald Alexander Cochrane, Canadian composer and pianist was born in eastern Ontario. After high-school graduation he moved to New York City to study piano under Dr. Alexander Klahr, a former associate of the University of Vienna, Austria. He earned his BSc. degree from Columbia University, NYC. After that, he proceeded to study music composition with Dr. Hans Sachsse of the Munich High School for Music. For twenty-five years Cochrane worked as a high-school music department head in the Toronto area. After retirement, he continued work with computer music software using finale and the Garritan Personal Orchestra to record and print.
Composer
He is a prolific composer whose oeuvre consists of 12 piano concerti, 10 symphonies, the last in 2004, 2 albums of piano music, 6 sets of orchestral variations, chamber music, a viola concerto for small Orchestra, 2 string quartets, 2 piano quintets, woodwind quintet, brass quintet, clarinet quartet, saxophone quartet, vocal music, settings from William Blake’s "Songs of Innocence" – a capella – with piano accompaniment, an Odyssey, a cantata with original text for orchestra and mixed choir, a Tragic Tale and Evangel, an Oratorio for solo voices, mixed choir and symphony orchestra. Cochrane is well known for his compositions for quartets of various instrumentation. Further, Cochrane's piece, Quintoporany, a brass quintet can be found on Pro Music. A sample of the score is also available.
Selected Compositions
Symphonies
Symphony nr 1, 1982 approx 26 minutes Symphony nr 2, 1983 approx 30 minutes Symphony nr 3, 1988 approx 28 minutes Symphony nr 4, 1990 approx 20 minutes Symphony nr 5, 1991 approx 30 minutes Symphony nr 6, 1992 approx 28 minutes Symphony nr 7, 1996 approx 20 minutes Symphony nr 8 2002 approx 18 minutes Symphony nr 9 2004 approx 18 minutes Symphony nr 10 2005 approx 24 minutes
Concerti
Piano concert nr 1, 1984 Piano concert nr 2, 1994 Piano concert nr 3, 1995 Piano concert nr 4, 1997 Piano concert nr 5, 1999 Piano concert nr 6, 2001 Viola concert/Chamber Orchestra, 1996, approx 17 minutes Piano Concerti from 7-12 were written from 2002 to 2008
Orchestral Works
Early Songs for Voice/Orchestra 1955 Tragic Tale, 1956, 17 minutes Odessy for Choir/Orchestra, 1970, 18 minutes Variations on Originel Thema, 1975, 13 minutes Variations on a Pop song nr 1, date ? Variations on a Sea Shanty, 1984, 13 minutes Culmination, 1989, 70 minutes Variations on an Irish Air, 1995, 12 minutes Variations on a Popsong nr 2, 1995, 11 minutes Evange for Choir/Orchestra, 1996, 57 minutes Suite Chamber Orchestra, 1996, 12 minutes
Chamber music
Quartet nr 1 1970. Quartet nr 2 1994 Sax Quartet 1974 Brass Quartet 1975 Piano Quintet nrv 1 1978 Piano Quintet nr 2 1993
Piano Solo
Lyric Pieces, 1969-1992 Soundings, 1986-2008
Current Day
At present, Cochrane lives in Ontario and is currently working on a suite for harpsichord, piano and small orchestra. He could be considered one of Canada's important composers. Many of his compositions for piano have been performed by Canadian pianists, including Yaroslav Senyshyn. At the current time, many of Cochrane's performed compositions can be found on iTunes.
