Gardner Read

Drawing on primary documents as well as interviews and letters the authors have created a fascinating portrait of one of America''s most distinguished and prolific composers whose creative output spans more than half a century. With its well organized carefully annotated and indexed bibliography the book is not only a pleasure to read but a valuable research tool. Read''s notable accomplishments include an extensive catalog of 150 opus numbers that run the gamut of instrumental combinations and musical genres plus nine scholarly books dealing with various aspects of notation orchestral devices and instrumental techniques.The biography describes Read''s family background his early years growing up in Evanston Illinois his high school education his years at the Eastman School of Music his Cromwell fellowship to Europe and his marriage to accomplished teacher/pianist Margaret Vail Payne. Major events are highlighted during his years at St. Louis Kansas City Cleveland and finally Boston. Interlochen Tanglewood the MacDowell Colony the Huntington Hartford Foundation as well as official visits to Mexico are explored in terms of the role they played in the creative life of the composer. A major portion of the biography is devoted to Read''s opera ^IVillon^R. Readers will be interested in the completely annotated bibliography which includes a complete listing of works performances reviews discography and literary writings. Appendixes include classified lists of instrumentation commissions awards honors positions text sources dedications and manuscript locations.