Maurice Cole (pianist) Maurice Cole (pianist) Maurice Cole (1902–1990), was an English pianist, teacher and adjudicator who studied privately and at the Guildhall School of Music with Arthur De Greef. Maurice Cole was born in London, England. He was the first pianist to broadcast a recital on the BBC and went on to perform, amongst many other compositions, both books of Bach's "Well-Tempered Clavier" on the BBC Third Programme. He was professor at the Guildhall School of Music from 1953, was appointed Professor of Pianoforte at the School on two occasions and was a member of the Incorporated Society of Musicians. He was
Christmas Day in the Workhouse very popular and such work made Sims a great success. He went on to write detailed exposés of the life of the poor for periodicals such as the "Weekly Dispatch", "The Pictorial World" and "The Daily News", which had been founded by Charles Dickens. Among the many parodies of Sims' ballad are "Christmas Day in the Cookhouse" (1930) by British comedian Billy Bennett, recited by a soldier in the 1969 film "Oh! What a Lovely War"; "'Twas Christmas Day in the Poorhouse" (2000) by Garrison Keillor; and "Christmas Day in Grey Gables", submitted by a listener to the BBC Radio