Prof Barry Cooper

Biography

Barry Cooper studied music at University College, Oxford (MA, 1973; DPhil., 1974), where he also studied organ (FRCO, 1968). After a temporary lecturership at St Andrews University he moved to Aberdeen University (1974) before transferring to Manchester University in 1990, where he was appointed Professor of Music in 2003. He is best known for his research on Beethoven, on whom he has written or edited eight books. He has also published a scholarly performing edition of Beethoven’s 35 Piano Sonatas (2007), with extensive commentary. For further details of these and other publications, see under 'Research Interests'. His reconstruction of the original slow movement of Beethoven's String Quartet Op. 18 No. 2 was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in 2011. In 2012 he discovered a hymn setting by Beethoven, 'Tantum ergo', which was performed at the Martin Harris Centre (University of Manchester) and broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4.  A YouTube recording can be heard via the following link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkPCnodQQiY . In 2017 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Tucumán, Argentina.