Reed, William L(eonard)

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Reed, William L(eonard)

Reed, William L(eonard) , English composer, lecturer, and editor; b. London, Oct. 16, 1910. He studied at the Guildhall School of Music in London (1917–26), Dulwich Coll., London (1922–29), the Univ. of Oxford (M.A., 1934; B.Mus., 1936; M.Mus., 1939), and with Howells (composition) and Lambert (conducting) at the Royal Coll. of Music in London (1934–36; first Cobbett Prize in composition, 1936). After World War II, he traveled widely in Europe, the U.S., and Asia; in 1961 settled in London, where he served as director of music at the Westminster Theatre Arts Centre (1967–80).

Works

Musicals: The Vanishing Island (Santa Barbara, Calif., 1955; in collaboration with G. Fraser); Annie (London, 1967); High Diplomacy (London, 1969; in collaboration with G. Fraser); Love All (London, 1978). ORCH. Recitative and Dance (1934); Jig (1935); Siciliana (1935); Pantomime (1935); Saraband (1935); Idyll for Small Orch. (1935); Waltz Fantasy (1935); Concert Rhapsody for Viola and Orch. (1935); 6 Facets (1936); A Reflection for Small Orch. (1936); Scherzo (1937); 2 Short Pieces (1937); Hornpipe (1939); Doctor Johnson’s Suite for Strings (1944); Country Overture and Scherzo for Strings (1944); Mountain House, suite (1949); Concert Overture (1950). CHAMBER: Fantasy for String Quartet (1936); Tarantelle fantastique for Piano and String Quartet (1943); Waltz for Piano and String Quartet (1944); 2 suites for Violin and Piano: No. 1 (1945) and No. 2, On the Road (1948); The Top Flat, suite for Viola and Piano (1947); Rhapsody on Christmas Carols for Violin and Piano (1951); piano pieces; organ works. OTHER: Vocal music.

Writings

(all publ. in London): The Treasury of Christmas Music (1950; 7th ed., 1978); Music of Britain (1952); The Treasury ofEaster Music (1963); with G. Knight, The Treasury of English Church Music (5 vols., 1965); The Second Treasury of Christmas Music (1967); with E. Smith, The Treasury of Vocal Music (4 vols., 1969); National Anthems of the World (5th ed. with M. Cartledge, 1978; 6th and 7th eds. with M. Bristow, 1985, 1987).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire