Obituary: Composer and Music Scholar Gardner Read, 92
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Composer and music scholar Gardner Read died on November 10, 2005, at his home in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA. He was 92.
Professor emeritus of composition at Boston University, Read was a prolific composer of orchestral, choral, and chamber works and pieces for piano, organ, and solo voice. In addition, he authored a number of texts on musical notation and composition.
Between 1941 to 1948, Read headed the composition departments at the St. Louis Institute of Music, the Kansas City Conservatory of Music, and the Cleveland Institute of Music. In 1948, he was appointed composer-in-residence and professor of composition at the School of Music, Boston University, retiring in 1978. In addition, Read served as principal conductor with the St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra in 1943 and 1944, and put in guest conducting appearances over the years with the Boston Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Kansas City Philharmonic, and various university orchestras in performances of his own works.
In 1996, Greenwood Press published Gardner Read: A Bio-Bibliography, which includes an annotated and indexed catalog of Read’s compositions, performances, literary writings, and recorded works, as well as a biography, reviews, and other extensive information about Read’s life and work. His website also includes extensive listings of his compositions, books, and recordings.
He was born January 2, 1913, in Evanston, Illinois. His wife, Vail Payne Read, died January 28, 2003. He is survived by his daughter Cynthia of Ossining, NY.
Contributions in his memory should be sent to The MacDowell Colony. A memorial concert is planned, but no date has been announced.